Near Launceston test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts and 13 turns across 22 navigation steps.
This is an independent 19.8 km practice route near Launceston test centre, taking roughly 30 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 roundabout approach & exit, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, changing speed limits, 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, 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 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 56-step drive on real, named roads (about 20.2 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.
A3881.4 km
Keep left to stay on A388.
A388249 m
Keep right to stay on A388.
A388107 m
Keep right to stay on A388.
A38865 m
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 Road65 m
Keep straight to stay on Western Road/A388.
Western Road800 m
Keep straight to stay on Western Road/A388.
Western Road110 m
Keep left to stay on A388.
A388596 m
Keep right to stay on A388.
A388119 m
Turn right.
161 m
Turn right.
565 m
Make a right U-turn.
446 m
Move right.
279 m
Turn left onto St Thomas Road/A388. Continue on A388.
A388604 m
Turn left.
83 m
Move right onto Broad Street.
Broad Street115 m
Turn right onto Southgate Street.
Southgate Street84 m
Turn left onto Exeter Street.
Exeter Street75 m
Keep left to stay on Exeter Street.
Exeter Street119 m
Turn right onto Tavistock Road/A388.
Tavistock Road810 m
Move right onto Hurdon Road.
Hurdon Road634 m
Turn right onto Link Road.
Link Road87 m
Keep left to stay on Link Road.
Link Road858 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Western Road/A388.
63 m
Exit the roundabout onto Western Road/A388.
Western Road65 m
Keep straight to stay on Western Road/A388.
Western Road725 m
Make a sharp left onto Chapel Hill.
Chapel Hill131 m
Turn left onto Carboth Lane.
Carboth Lane36 m
Keep left to stay on Carboth Lane.
Carboth Lane54 m
Move right onto Western Road/A388.
Western Road591 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Pennygillam Way.
98 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pennygillam Way.
Pennygillam Way1.3 km
Make a right U-turn to stay on Pennygillam Way.
Pennygillam Way690 m
Turn right onto Bangors Road.
Bangors Road82 m
Turn right to stay on Bangors Road.
Bangors Road118 m
Turn left.
53 m
Keep right at the fork.
36 m
Turn right onto Bangors Road.
Bangors Road184 m
Turn left to stay on Bangors Road.
Bangors Road82 m
Turn left onto Pennygillam Way.
Pennygillam Way690 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Pennygillam Way.
Pennygillam Way861 m
Turn right onto Quarry Crescent.
Quarry Crescent657 m
Turn left onto Pennygillam Way.
Pennygillam Way1.2 km
Make a right U-turn to stay on Pennygillam Way.
Pennygillam Way1.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Western Road/A388.
8 m
Exit the roundabout onto Western Road/A388.
Western Road733 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Launceston · 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.
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
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 3.1 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, 60, 70 mph). Watch for repeater signs and adjust early, examiners mark you down for carrying the wrong speed into a new limit.
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.
Asda Express
Continue to Asda Express.
Dave KBS Ltd
Continue to Dave KBS Ltd.
Launceston Community Church
Continue to Launceston Community Church.
Trussell Trust Food Bank Charity Shop
Continue to Trussell Trust Food Bank Charity Shop.
Cornovii Cars
Continue to Cornovii Cars.
Newport Motor Company
Continue to Newport Motor Company.
Pat Williams Ltd
Continue to Pat Williams Ltd.
Ergo
Continue to Ergo.
Launceston Arms
Continue to Launceston Arms.
Newmarket Inn
Continue to Newmarket Inn.
Maunders
Continue to Maunders.
Pets at Home
Continue to Pets at Home.
St Luke's
Continue to St Luke's.
Martin's Cash + Carry
Continue to Martin's Cash + Carry.
Philip Warren
Continue to Philip Warren.
Howdens
Continue to Howdens.
RGB Building Supplies
Continue to RGB Building Supplies.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Toolstation
Finish back near Toolstation, completing the loop.
5 roundabouts · 20 turns · 2 sets of lights
5 roundabouts · 23 turns
7 roundabouts · 19 turns · 1 set of lights
8 roundabouts · 17 turns
This route is 19.8 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Launceston test centre, not an official DVSA route.