Near Hyde test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 18 roundabouts and 14 turns across 52 navigation steps.
This is an independent 16.6 km practice loop near Hyde test centre, taking roughly 19 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 Bredbury Interchange. 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 independent driving 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 shops, pubs, schools and churches, 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 Hyde 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:
The full 52-step drive on real, named roads (about 17.2 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive south.
16 m
Turn left onto Lingard Lane.
Lingard Lane232 m
Turn right onto A6017/Ashton Road.
A6017320 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A560/Bredbury Interchange.
67 m
Exit the roundabout onto A560/Bredbury Interchange.
A560179 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Crookilley Way/A560.
217 m
Exit the roundabout onto Crookilley Way/A560.
Crookilley Way119 m
Keep left to stay on Crookilley Way/A560.
Crookilley Way438 m
Keep left to stay on Crookilley Way/A560.
Crookilley Way126 m
Keep right to stay on Crookilley Way/A560.
Crookilley Way145 m
Keep right to stay on Crookilley Way/A560.
Crookilley Way132 m
Keep left to stay on Crookilley Way/A560.
Crookilley Way222 m
Keep right to stay on Crookilley Way/A560.
Crookilley Way644 m
Enter Portwood Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto St. Marys Way/A6188.
Portwood Roundabout56 m
Exit the roundabout onto St. Marys Way/A6188. Continue on A6188.
A6188866 m
Move left onto St. Marys Way/A626. Continue on A626.
A626759 m
Keep left to stay on A626.
A626994 m
Keep left to take Marple Road/A626.
Marple Road211 m
Turn left onto The Fairway.
The Fairway350 m
Turn right.
32 m
Turn left.
135 m
Make a right U-turn.
135 m
Turn right.
32 m
Turn left onto The Fairway.
The Fairway350 m
Turn right onto Marple Road/A626.
Marple Road1.8 km
Turn right onto Turncroft Lane.
Turncroft Lane48 m
Turn left.
22 m
Turn left.
38 m
Turn right onto Hall Street/A626.
Hall Street107 m
Turn right onto St. Marys Way/A6188. Continue on A6188.
A6188914 m
Enter Portwood Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Tiviot Way/A626.
Portwood Roundabout156 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tiviot Way/A626. Continue on Tiviot Way.
Tiviot Way902 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Manchester Road/A6188.
111 m
Exit the roundabout onto Manchester Road/A6188.
Manchester Road389 m
Turn left.
4 m
Make a right U-turn.
4 m
Turn left onto Manchester Road/A6188.
Manchester Road266 m
Turn right onto Whitehill Street West.
Whitehill Street West407 m
Turn left.
277 m
Turn right onto Whitehill Street.
Whitehill Street500 m
Turn left onto Manchester Road/A6188.
Manchester Road662 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Tiviot Way/A6188.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tiviot Way/A6188.
Tiviot Way913 m
Enter Portwood Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Crookilley Way/A560.
Portwood Roundabout65 m
Exit the roundabout onto Crookilley Way/A560.
Crookilley Way1.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A560/Bredbury Interchange.
133 m
Exit the roundabout onto A560/Bredbury Interchange.
A560197 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A6017/Ashton Road.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6017/Ashton Road.
A6017313 m
Turn left onto Lingard Lane.
Lingard Lane233 m
Turn right.
16 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Hyde · School-zone practice loop 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.
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.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Screwfix
Start near Screwfix.
Kia
Continue to Kia.
Lookers Kia Stockport
Continue to Lookers Kia Stockport.
Kennies
Continue to Kennies.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Passion Beauty Salon
Continue to Passion Beauty Salon.
Victoria
Continue to Victoria.
Connor's CakeBox
Continue to Connor's CakeBox.
Fairway Primary School
Continue to Fairway Primary School.
St Alban
Continue to St Alban.
Bÿou Hair Stuido
Continue to Bÿou Hair Stuido.
Emigration
Continue to Emigration.
St. Andrews Community Church
Continue to St. Andrews Community Church.
West Way Nissan
Continue to West Way Nissan.
ScS
Continue to ScS.
Portwood Water Turbine
Continue to Portwood Water Turbine.
Navigation
Continue to Navigation.
Whitehill Community Fire Station
Continue to Whitehill Community Fire Station.
All Saints Church
Continue to All Saints Church.
Bredbury Interchange
Finish back near Bredbury Interchange, completing the loop.
20 roundabouts · 13 turns
18 roundabouts · 19 turns
12 roundabouts · 6 turns
20 roundabouts · 11 turns
This route is 16.6 km and takes about 19 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Hyde test centre, not an official DVSA route.