Near Kettering test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts, 11 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 23 navigation steps.
This is an independent 30.2 km practice loop near Kettering 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 Barton Road Roundabout, Wicksteed Park Interchange and Broughton 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 multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, 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, schools, churches and pubs, 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 Kettering 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 84-step drive on real, named roads (about 30.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southwest.
8 m
Turn left.
38 m
Turn left.
31 m
Turn right onto Orion Way.
Orion Way17 m
Turn left to stay on Orion Way.
Orion Way69 m
Turn left to stay on Orion Way.
Orion Way100 m
Turn right to stay on Orion Way.
Orion Way74 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Orion Way.
Orion Way74 m
Turn left to stay on Orion Way.
Orion Way100 m
Turn left to stay on Orion Way.
Orion Way73 m
Turn right to stay on Orion Way.
Orion Way159 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Pytchley Lane.
48 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pytchley Lane.
Pytchley Lane28 m
Make a sharp right to stay on Pytchley Lane.
Pytchley Lane27 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Pytchley Lane.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pytchley Lane.
Pytchley Lane233 m
Move left onto Pytchley Road/A509.
Pytchley Road1.1 km
Turn left onto London Road/A6003.
London Road275 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto London Road/A6003.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto London Road/A6003.
London Road509 m
Turn left onto Broadway.
Broadway133 m
Turn left onto Argyll Street.
Argyll Street300 m
Turn left onto St Michael's Road.
St Michael's Road164 m
Turn right onto Seagrave Street.
Seagrave Street62 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Hillside Avenue.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hillside Avenue.
Hillside Avenue221 m
Turn left onto Springfield Road.
Springfield Road110 m
Turn left onto Silverwood Road.
Silverwood Road166 m
Turn left onto Summerfield Road.
Summerfield Road78 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Seagrave Street.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Seagrave Street.
Seagrave Street62 m
Turn left onto St Michael's Road.
St Michael's Road289 m
Turn right onto Garfield Street.
Garfield Street74 m
Turn right onto Roundhill Road.
Roundhill Road124 m
Turn left onto Argyll Street.
Argyll Street94 m
Turn left onto Hawthorn Road.
Hawthorn Road124 m
Turn left onto Garfield Street.
Garfield Street96 m
Turn left onto Roundhill Road.
Roundhill Road361 m
Turn left onto London Road/A6003.
London Road474 m
Turn right onto Saint Mary's Road/A6900.
Saint Mary's Road13 m
Move right to stay on Saint Mary's Road/A6900.
Saint Mary's Road213 m
Turn left to stay on Saint Mary's Road.
Saint Mary's Road13 m
Turn right to stay on Saint Mary's Road.
Saint Mary's Road424 m
Turn right onto Linden Avenue.
Linden Avenue28 m
Turn left onto Saint Mary's Road/A6900.
Saint Mary's Road47 m
Turn right onto Elm Road.
Elm Road36 m
Turn right to stay on Elm Road.
Elm Road250 m
Turn left onto Windmill Avenue/A6098.
Windmill Avenue223 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Deeble Road.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Deeble Road.
Deeble Road1.5 km
Turn right onto Saint Matthew's Road.
Saint Matthew's Road273 m
Turn right onto St John's Road.
St John's Road200 m
Turn right onto Saint Anthony's Road.
Saint Anthony's Road474 m
Turn left onto Deeble Road.
Deeble Road514 m
Turn left onto St John's Road.
St John's Road197 m
Turn left onto Templar Road.
Templar Road222 m
Turn left onto Churchill Way.
Churchill Way200 m
Turn right onto Deeble Road.
Deeble Road914 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Warkton Lane.
63 m
Exit the roundabout onto Warkton Lane.
Warkton Lane182 m
Turn right to stay on Warkton Lane.
Warkton Lane106 m
Turn right to stay on Warkton Lane.
Warkton Lane671 m
Turn left onto Barton Road.
Barton Road1.1 km
Enter Barton Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Barton Road/A6003.
Barton Road Roundabout52 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barton Road/A6003.
Barton Road91 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit.
233 m
Exit the roundabout onto A14/E 24.
A148.1 km
Take exit 6.
351 m
Turn left to take the ramp.
A145.9 km
Take exit 9 towards Kettering (S),Wellingboro' A509.
274 m
Keep left to take Kettering Road/A509.
Kettering Road296 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Kettering Road/A509.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Kettering Road/A509.
Kettering Road270 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Orion Way.
40 m
Exit the roundabout onto Orion Way.
Orion Way153 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Pytchley Lane.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pytchley Lane.
Pytchley Lane28 m
Make a sharp right to stay on Pytchley Lane.
Pytchley Lane27 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Orion Way.
6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Orion Way.
Orion Way162 m
Turn left to stay on Orion Way.
Orion Way73 m
Turn right to stay on Orion Way.
Orion Way100 m
Turn right to stay on Orion Way.
Orion Way49 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Kettering · Route 10 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.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Barton Road Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 14.3 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, 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.
Lock'nStore
Start near Lock'nStore.
Plantool
Continue to Plantool.
Screwfix
Continue to Screwfix.
Kids Planet Day Nursery
Continue to Kids Planet Day Nursery.
Pollard Evangelical Church
Continue to Pollard Evangelical Church.
Wayfarers Inn
Continue to Wayfarers Inn.
McAuley's
Continue to McAuley's.
St Michael & All Angels
Continue to St Michael & All Angels.
Family Shopper
Continue to Family Shopper.
St Edward's
Continue to St Edward's.
Abeona Nursery
Continue to Abeona Nursery.
Hong Kong Cuisine
Continue to Hong Kong Cuisine.
Barton Road Roundabout
Continue to Barton Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Shell Barton Seagrave
Continue to Shell Barton Seagrave.
Wicksteed Park Interchange
Continue to Wicksteed Park Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Broughton Interchange
Continue to Broughton Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
M&S Simply Food
Continue to M&S Simply Food.
B&M Retail
Continue to B&M Retail.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Mens Room
Finish back near Mens Room, completing the loop.
10 roundabouts · 11 turns
7 roundabouts · 13 turns · 1 set of lights
8 roundabouts · 13 turns
8 roundabouts · 18 turns · 2 sets of lights
This route is 30.2 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Kettering test centre, not an official DVSA route.