Near Letchworth test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 9 roundabouts and 10 turns across 21 navigation steps.
This is an independent 27.1 km practice loop near Letchworth 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.
Along the way you'll meet Letchworth Gate. 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 churches, shops, named junctions 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 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 71-step drive on real, named roads (about 27.1 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 Avenue229 m
Turn left onto Ridge Road.
Ridge Road234 m
Turn left onto Ridge Avenue.
Ridge Avenue754 m
Turn right onto Baldock Road/A505.
Baldock Road523 m
Turn right onto Norton Way South.
Norton Way South407 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Pixmore Way.
55 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pixmore Way.
Pixmore Way598 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Baldock Road/B656.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Baldock Road/B656.
Baldock Road332 m
Turn right onto Radburn Way.
Radburn Way143 m
Turn right to stay on Radburn Way.
Radburn Way776 m
Turn right to stay on Radburn Way.
Radburn Way64 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Letchworth Gate/A505.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Letchworth Gate/A505.
Letchworth Gate786 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Letchworth Gate/A505.
423 m
Exit the roundabout onto Letchworth Gate/A505.
Letchworth Gate777 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto A505.
235 m
Exit the roundabout onto A505.
A505531 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Baldock Road/A505.
8 m
Exit the roundabout onto Baldock Road/A505. Continue on A505.
A5053.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Queenswood Drive.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Queenswood Drive.
Queenswood Drive335 m
Turn right onto Willian Road.
Willian Road494 m
Turn left onto Purwell Lane.
Purwell Lane927 m
Turn left onto Kingswood Avenue.
Kingswood Avenue216 m
Turn left onto Wilshere Crescent.
Wilshere Crescent300 m
Turn left onto Benchley Hill.
Benchley Hill207 m
Turn left onto Purwell Lane.
Purwell Lane29 m
Turn right onto Chaucer Way.
Chaucer Way373 m
Turn left to stay on Chaucer Way.
Chaucer Way76 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Chaucer Way.
Chaucer Way76 m
Turn right to stay on Chaucer Way.
Chaucer Way374 m
Turn left onto Purwell Lane.
Purwell Lane360 m
Turn right onto Willian Road.
Willian Road494 m
Turn left onto Queenswood Drive.
Queenswood Drive335 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Stotfold Road.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stotfold Road.
Stotfold Road2.9 km
Turn left to stay on Stotfold Road.
Stotfold Road1.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Stotfold Road.
83 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stotfold Road.
Stotfold Road1.6 km
Turn left onto Bedford Road.
Bedford Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Icknield Way.
Icknield Way750 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 1st exit onto Broadway.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Broadway.
Broadway259 m
Turn left to stay on Broadway.
Broadway38 m
Turn right to stay on Broadway.
Broadway78 m
Turn left onto Pixmore Way.
Pixmore Way421 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Norton Way South.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Norton Way South.
Norton Way South208 m
Turn right onto Hillshott.
Hillshott251 m
Turn left onto Ridge Avenue.
Ridge Avenue163 m
Turn right onto Ridge Road.
Ridge Road41 m
Turn left to stay on Ridge Road.
Ridge Road155 m
Turn left to stay on Ridge Road.
Ridge Road127 m
Turn right onto Pixmore Avenue.
Pixmore Avenue229 m
Turn right onto Broughton Hill.
Broughton Hill164 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Letchworth · Route 17 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.
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 0.4 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 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.
Church Of St Alban
Start near Church Of St Alban.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
St Paul's
Continue to St Paul's.
Letchworth Gate
Continue to Letchworth Gate, taking the junction with good observation.
Shop n Drive
Continue to Shop n Drive.
Hitchin Garden Centre
Continue to Hitchin Garden Centre.
Two Chimneys
Continue to Two Chimneys.
St Thomas' Church
Continue to St Thomas' Church.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Norton Way Honda
Continue to Norton Way Honda.
Norton Way Nissan
Continue to Norton Way Nissan.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Arena Tavern
Continue to Arena Tavern.
Kattz Kidz
Continue to Kattz Kidz.
Platform
Continue to Platform.
Waiting Room
Continue to Waiting Room.
Howard Park and Gardens
Continue to Howard Park and Gardens.
Lechworth Central Methodist Church
Continue to Lechworth Central Methodist Church.
St Hugh of Lincoln
Continue to St Hugh of Lincoln.
Letchworth Dhamma Nikethanaya
Finish back near Letchworth Dhamma Nikethanaya, 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 27.1 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Letchworth test centre, not an official DVSA route.