Near Ipswich test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 10 roundabouts and 8 turns across 23 navigation steps.
This is an independent 37.2 km practice route near Ipswich 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 Greenwood Interchange, Warrix Interchange, Newhouse Interchange, Meadowhead Roundabout and Monktonhill 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, 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 named junctions, pubs, churches and stations, 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 Ipswich 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 62-step drive on real, named roads (about 37.2 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast.
37 m
Turn left onto Century Court.
Century Court56 m
Turn left to stay on Century Court.
Century Court34 m
Turn right onto Riverside Way.
Riverside Way128 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Long Drive/B7080.
2 m
Exit the roundabout onto Long Drive/B7080.
Long Drive300 m
Enter Greenwood Interchange and take the 2nd exit onto A71.
Greenwood Interchange24 m
Exit the roundabout onto A71.
A71729 m
Enter Warrix Interchange and take the 1st exit onto A78.
Warrix Interchange16 m
Exit the roundabout onto A78/Irvine Bypass.
A783.5 km
Enter Meadowhead Roundabout and take the 3rd exit.
Meadowhead Roundabout113 m
Exit the roundabout.
934 m
Move left.
36 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A759.
68 m
Exit the roundabout onto A759.
A759346 m
Turn right onto Kilmarnock Road/B746. Continue on B746.
B7463.0 km
Turn left onto Barassie Street/B746.
Barassie Street160 m
Turn right onto Portland Street/A759.
Portland Street296 m
Turn right onto Templehill/A759.
Templehill70 m
Turn right onto Union Street.
Union Street41 m
Turn left to stay on Union Street.
Union Street25 m
Turn right onto East Union Street.
East Union Street98 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on East Union Street.
East Union Street98 m
Turn left onto Union Street.
Union Street25 m
Turn right to stay on Union Street.
Union Street41 m
Turn left onto Templehill/A759.
Templehill1.5 km
Turn left onto Craigend Road/B749. Continue on Craigend Road.
Craigend Road1.2 km
Turn right onto Monktonhill Road/B749.
Monktonhill Road2.2 km
Turn left onto A79.
A79278 m
Enter Monktonhill Roundabout and take the 5th exit onto A79.
Monktonhill Roundabout182 m
Exit the roundabout onto A79.
A79960 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A79.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto A79.
A791.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A79.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto A79.
A79497 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Monkton Road/A79.
87 m
Exit the roundabout onto Monkton Road/A79. Continue on A79.
A793.5 km
Turn left onto Northfield Avenue.
Northfield Avenue298 m
Turn right onto North Park Avenue.
North Park Avenue180 m
Turn right to stay on North Park Avenue.
North Park Avenue43 m
Turn left onto Alexandria Terrace.
Alexandria Terrace105 m
Turn right onto McCall's Avenue.
McCall's Avenue261 m
Turn right onto Tam's Brig/A79. Continue on A79.
A793.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A79.
6 m
Exit the roundabout onto A79.
A79491 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A79.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto A79.
A791.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A79.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto A79.
A79880 m
Turn left onto A78/Troon Bypass.
A781.5 km
Take the B746 exit.
B7462.6 km
Turn left onto Commonwealth Drive.
Commonwealth Drive513 m
Turn right onto Gleneagles Drive.
Gleneagles Drive123 m
Turn left onto Turnberry Gardens.
Turnberry Gardens81 m
Turn left to stay on Turnberry Gardens.
Turnberry Gardens59 m
Turn left onto Western Gailes Avenue.
Western Gailes Avenue118 m
Turn right onto Gleneagles Drive.
Gleneagles Drive67 m
Turn left onto Commonwealth Drive.
Commonwealth Drive513 m
Turn right onto A759.
A7591.1 km
Turn right onto Troon Road/A759. Continue on A759.
A759822 m
Turn right onto Central Avenue.
Central Avenue271 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Ipswich · Route 2 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.
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
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Meadowhead Roundabout, Monktonhill Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 4.7 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 (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.
Greenwood Interchange
Start near Greenwood Interchange.
Warrix Interchange
Continue to Warrix Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Newhouse Interchange
Continue to Newhouse Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Meadowhead Roundabout
Continue to Meadowhead Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
McKays
Continue to McKays.
Portland
Continue to Portland.
Portland Parish Church
Continue to Portland Parish Church.
Troon Old Parish Church
Continue to Troon Old Parish Church.
Monktonhill Roundabout
Continue to Monktonhill Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Prestwick Airport
Continue to Prestwick Airport.
Bute Hall
Continue to Bute Hall.
Monkton and Prestwick North Church Hall
Continue to Monkton and Prestwick North Church Hall.
Bell Rock
Continue to Bell Rock.
Designer Rooms
Continue to Designer Rooms.
St James Parish Church
Continue to St James Parish Church.
Wallace
Continue to Wallace.
Scruffy Duffy's
Continue to Scruffy Duffy's.
St Nicholas Parish Church
Continue to St Nicholas Parish Church.
Prestwick International Airport
Continue to Prestwick International Airport.
Bikepost
Finish back near Bikepost, completing the loop.
15 roundabouts · 8 turns · 2 sets of lights
10 roundabouts · 11 turns · 6 sets of lights
13 roundabouts · 5 turns · 1 set of lights
10 roundabouts · 11 turns
This route is 37.2 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Ipswich test centre, not an official DVSA route.