Near Horsforth test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 13 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 22 navigation steps.
This is an independent 54.8 km practice loop near Horsforth test centre, taking roughly 30 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 stations, churches, shops 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 95-step drive on real, named roads (about 54.8 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 Lane1.1 km
Turn left onto Spen Lane.
Spen Lane250 m
Turn right onto West Park Drive.
West Park Drive321 m
Turn right onto Spen Road.
Spen Road230 m
Turn left onto A660/Otley Road.
A660487 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.
A6120298 m
Turn left onto Spen Gardens.
Spen Gardens71 m
Turn right 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.
A6601.3 km
Turn left onto Hollin Road.
Hollin Road157 m
Turn right onto Weetwood Lane.
Weetwood Lane87 m
Turn right onto St Chad's Road.
St Chad's Road94 m
Turn right onto A660/Otley Road.
A660895 m
Move left onto Spen Road.
Spen Road83 m
Turn right onto Weetwood Road.
Weetwood Road280 m
Turn left onto A660/Otley Road.
A660273 m
Enter Lawnswood Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A660/Otley Road.
Lawnswood Roundabout47 m
Exit the roundabout onto A660/Otley Road.
A660219 m
Move left onto Otley Old Road.
Otley Old Road5.8 km
Move left onto Church Hill.
Church Hill207 m
Turn right onto A660/Leeds Road.
A6601.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A660/Leeds Road.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto A660/Leeds Road.
A660280 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A660/Leeds Road.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto A660/Leeds Road. Continue on A660.
A6604.6 km
Enter Lawnswood Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A660/Otley Road.
Lawnswood Roundabout52 m
Exit the roundabout onto A660/Otley Road.
A6601.5 km
Turn left onto Cottage Road.
Cottage Road240 m
Turn right onto Moor Road.
Moor Road312 m
Move left onto Monk Bridge Road/B6157.
Monk Bridge Road657 m
Turn left onto Stonegate Road/B6157.
Stonegate Road42 m
Keep left to stay on Stonegate Road/B6157.
Stonegate Road61 m
Turn left onto Back Stonegate Road.
Back Stonegate Road94 m
Turn left onto Green Road.
Green Road36 m
Move left onto Stonegate Road/B6157.
Stonegate Road3 m
Keep right to stay on Stonegate Road/B6157.
Stonegate Road405 m
Turn right onto Stainbeck Road/B6159. Continue on B6159.
B61591.4 km
Move left onto Shaw Lane/B6157.
Shaw Lane108 m
Turn right onto A660/Otley Road.
A6601.4 km
Turn right to stay on A660/Otley Road.
A660482 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 2nd exit onto A6120/Ring Road.
34 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6120/Ring Road. Continue on A6120.
A61201.8 km
Turn left onto Parkside.
Parkside166 m
Turn left towards Leeds/Kirkstall.
New Road Side268 m
Turn left onto Rose Terrace.
Rose Terrace209 m
Turn right onto A6120/Broadway. Continue on A6120.
A61201.7 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 2nd exit onto A6120/Ring Road Weetwood.
Lawnswood Roundabout47 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6120/Ring Road Weetwood. Continue on A6120.
A61202.5 km
Keep right to take Ring Road Meanwood.
Ring Road Meanwood44 m
Turn right onto Tongue Lane.
Tongue Lane527 m
Turn left.
50 m
Turn right.
43 m
Turn right.
116 m
Turn right onto Tongue Lane.
Tongue Lane560 m
Turn left onto A6120/Ring Road Meanwood. Continue on A6120.
A61202.6 km
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 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 2nd exit onto A6120/Ring Road Weetwood.
Lawnswood Roundabout47 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6120/Ring Road Weetwood. Continue on A6120.
A61202.5 km
Keep left to stay on A6120.
A612066 m
Keep left to take Black Moor Road.
Black Moor Road31 m
Turn left to stay on Black Moor Road.
Black Moor Road424 m
Turn left onto Alderton Bank.
Alderton Bank151 m
Turn right onto Alderton Mount.
Alderton Mount65 m
Turn right onto Scotland Wood Road.
Scotland Wood Road178 m
Turn right onto Black Moor Road.
Black Moor Road517 m
Move right onto A6120/Ring Road Moortown. Continue on A6120.
A61202.6 km
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 Lane332 m
Turn left onto Springfield Mount.
Springfield Mount24 m
Turn right onto Back Low Lane.
Back Low Lane26 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Horsforth · Route 9 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.
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 35.0 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, 50, 60, 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.
Lawnswood School
Start near Lawnswood School.
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 Ring Road West Park
Continue to Otley Road Ring Road West Park.
Headingley Lane Glen Road
Continue to Headingley Lane Glen Road.
Otley Old Road The Grange Road
Continue to Otley Old Road The Grange Road.
Otley Old Road Holtdale Approach
Continue to Otley Old Road Holtdale Approach.
Otley Old Road Hospital Lane
Continue to Otley Old Road Hospital Lane.
Bramhope Hall Rise
Continue to Bramhope Hall Rise.
Leeds Road Hall Rise
Continue to Leeds Road Hall Rise.
Leeds Road
Continue to Leeds Road.
Otley Road Kingsley Drive
Continue to Otley Road Kingsley Drive.
Otley Road Holt Lane
Continue to Otley Road Holt Lane.
Otley Road Lawnswood
Continue to Otley Road Lawnswood.
Kingdom Hall
Continue to Kingdom Hall.
Otley Road St Chads Drive
Continue to Otley Road St Chads Drive.
Woodside Stores
Continue to Woodside Stores.
Horsforth Fleece Hotel
Continue to Horsforth Fleece Hotel.
Ring Road Weetwood Otley Road
Continue to Ring Road Weetwood Otley Road.
Penny Field School
Finish back near Penny Field School, 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 54.8 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Horsforth test centre, not an official DVSA route.