Near Kettering test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 9 roundabouts and 17 turns across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 28.4 km practice loop near Kettering test centre, taking roughly 40 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 Wicksteed Park Interchange and Barton Road 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, 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, named junctions 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 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 83-step drive on real, named roads (about 28.2 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 3rd exit onto Orion Way.
46 m
Exit the roundabout onto Orion Way.
Orion Way151 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Kettering Road/A509.
61 m
Exit the roundabout onto Kettering Road/A509.
Kettering Road270 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Kettering Road/A509.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Kettering Road/A509.
Kettering Road229 m
Enter Wicksteed Park Interchange and take the 2nd exit.
Wicksteed Park Interchange50 m
Exit the roundabout onto A14/E 24.
A141.7 km
Take exit 10.
401 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Barton Road/A6003.
14 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barton Road/A6003.
Barton Road116 m
Enter Barton Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Barton Road/A6003.
Barton Road Roundabout5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barton Road/A6003.
Barton Road2.6 km
Turn right onto Windmill Avenue/A6098.
Windmill Avenue1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Windmill Avenue/A6098.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Windmill Avenue/A6098.
Windmill Avenue1.0 km
Turn left onto Eastleigh Road.
Eastleigh Road720 m
Turn left onto Ise Road.
Ise Road101 m
Turn right onto Greenbank Avenue.
Greenbank Avenue365 m
Turn right onto Cheyne Walk.
Cheyne Walk238 m
Turn right onto Ise Road.
Ise Road332 m
Turn right onto Windmill Avenue/A6098.
Windmill Avenue416 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 Road717 m
Turn right onto Culloden Drive.
Culloden Drive260 m
Turn left onto Lomond Drive.
Lomond Drive181 m
Turn right onto St John's Road.
St John's Road547 m
Turn right onto Deeble Road.
Deeble Road421 m
Turn left onto Saint Catherine's Road.
Saint Catherine's Road462 m
Turn right onto St Stephen's Road.
St Stephen's Road149 m
Turn left onto St Saviour's Road.
St Saviour's Road379 m
Turn left onto Saint Catherine's Road.
Saint Catherine's Road666 m
Turn left onto Deeble Road.
Deeble Road676 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 left to stay on Warkton Lane.
Warkton Lane238 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Warkton Lane.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Warkton Lane.
Warkton Lane1.6 km
Turn left onto Pipe Lane.
Pipe Lane1.5 km
Turn left onto Stamford Road/A4300.
Stamford Road1.3 km
Move left onto Windmill Avenue/A6098.
Windmill Avenue723 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Windmill Avenue/A6098.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Windmill Avenue/A6098.
Windmill Avenue458 m
Turn right onto Piper's Hill Road.
Piper's Hill Road386 m
Turn right onto Pipers Close.
Pipers Close128 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Pipers Close.
Pipers Close128 m
Turn left onto Piper's Hill Road.
Piper's Hill Road154 m
Turn right onto Wallis Road.
Wallis Road347 m
Turn right onto London Road/A6003.
London Road639 m
Turn right onto Saint Mary's Road/A6900.
Saint Mary's Road13 m
Make a sharp left to stay on Saint Mary's Road/A6900.
Saint Mary's Road52 m
Turn left onto London Road/A6003.
London Road736 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto London Road/A6003.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto London Road/A6003.
London Road277 m
Turn right onto Pytchley Road/A509.
Pytchley Road1.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Orion Way.
107 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 5 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 2.1 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, 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.
Mens Room
Start near Mens Room.
Park House
Continue to Park House.
Wicksteed Park Interchange
Continue to Wicksteed Park Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Barton Road Roundabout
Continue to Barton Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Shell Barton Seagrave
Continue to Shell Barton Seagrave.
Atlantis Fish Bar
Continue to Atlantis Fish Bar.
Piper
Continue to Piper.
St Edward's Catholic Primary School
Continue to St Edward's Catholic Primary School.
Co-operative Food
Continue to Co-operative Food.
Woolcomber
Continue to Woolcomber.
Hong Kong Cuisine
Continue to Hong Kong Cuisine.
Artisans Pantry
Continue to Artisans Pantry.
King Mini Market
Continue to King Mini Market.
St John's
Continue to St John's.
Warren
Continue to Warren.
Pepper
Continue to Pepper.
Pollard Evangelical Church
Continue to Pollard Evangelical Church.
St Edward's
Continue to St Edward's.
Wayfarers Inn
Continue to Wayfarers Inn.
Lock'nStore
Finish back near Lock'nStore, 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 28.4 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Kettering test centre, not an official DVSA route.