Near Kettering test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts, 7 turns and 1 signalled junction across 18 navigation steps.
This is an independent 30.5 km practice loop near Kettering test centre, taking roughly 25 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 Broughton Interchange, 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, 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 pubs, churches, named junctions and shops, 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 103-step drive on real, named roads (about 30.4 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 6th exit onto Pytchley Road/A509.
160 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pytchley Road/A509.
Pytchley Road1.3 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 Road793 m
Turn left onto Bowling Green Road/A6003.
Bowling Green Road231 m
Turn right onto Sheep Street/A6003. Continue on A6003.
A600382 m
Turn left onto Station Road/B575.
Station Road263 m
Turn right onto Northfield Avenue.
Northfield Avenue201 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Northfield Avenue/A6003.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Northfield Avenue/A6003.
Northfield Avenue25 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Northfield Avenue/A6003.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Northfield Avenue/A6003.
Northfield Avenue688 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards (A6003)/All routes avoiding low bridge/Corby.
52 m
Exit the roundabout towards (A6003)/All routes avoiding low bridge/Corby.
Northfield Avenue595 m
Turn right onto Grafton Street.
Grafton Street382 m
Turn right onto Rockingham Road/A6003.
Rockingham Road24 m
Turn left onto William Street.
William Street268 m
Turn right onto Park View.
Park View174 m
Turn right onto Wood Street.
Wood Street182 m
Turn left onto Rockingham Road/A6003.
Rockingham Road375 m
Turn left onto Eskdaill Street/A4300.
Eskdaill Street568 m
Turn right onto Queen Street/A6900.
Queen Street219 m
Turn left onto Horsemarket/A6900.
Horsemarket21 m
Move right onto Horsemarket/A6900. Continue on A6900.
A6900320 m
Turn right onto Bowling Green Road/A6003.
Bowling Green Road225 m
Turn right onto Sheep Street/A6003. Continue on A6003.
A600382 m
Turn left onto Station Road/B575.
Station Road263 m
Turn right onto Northfield Avenue.
Northfield Avenue201 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Northfield Avenue/A6003.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Northfield Avenue/A6003.
Northfield Avenue25 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Northampton Road/A6013.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Northampton Road/A6013.
Northampton Road462 m
Turn left to stay on Northampton Road/A6013.
Northampton Road577 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Northampton Road/A6013.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Northampton Road/A6013.
Northampton Road266 m
Enter Broughton Interchange and take the 1st exit.
Broughton Interchange32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A14/E 24.
A142.8 km
Take exit 9 towards Kettering (S),Wellingboro' A509.
274 m
Keep right at the fork.
100 m
Enter Wicksteed Park Interchange and take the 5th exit onto Isham Road.
Wicksteed Park Interchange262 m
Exit the roundabout onto Isham Road.
Isham Road1.9 km
Turn right onto Kettering Road.
Kettering Road2.1 km
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 Road539 m
Turn left onto Linnet Drive.
Linnet Drive166 m
Turn left onto Finch Drive.
Finch Drive65 m
Turn right onto Raven Drive.
Raven Drive144 m
Turn right onto Belvoir Drive.
Belvoir Drive67 m
Turn right onto Linnet Drive.
Linnet Drive268 m
Turn left onto Barton Road/A6003.
Barton Road2.1 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 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 right onto Piper's Hill Road.
Piper's Hill Road244 m
Turn right onto London Road/A6003.
London Road395 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 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.
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 5.5 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, 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.
Park House
Start near Park House.
Wayfarers Inn
Continue to Wayfarers Inn.
Gateway Community Church
Continue to Gateway Community Church.
Pollard Evangelical Church
Continue to Pollard Evangelical Church.
All Saints Parish Church
Continue to All Saints Parish Church.
Rockingham Road Baptist
Continue to Rockingham Road Baptist.
Kettering Salvation Army
Continue to Kettering Salvation Army.
Praise Community Church Centre
Continue to Praise Community Church Centre.
Broughton Interchange
Continue to Broughton Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Trading Post
Continue to Trading Post.
Wicksteed Park Interchange
Continue to Wicksteed Park Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
All Saints, Pytchley
Continue to All Saints, Pytchley.
Overstone Arms
Continue to Overstone Arms.
Vision Express
Continue to Vision Express.
Barton Road Roundabout
Continue to Barton Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Shell Barton Seagrave
Continue to Shell Barton Seagrave.
Piper
Continue to Piper.
Kids Planet Day Nursery
Continue to Kids Planet Day Nursery.
Coral
Continue to Coral.
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 30.5 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Kettering test centre, not an official DVSA route.