Near Launceston test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts, 19 turns and 1 signalled junction across 30 navigation steps.
This is an independent 59.3 km practice route near Launceston 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.
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 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, parks 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 Launceston 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 85-step drive on real, named roads (about 59.2 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north.
70 m
Turn right.
14 m
Turn left onto B3362.
B3362165 m
Turn right onto A388.
A3881.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A388.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto A388.
A38845 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto A30.
A301.2 km
Take the Pennygillam Junction exit onto A388.
399 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Western Road/A388.
93 m
Exit the roundabout onto Western Road/A388.
Western Road791 m
Make a sharp left onto Chapel Hill.
Chapel Hill131 m
Turn left onto Carboth Lane.
Carboth Lane91 m
Move right onto Western Road/A388.
Western Road335 m
Turn left to take the ramp towards Okehampton/Callington/Liskeard/Tavistock.
A30907 m
Take the Tavistock Road Junction exit onto A388 towards Plymouth/Callington/Liskeard/Tavistock.
340 m
Turn right onto A388/Tavistock Road. Continue on A388.
A388326 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A388.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto A388.
A38815.5 km
Move right onto Newport.
Newport47 m
Turn left onto Tanyard Lane.
Tanyard Lane43 m
Turn left onto A388/Back Lane. Continue on A388.
A38815.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A388.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto A388.
A388564 m
Turn right onto Tavistock Road/A388.
Tavistock Road810 m
Turn right to stay on Tavistock Road/A388.
Tavistock Road7 m
Turn left to stay on Tavistock Road/A388.
Tavistock Road152 m
Turn right onto Dockacre Road/A388. Continue on A388.
A388539 m
Turn right to stay on A388.
A3881.0 km
Turn right onto Roydon Road/B3254.
Roydon Road342 m
Move right to stay on Roydon Road/B3254.
Roydon Road165 m
Turn right onto Roydon Close.
Roydon Close138 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Roydon Close.
Roydon Close138 m
Turn right onto Roydon Road/B3254.
Roydon Road404 m
Turn left onto Dutson Road/A388. Continue on A388.
A3881.1 km
Turn left onto Cross Lanes.
Cross Lanes1.1 km
Turn left onto Roydon Road/B3254.
Roydon Road569 m
Turn right onto Dutson Road/A388.
Dutson Road75 m
Turn left onto Newport Square/A388. Continue on A388.
A388780 m
Turn left.
11 m
Turn right onto Dockey.
Dockey78 m
Turn right onto Westgate Street.
Westgate Street181 m
Move left onto Western Road/A388.
Western Road328 m
Turn left onto Hendra Vale.
Hendra Vale216 m
Move right to stay on Hendra Vale.
Hendra Vale216 m
Turn left onto Dunheved Fields.
Dunheved Fields192 m
Turn left onto Dunheved Road.
Dunheved Road724 m
Move right onto Westgate Street.
Westgate Street114 m
Turn left onto Dockey.
Dockey78 m
Turn left.
11 m
Move left onto Western Road/A388.
Western Road495 m
Turn left onto Hendra Vale.
Hendra Vale216 m
Move right to stay on Hendra Vale.
Hendra Vale114 m
Turn right onto Trevallyn Road.
Trevallyn Road190 m
Turn left onto Woburn Road.
Woburn Road127 m
Turn left onto Hendra Vale.
Hendra Vale184 m
Move left to stay on Hendra Vale.
Hendra Vale249 m
Turn right onto Western Road/A388.
Western Road486 m
Turn left to stay on A388.
A388328 m
Turn right onto Wooda Road/A388. Continue on A388.
A388539 m
Turn left onto Tavistock Road/A388.
Tavistock Road153 m
Turn right to stay on Tavistock Road/A388.
Tavistock Road7 m
Turn left to stay on Tavistock Road/A388.
Tavistock Road810 m
Move right onto Hurdon Road.
Hurdon Road635 m
Turn right onto Link Road.
Link Road946 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Western Road/A388.
63 m
Exit the roundabout onto Western Road/A388.
Western Road1.1 km
Turn left to stay on A388.
A388328 m
Turn right onto Wooda Road/A388. Continue on A388.
A388539 m
Turn left onto Tavistock Road/A388.
Tavistock Road153 m
Turn right to stay on Tavistock Road/A388.
Tavistock Road7 m
Turn left to stay on Tavistock Road/A388.
Tavistock Road795 m
Turn right onto Race Hill.
Race Hill555 m
Turn left onto Bounsall's Lane.
Bounsall's Lane48 m
Turn right.
33 m
Make a right U-turn.
33 m
Turn right onto Bounsall's Lane.
Bounsall's Lane165 m
Turn left onto Windmill Hill.
Windmill Hill601 m
Turn right.
50 m
Turn right onto Dunheved Road.
Dunheved Road659 m
Move right onto Westgate Street.
Westgate Street114 m
Turn left onto Dockey.
Dockey78 m
Turn left.
11 m
Move left onto Western Road/A388.
Western Road372 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Launceston · Route 6 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.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 35.8 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.
Topps Tiles
Start near Topps Tiles.
Springer Spaniel
Continue to Springer Spaniel.
Swingletree
Continue to Swingletree.
Swingletree Beer Garden
Continue to Swingletree Beer Garden.
Cornish Ancestor
Continue to Cornish Ancestor.
Mustard Seed
Continue to Mustard Seed.
Sun Fung House
Continue to Sun Fung House.
Launceston Stoves & Heating
Continue to Launceston Stoves & Heating.
Parkwood Cars
Continue to Parkwood Cars.
Catholic Church of St Cuthbert Mayne
Continue to Catholic Church of St Cuthbert Mayne.
Westgate Inn
Continue to Westgate Inn.
White Horse Inn
Continue to White Horse Inn.
Blades
Continue to Blades.
St Mary's Vicarage
Continue to St Mary's Vicarage.
Pets at Home
Continue to Pets at Home.
St Luke's
Continue to St Luke's.
Lidl
Continue to Lidl.
M&S Foodhall
Continue to M&S Foodhall.
Launceston Library
Continue to Launceston Library.
Windmill Hill Academy
Finish back near Windmill Hill Academy, completing the loop.
5 roundabouts · 20 turns · 2 sets of lights
5 roundabouts · 23 turns
8 roundabouts · 17 turns
5 roundabouts · 20 turns
This route is 59.3 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Launceston test centre, not an official DVSA route.