Near Horsforth test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts, 17 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 27 navigation steps.
This is an independent 37.9 km practice route near Horsforth test centre, taking roughly 35 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.
Along the way you'll meet Raynel Drive and Lawnswood Roundabout. Knowing the approach, lane and exit at each one before you arrive is the difference between a planned manoeuvre and a last-second reaction, and last-second reactions are where avoidable faults come from.
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 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, stations, named junctions 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 102-step drive on real, named roads (about 37.9 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.
A61201.4 km
Turn left onto Wynford Avenue.
Wynford Avenue372 m
Turn left onto Wynford Rise.
Wynford Rise205 m
Turn right onto Wynford Terrace.
Wynford Terrace400 m
Turn right onto Spen Lane.
Spen Lane156 m
Turn left onto Otley Old Road.
Otley Old Road615 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 Road277 m
Turn right onto Raynel Approach.
Raynel Approach131 m
Turn left onto Raynel Close.
Raynel Close46 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Raynel Close.
Raynel Close46 m
Turn left onto Raynel Approach.
Raynel Approach54 m
Turn right onto Raynel Mount.
Raynel Mount152 m
Turn left onto Raynel Drive.
Raynel Drive280 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Raynel Drive.
48 m
Exit the roundabout onto Raynel Drive.
Raynel Drive63 m
Turn right onto Farrar Lane.
Farrar Lane356 m
Turn left onto Heathfield.
Heathfield233 m
Turn left onto Chestnut Drive.
Chestnut Drive62 m
Turn left onto Holt Lane.
Holt Lane85 m
Turn right to stay on Holt Lane.
Holt Lane1.3 km
Turn left onto Cookridge Lane.
Cookridge Lane43 m
Turn right onto Tinshill Road.
Tinshill Road1.6 km
Move right onto Station Road.
Station Road312 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Long Row.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Long Row.
Long Row468 m
Move right onto Church Avenue.
Church Avenue352 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.
A6601.3 km
Turn right onto St Helen's Lane.
St Helen's Lane226 m
Turn right onto Adel Lane.
Adel Lane738 m
Turn right onto Weetwood Lane.
Weetwood Lane111 m
Turn right onto A6120/Ring Road Weetwood.
A6120888 m
Enter Lawnswood Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A660/Otley Road.
Lawnswood Roundabout16 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 the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A6120/Ring Road West Park.
6 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 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 4th exit onto A660/Otley Road.
Lawnswood Roundabout131 m
Exit the roundabout onto A660/Otley Road.
A6602.1 km
Turn left onto Holt Lane.
Holt Lane510 m
Move left onto Holt Road.
Holt Road73 m
Turn right onto Holt Park Approach.
Holt Park Approach415 m
Turn left onto Holt Park Road.
Holt Park Road113 m
Turn left onto Holt Park Lane.
Holt Park Lane41 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Holt Park Lane.
Holt Park Lane41 m
Turn left onto Holt Park Road.
Holt Park Road203 m
Move left onto Holt Road.
Holt Road180 m
Turn right onto Holt Drive.
Holt Drive133 m
Turn left.
46 m
Make a right U-turn.
46 m
Turn right onto Holt Drive.
Holt Drive133 m
Turn left onto Holt Road.
Holt Road180 m
Move right onto Holt Park Road.
Holt Park Road89 m
Turn left onto Holt Crescent.
Holt Crescent190 m
Turn right onto Holtdale Approach.
Holtdale Approach531 m
Turn left onto Holtdale Drive.
Holtdale Drive53 m
Turn right onto Holtdale Close.
Holtdale Close92 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Holtdale Close.
Holtdale Close92 m
Turn left onto Holtdale Drive.
Holtdale Drive53 m
Turn left onto Holtdale Approach.
Holtdale Approach75 m
Turn left onto Otley Old Road.
Otley Old Road1.4 km
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 right onto Tinshill Road.
Tinshill Road864 m
Turn left onto Moseley Wood Approach.
Moseley Wood Approach79 m
Turn right onto Kirkwood Avenue.
Kirkwood Avenue236 m
Turn right onto Wrenbury Crescent.
Wrenbury Crescent159 m
Turn right onto Tinshill Road.
Tinshill Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Tinshill Lane.
Tinshill Lane722 m
Turn right onto Bedford Drive.
Bedford Drive268 m
Turn right onto Silk Mill Drive.
Silk Mill Drive100 m
Turn right onto Woodnook Drive.
Woodnook Drive60 m
Turn left onto Tinshill Lane.
Tinshill Lane563 m
Turn left onto Tinshill Road.
Tinshill Road57 m
Move right onto Station Road.
Station Road312 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Station Road.
102 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 8 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.
Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Lawnswood Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 14.6 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.
Woodside Micro Pub
Start near Woodside Micro Pub.
Otley Old Road New Adel Road
Continue to Otley Old Road New Adel Road.
Raynel Drive
Continue to Raynel Drive, taking the junction with good observation.
Holt Park Chestnut Drive
Continue to Holt Park Chestnut Drive.
Otley Old Road Tinshill Road
Continue to Otley Old Road Tinshill Road.
Haigh Wood Road Tinhill Lane
Continue to Haigh Wood Road Tinhill Lane.
Green Town Street
Continue to Green Town Street.
Horsforth War Memorial Garden
Continue to Horsforth War Memorial Garden.
Lawnswood Roundabout
Continue to Lawnswood Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Otley Road Lawnswood Crematorium
Continue to Otley Road Lawnswood Crematorium.
Otley Road Ring Road West Park
Continue to Otley Road Ring Road West Park.
Ring Road West Park Otley Road
Continue to Ring Road West Park Otley Road.
Otley Old Road Lawnswood
Continue to Otley Old Road Lawnswood.
Otley Road Greenfield Court
Continue to Otley Road Greenfield Court.
Holt Lane Gainsborough Drive
Continue to Holt Lane Gainsborough Drive.
Holtdale Approach Holtdale Way
Continue to Holtdale Approach Holtdale Way.
Otley Old Road Hospital Lane
Continue to Otley Old Road Hospital Lane.
Tinshill Lane Tinshill Grove
Continue to Tinshill Lane Tinshill Grove.
Silk Mill Drive Woodnook Drive
Continue to Silk Mill Drive Woodnook Drive.
Station Road
Finish back near Station 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 37.9 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Horsforth test centre, not an official DVSA route.