Near Horsforth test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts and 14 turns across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 19.7 km practice route near Horsforth test centre, taking roughly 40 min to drive. It is NOT an official DVSA examiner route, the DVSA does not publish those, but it uses the same local roads and junction types an examiner is likely to choose.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and sustained concentration. Driving it a few times before your test builds the muscle memory that frees up attention for observation and decision-making on the day.
The loop is anchored by 20 catalogued landmarks, including pubs, churches, shops and parks, so you can navigate it from recognisable features rather than a memorised turn list. Rehearsing it in this way means that on test day the area already feels familiar, and your attention is free for the traffic rather than the map.
Whatever the route, your practical test follows the same national shape: an eyesight check, a couple of vehicle-safety questions, around forty minutes of general driving, one reversing manoeuvre chosen by the examiner, and roughly twenty minutes of independent driving following signs or a sat-nav. Practising on roads like these is how you make each of those elements feel routine rather than new.
Treat this route as practice, not a script. The value is not in repeating one fixed sequence but in getting comfortable with the road types, speed changes and junction patterns of the area around Horsforth test centre, so that whatever order your examiner chooses on the day, none of it is unfamiliar. Drive it a few times, focus on smooth observation and planning, and it becomes one more stretch of road you already know, which is exactly the kind of preparation that turns nerves into confidence.
If you are practising with a supervising driver rather than an instructor, take it steadily: agree the manoeuvre spots in advance, keep to a comfortable pace, and stop to talk through anything that felt rushed. And remember the basics that apply on every road, mirrors before any change of speed or direction, signals in good time, and a following distance that gives you room to react. Those habits travel with you long after the test is passed.
What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.
This route helps you practise:
Road mix
The full 78-step drive on real, named roads (about 19.7 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southwest on Springfield Gardens.
Springfield Gardens72 m
Turn left onto Back Low Lane.
Back Low Lane52 m
Turn left onto Springfield Mount.
Springfield Mount24 m
Turn right onto Low Lane.
Low Lane334 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Low Lane.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Low Lane.
Low Lane214 m
Turn left to stay on Low Lane.
Low Lane797 m
Turn left onto Old Farm Approach.
Old Farm Approach184 m
Turn left onto Old Farm Drive.
Old Farm Drive122 m
Turn left onto Latchmere Drive.
Latchmere Drive148 m
Turn right onto Old Farm Approach.
Old Farm Approach61 m
Turn right onto Butcher Hill.
Butcher Hill474 m
Move left onto Lea Farm Road.
Lea Farm Road352 m
Turn left onto Lea Farm Mount.
Lea Farm Mount73 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Lea Farm Mount.
Lea Farm Mount73 m
Turn right onto Lea Farm Road.
Lea Farm Road58 m
Turn left onto Hawkswood Crescent.
Hawkswood Crescent257 m
Turn right onto Hawkswood Avenue.
Hawkswood Avenue122 m
Turn left onto Cragside Walk.
Cragside Walk85 m
Turn left onto Cragside Mount.
Cragside Mount58 m
Turn left onto Cragside Gardens.
Cragside Gardens119 m
Turn left onto Cragside Crescent.
Cragside Crescent101 m
Turn right onto Hawkswood Avenue.
Hawkswood Avenue166 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Broadway.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Broadway.
Broadway82 m
Turn right onto Hawkswood Crescent.
Hawkswood Crescent89 m
Turn right onto Lea Farm Road.
Lea Farm Road58 m
Turn left onto Lea Farm Mount.
Lea Farm Mount73 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Lea Farm Mount.
Lea Farm Mount73 m
Turn right onto Lea Farm Road.
Lea Farm Road26 m
Turn left onto Hawkswood View.
Hawkswood View370 m
Turn left onto Vesper Road.
Vesper Road677 m
Turn left onto Spen Lane.
Spen Lane1.2 km
Turn left onto West Park Drive.
West Park Drive107 m
Turn left onto Moor Grange View.
Moor Grange View265 m
Turn right onto Butcher Hill.
Butcher Hill707 m
Make a sharp left onto Lea Farm Road.
Lea Farm Road32 m
Make a sharp left to stay on Lea Farm Road.
Lea Farm Road36 m
Move right onto Butcher Hill.
Butcher Hill474 m
Turn left onto Old Farm Approach.
Old Farm Approach184 m
Turn right onto Old Farm Drive.
Old Farm Drive114 m
Turn left onto Latchmere Road.
