Near Letchworth test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 9 roundabouts and 13 turns across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 42.4 km practice route near Letchworth 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 Green Lane. 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, 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 named junctions, shops, pubs 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 Letchworth 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 96-step drive on real, named roads (about 42.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive south.
22 m
Turn left onto Jackmans Place.
Jackmans Place93 m
Turn right to stay on Jackmans Place.
Jackmans Place145 m
Turn left to stay on Jackmans Place.
Jackmans Place335 m
Turn right to stay on Jackmans Place.
Jackmans Place141 m
Turn right onto Pixmore Avenue.
Pixmore Avenue453 m
Turn right onto Works Road.
Works Road781 m
Turn left onto Green Lane.
Green Lane167 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Green Lane.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Green Lane.
Green Lane677 m
Turn left onto Norton Road.
Norton Road2.6 km
Turn right onto Bedford Road.
Bedford Road37 m
Turn right onto Stotfold Road.
Stotfold Road1.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hitchin Road.
46 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hitchin Road.
Hitchin Road380 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hitchin Road.
52 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hitchin Road.
Hitchin Road652 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A507.
7 m
Exit the roundabout onto A507.
A5071.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A507.
53 m
Exit the roundabout onto A507.
A507443 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Stotfold Road.
14 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stotfold Road.
Stotfold Road598 m
Turn left onto House Lane.
House Lane193 m
Turn right onto St Peters Avenue.
St Peters Avenue229 m
Turn left onto Church Lane.
Church Lane107 m
Turn left onto Glebe Avenue.
Glebe Avenue170 m
Turn right onto House Lane.
House Lane316 m
Move left onto High Street.
High Street216 m
Turn left onto Bowskill Way.
Bowskill Way236 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Bowskill Way.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bowskill Way.
Bowskill Way422 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Bowskill Way.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bowskill Way.
Bowskill Way217 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A507.
77 m
Exit the roundabout onto A507.
A5071.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A507.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto A507.
A5071.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Norton Road.
111 m
Exit the roundabout onto Norton Road.
Norton Road2.0 km
Turn left to stay on Norton Road.
Norton Road1.1 km
Turn right to stay on Norton Road.
Norton Road317 m
Turn left onto Hitchin Street/B656.
Hitchin Street293 m
Turn right onto High Street/B197.
High Street323 m
Turn left to stay on High Street.
High Street95 m
Make a sharp right onto High Street/B197.
High Street401 m
Turn left onto Hitchin Street/B656. Continue on B656.
B6561.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Baldock Road/B656.
34 m
Exit the roundabout onto Baldock Road/B656.
Baldock Road647 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Baldock Road/A505.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Baldock Road/A505. Continue on A505.
A5053.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Stotfold Road.
56 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stotfold Road.
Stotfold Road2.9 km
Turn left onto Arlesey New Road.
Arlesey New Road1.2 km
Turn right onto Hitchin Road.
Hitchin Road1.6 km
Turn left.
84 m
Move right onto Albone Avenue.
Albone Avenue164 m
Turn right onto Hitchin Road.
Hitchin Road1.8 km
Turn left onto Arlesey New Road.
Arlesey New Road1.2 km
Turn left onto Wilbury Hills Road.
Wilbury Hills Road32 m
Turn right onto Bedford Road.
Bedford Road37 m
Turn left onto Wilbury Road.
Wilbury Road907 m
Turn right onto Cowslip Hill.
Cowslip Hill221 m
Turn right onto Longmead.
Longmead439 m
Turn left onto Wilbury Road.
Wilbury Road38 m
Turn right onto Kite Way.
Kite Way187 m
Turn left to stay on Kite Way.
Kite Way159 m
Turn left to stay on Kite Way.
Kite Way29 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Kite Way.
Kite Way29 m
Turn right to stay on Kite Way.
Kite Way159 m
Turn right to stay on Kite Way.
Kite Way187 m
Turn left onto Wilbury Road.
Wilbury Road304 m
Turn right onto Cowslip Hill.
Cowslip Hill689 m
Turn left onto Icknield Way.
Icknield Way681 m
Turn right onto Norton Way North.
Norton Way North323 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Birds Hill.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Birds Hill.
Birds Hill134 m
Turn right onto Ridge Road.
Ridge Road256 m
Turn left to stay on Ridge Road.
Ridge Road155 m
Turn right to stay on Ridge Road.
Ridge Road322 m
Turn left onto Birds Hill.
Birds Hill135 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Station Road.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Station Road.
Station Road400 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Station Place.
42 m
Exit the roundabout onto Station Place.
Station Place408 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Birds Hill.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Birds Hill.
Birds Hill436 m
Turn right onto Pixmore Avenue.
Pixmore Avenue224 m
Turn right onto Ridge Road.
Ridge Road127 m
Turn right to stay on Ridge Road.
Ridge Road155 m
Turn left to stay on Ridge Road.
Ridge Road193 m
Turn right onto Pixmore Avenue.
Pixmore Avenue229 m
Turn left onto Jackmans Place.
Jackmans Place141 m
Turn right to stay on Jackmans Place.
Jackmans Place145 m
Turn left to stay on Jackmans Place.
Jackmans Place62 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Letchworth · Route 16 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
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 60 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.
Green Lane
Start near Green Lane.
Secure Store
Continue to Secure Store.
Wentworth Kitchens
Continue to Wentworth Kitchens.
Two Chimneys
Continue to Two Chimneys.
Nisa Local
Continue to Nisa Local.
Orange Tree
Continue to Orange Tree.
Saint Mary the Virgin
Continue to Saint Mary the Virgin.
White Hart
Continue to White Hart.
Cock
Continue to Cock.
Gilberts
Continue to Gilberts.
White Lion
Continue to White Lion.
Aldi
Continue to Aldi.
B&M Home Store
Continue to B&M Home Store.
St Paul's
Continue to St Paul's.
Hitchin Garden Centre
Continue to Hitchin Garden Centre.
Norton Way Nissan
Continue to Norton Way Nissan.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Kattz Kidz
Continue to Kattz Kidz.
Platform
Continue to Platform.
Waiting Room
Finish back near Waiting Room, completing the loop.
10 roundabouts · 12 turns
10 roundabouts · 14 turns · 1 set of lights
11 roundabouts · 11 turns · 2 sets of lights
11 roundabouts · 14 turns · 3 sets of lights
This route is 42.4 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Letchworth test centre, not an official DVSA route.