Near Horsforth test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts, 18 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 29 navigation steps.
This is an independent 42.8 km practice loop 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, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and independent driving. 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 shops, churches, stations and schools, 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 104-step drive on real, named roads (about 42.8 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southwest.
46 m
Turn left onto Low Lane.
Low Lane390 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto A6120/Ring Road.
130 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6120/Ring Road. Continue on A6120.
A61201.3 km
Turn right onto Spen Lane.
Spen Lane632 m
Turn right onto Butcher Hill.
Butcher Hill77 m
Turn right onto Moor Grange View.
Moor Grange View265 m
Turn right onto West Park Drive.
West Park Drive107 m
Turn left onto Spen Lane.
Spen Lane175 m
Turn right onto Spen Road.
Spen Road128 m
Turn left onto Spen Gardens.
Spen Gardens75 m
Turn left onto Spen Drive.
Spen Drive53 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Spen Drive.
Spen Drive53 m
Turn left onto Spen Gardens.
Spen Gardens71 m
Turn left onto A6120/Ring Road West Park.
A6120311 m
Make a right U-turn at Parkstone Avenue to stay on A6120/Ring Road West Park.
A6120617 m
Enter Lawnswood Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A660/Otley Road.
Lawnswood Roundabout7 m
Exit the roundabout onto A660/Otley Road.
A660471 m
Make a right U-turn at Lawnswood Gardens to stay on A660/Otley Road.
A660472 m
Enter Lawnswood Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A660/Otley Road.
Lawnswood Roundabout52 m
Exit the roundabout onto A660/Otley Road.
A6601.1 km
Turn right onto Drummond Avenue.
Drummond Avenue150 m
Turn left onto Church Wood Mount.
Church Wood Mount59 m
Turn left onto Drummond Road.
Drummond Road152 m
Turn left onto A660/Otley Road.
A660703 m
Turn right to stay on A660/Otley Road.
A660482 m
Enter Lawnswood Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A660/Otley Road.
Lawnswood Roundabout47 m
Exit the roundabout onto A660/Otley Road.
A660471 m
Make a right U-turn at Lawnswood Gardens to stay on A660/Otley Road.
A660472 m
Enter Lawnswood Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A660/Otley Road.
Lawnswood Roundabout52 m
Exit the roundabout onto A660/Otley Road.
A660745 m
Turn right onto Ancaster Road.
Ancaster Road560 m
Turn right onto Kepstorn Road.
Kepstorn Road332 m
Turn right onto Welburn Avenue.
Welburn Avenue91 m
Turn left onto Welburn Drive.
Welburn Drive90 m
Turn left onto A660/Otley Road.
A660172 m
Move left onto Spen Road.
Spen Road259 m
Turn left onto West Park Drive.
West Park Drive321 m
Turn left onto Spen Lane.
Spen Lane1.3 km
Turn left onto Kepstorn Rise.
Kepstorn Rise41 m
Turn left onto Kepstorn Close.
Kepstorn Close77 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Kepstorn Close.
Kepstorn Close77 m
Turn right onto Kepstorn Rise.
Kepstorn Rise41 m
Turn right onto Spen Lane.
Spen Lane1.7 km
Turn right onto A6120/Ring Road West Park.
A6120438 m
Enter Lawnswood Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A660/Otley Road.
Lawnswood Roundabout7 m
Exit the roundabout onto A660/Otley Road.
A660471 m
Make a right U-turn at Lawnswood Gardens to stay on A660/Otley Road.
A660472 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A6120/Ring Road West Park.
90 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6120/Ring Road West Park. Continue on A6120.
A61201.7 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A6120/Ring Road.
97 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6120/Ring Road. Continue on A6120.
A61201.7 km
Enter Lawnswood Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A660/Otley Road.
Lawnswood Roundabout91 m
Exit the roundabout onto A660/Otley Road.
A660283 m
Turn right onto Weetwood Road.
Weetwood Road209 m
Turn left onto Weetwood Grange Grove.
Weetwood Grange Grove85 m
Turn left onto A660/Otley Road.
A660395 m
Enter Lawnswood Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A6120/Ring Road Weetwood.
Lawnswood Roundabout86 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6120/Ring Road Weetwood.
A6120873 m
Move left onto Weetwood Lane.
Weetwood Lane844 m
Turn left onto Long Causeway.