Latchmere Road189 m
Turn left onto Latchmere Drive.
Latchmere Drive113 m
Turn right onto Fillingfir Walk.
Fillingfir Walk76 m
Turn right onto Fillingfir Road.
Fillingfir Road150 m
Turn right onto Fillingfir Drive.
Fillingfir Drive71 m
Turn left onto Latchmere Drive.
Latchmere Drive87 m
Turn left onto Latchmere Cross.
Latchmere Cross75 m
Turn left onto Latchmere View.
Latchmere View90 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Latchmere View.
Latchmere View91 m
Turn right onto Latchmere Cross.
Latchmere Cross75 m
Turn right onto Latchmere Drive.
Latchmere Drive221 m
Turn left onto Old Farm Drive.
Old Farm Drive236 m
Turn left onto Latchmere Road.
Latchmere Road189 m
Turn left onto Latchmere Drive.
Latchmere Drive237 m
Turn right onto Old Farm Approach.
Old Farm Approach61 m
Turn right onto Butcher Hill.
Butcher Hill797 m
Turn right onto Low Lane.
Low Lane217 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Low Lane.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Low Lane.
Low Lane332 m
Turn left onto Springfield Mount.
Springfield Mount24 m
Turn right onto Back Low Lane.
Back Low Lane52 m
Turn right onto Springfield Gardens.
Springfield Gardens26 m
Turn right onto Low Lane.
Low Lane390 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A6120/Ring Road.
67 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6120/Ring Road. Continue on A6120.
A61202.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards Skipton/Guiseley/Ilkley/Airport.
72 m
Exit the roundabout towards Skipton/Guiseley/Ilkley/Airport.
A651.4 km
Turn right onto Layton Lane.
Layton Lane507 m
Turn right onto Layton Road.
Layton Road2.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Brownberrie Avenue.
18 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brownberrie Avenue.
Brownberrie Avenue314 m
Turn left onto Brownberrie Drive.
Brownberrie Drive266 m
Move left onto Brownberrie Lane.
Brownberrie Lane133 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Station Road.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Station Road.
Station Road228 m
Turn right onto Troy Road.
Troy Road32 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Horsforth · Route 3 loop. Always drive to the road and conditions you see, not the list — signs, signals and other traffic take priority.
These are the real named features along the loop, straight from our route catalogue. Use them to recognise where you are and to anticipate the hazard each one brings, not to memorise a fixed order.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 2.4 km of this loop is dual carriageway. Build your speed on the slip road, take an effective rearward observation, and merge without forcing other traffic to brake.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40 mph). Watch for repeater signs and adjust early, examiners mark you down for carrying the wrong speed into a new limit.
Residential streets
Narrow residential roads mean parked cars, pedestrians and reduced visibility. Cover the brake, keep your speed down and be ready to give way.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Woodside Micro Pub
Start near Woodside Micro Pub.
Hawksworth Wood Activities Centre
Continue to Hawksworth Wood Activities Centre.
St Mary the Blessed Virgin
Continue to St Mary the Blessed Virgin.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Continue to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Catholic Church of the Assumption of our Lady
Continue to Catholic Church of the Assumption of our Lady.
Church of St Andrew the Apostle, Moor Grange
Continue to Church of St Andrew the Apostle, Moor Grange.
West Park United Reformed Church
Continue to West Park United Reformed Church.
Woodside Stores
Continue to Woodside Stores.
Woodside Fisheries
Continue to Woodside Fisheries.
Horsforth War Memorial Garden
Continue to Horsforth War Memorial Garden.
New Road Side Horsforth
Continue to New Road Side Horsforth.
Rawdon Road Airedale Drive
Continue to Rawdon Road Airedale Drive.
Rawdon Road / Hall Lane
Continue to Rawdon Road / Hall Lane.
Rawdon Road Water Lane
Continue to Rawdon Road Water Lane.
Leeds Road Knott Lane
Continue to Leeds Road Knott Lane.
Leeds Road / Layton Road
Continue to Leeds Road / Layton Road.
Modular B
Continue to Modular B.
Lister Hill
Continue to Lister Hill.
Station Road
Continue to Station Road.
Station Road Troy Road
Finish back near Station Road Troy Road, completing the loop.
4 roundabouts · 19 turns · 1 set of lights
4 roundabouts · 19 turns · 1 set of lights
2 roundabouts · 21 turns · 1 set of lights
2 roundabouts · 18 turns
This route is 19.7 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Horsforth test centre, not an official DVSA route.