Long Causeway690 m
Turn right onto Sir George Martin Drive.
Sir George Martin Drive855 m
Move left onto Long Causeway.
Long Causeway133 m
Turn right onto St Helen's Lane.
St Helen's Lane606 m
Turn left onto Adel Lane.
Adel Lane738 m
Turn right onto Weetwood Lane.
Weetwood Lane111 m
Turn right onto A6120/Ring Road Weetwood.
A6120888 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A6120/Ring Road West Park.
54 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6120/Ring Road West Park. Continue on A6120.
A61201.7 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Low Lane.
62 m
Exit the roundabout onto Low Lane.
Low Lane83 m
Turn left onto Broadgate Lane.
Broadgate Lane1.3 km
Turn left onto Church Avenue.
Church Avenue265 m
Turn right onto Church Lane.
Church Lane233 m
Turn right onto Hall Park Avenue.
Hall Park Avenue44 m
Turn left onto Hall Park Rise.
Hall Park Rise164 m
Turn left onto Hall Park Avenue.
Hall Park Avenue194 m
Turn right onto Church Road.
Church Road477 m
Turn left towards Ring Road/Harrogate/Wetherby/York.
A61201.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A6120/Ring Road.
48 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6120/Ring Road. Continue on A6120.
A61201.7 km
Enter Lawnswood Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A660/Otley Road.
Lawnswood Roundabout7 m
Exit the roundabout onto A660/Otley Road.
A6601.8 km
Turn left onto Farrar Lane.
Farrar Lane822 m
Turn left onto Raynel Drive.
Raynel Drive63 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Raynel Drive.
46 m
Exit the roundabout onto Raynel Drive.
Raynel Drive280 m
Turn right onto Raynel Mount.
Raynel Mount152 m
Turn left onto Raynel Approach.
Raynel Approach54 m
Turn right onto Raynel Close.
Raynel Close46 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Raynel Close.
Raynel Close46 m
Turn right onto Raynel Approach.
Raynel Approach131 m
Turn left onto Otley Old Road.
Otley Old Road277 m
Make a right U-turn at Iveson Drive to stay on Otley Old Road.
Otley Old Road241 m
Turn left onto Laith Road.
Laith Road226 m
Turn left onto Iveson Drive.
Iveson Drive168 m
Turn left onto Otley Old Road.
Otley Old Road856 m
Turn left onto Tinshill Lane.
Tinshill Lane1.3 km
Turn left onto Tinshill Road.
Tinshill Road57 m
Move right onto Station Road.
Station Road83 m
Turn left onto Troy Road.
Troy Road1.2 km
Turn right onto Springfield Gardens.
Springfield Gardens26 m
Turn left onto Back Low Lane.
Back Low Lane25 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Horsforth · Route 6 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.
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 21.4 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, 70 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.
Voujon
Start near Voujon.
West Park United Reformed Church
Continue to West Park United Reformed Church.
Otley Old Road Lawnswood
Continue to Otley Old Road Lawnswood.
Otley Old Road The Grange Road
Continue to Otley Old Road The Grange Road.
Otley Road Ring Road West Park
Continue to Otley Road Ring Road West Park.
Otley Road Churchwood Avenue
Continue to Otley Road Churchwood Avenue.
West Park
Continue to West Park.
Catholic Church of the Assumption of our Lady
Continue to Catholic Church of the Assumption of our Lady.
Ring Road West Park Otley Road
Continue to Ring Road West Park Otley Road.
Ring Road Weetwood Otley Road
Continue to Ring Road Weetwood Otley Road.
Inspirations Nursery
Continue to Inspirations Nursery.
Church Avenue St Margarets Avenue
Continue to Church Avenue St Margarets Avenue.
Green Town Street
Continue to Green Town Street.
Horsforth Garden Shop
Continue to Horsforth Garden Shop.
Otley Road Lawnswood Sports Club
Continue to Otley Road Lawnswood Sports Club.
Otley Road The Crescent
Continue to Otley Road The Crescent.
Otley Old Road Iveson Drive
Continue to Otley Old Road Iveson Drive.
Tinshill Lane Tinshill Grove
Continue to Tinshill Lane Tinshill Grove.
Haigh Wood Road Tinhill Lane
Continue to Haigh Wood Road Tinhill Lane.
Woodside Micro Pub
Finish back near Woodside Micro Pub, 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 42.8 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.