Near Letchworth test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts, 15 turns and 1 signalled junction across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 35.3 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 Letchworth Gate and Radburn Way. 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 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, named junctions, shops and stations, 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 87-step drive on real, named roads (about 35.2 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 right onto Jackmans Place.
Jackmans Place333 m
Turn right onto Ridge Avenue.
Ridge Avenue265 m
Turn right onto Ridge Road.
Ridge Road41 m
Turn left to stay on Ridge Road.
Ridge Road155 m
Turn right to stay on Ridge Road.
Ridge Road107 m
Turn left onto Ridge Avenue.
Ridge Avenue163 m
Turn right onto Hillshott.
Hillshott251 m
Turn left onto Norton Way South.
Norton Way South210 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Norton Way South.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Norton Way South.
Norton Way South405 m
Turn left onto Baldock Road/A505.
Baldock Road217 m
Turn right onto Lawrence Avenue.
Lawrence Avenue462 m
Turn right onto Whitethorn Lane.
Whitethorn Lane266 m
Turn left onto Willian Way.
Willian Way298 m
Turn left onto Brandles Road.
Brandles Road438 m
Turn left onto Howard Drive.
Howard Drive557 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Letchworth Gate/A505.
207 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.
Baldock Road684 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 Way1.6 km
Turn left onto Pryor Way.
Pryor Way368 m
Turn right onto Baldock Lane.
Baldock Lane1.0 km
Turn left onto Letchworth Gate/A505.
Letchworth Gate186 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.
Baldock Road684 m
Turn left onto Willian Way.
Willian Way442 m
Turn left onto Whitethorn Lane.
Whitethorn Lane472 m
Turn left onto Howard Drive.
Howard Drive252 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Letchworth Gate/A505.
207 m
Exit the roundabout onto Letchworth Gate/A505.
Letchworth Gate786 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1(M)/E 15.
A1(M)5.1 km
Take exit 10 onto A507 towards Services.
A1(M)515 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A507.
254 m
Exit the roundabout onto A507.
A507175 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Great North Road/A507.
65 m
Exit the roundabout onto Great North Road/A507. Continue on A507.
A5072.7 km
Turn right onto Whitehorse Street/B656.
Whitehorse Street233 m
Turn left 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.
B656638 m
Turn right onto Letchworth Road.
Letchworth Road17 m
Turn left to stay on Letchworth Road.
Letchworth Road201 m
Turn left to stay on Letchworth Road.
Letchworth Road16 m
Turn right onto Letchworth Road/B656. Continue on B656.
B656289 m
Turn right onto Jubilee Road.
Jubilee Road384 m
Turn left onto Works Road.
Works Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Pixmore Avenue.
Pixmore Avenue800 m
Turn left onto Baldock Road/B656.
Baldock Road578 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Avenue One.
18 m
Exit the roundabout onto Avenue One.
Avenue One131 m
Turn left onto Sixth Avenue.
Sixth Avenue140 m
Turn left onto Dunhams Lane.
Dunhams Lane198 m
Turn right onto Baldock Road/B656.
Baldock Road506 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Baldock Road/A505.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Baldock Road/A505.
Baldock Road684 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 Way325 m
Turn left onto Ridge Avenue.
Ridge Avenue258 m
Turn right onto Broughton Hill.
Broughton Hill285 m
Turn left onto Pixmore Avenue.
Pixmore Avenue38 m
Turn right onto Wissen Drive.
Wissen Drive228 m
Turn left to stay on Wissen Drive.
Wissen Drive57 m
Turn left to stay on Wissen Drive.
Wissen Drive134 m
Turn left onto Pixmore Avenue.
Pixmore Avenue136 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 2 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around 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.
Dual-carriageway join
About 6.0 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.
Church Of St Alban
Start near Church Of St Alban.
Letchworth Dhamma Nikethanaya
Continue to Letchworth Dhamma Nikethanaya.
Letchworth Gate
Continue to Letchworth Gate, taking the junction with good observation.
Shop n Drive
Continue to Shop n Drive.
Lechworth Central Methodist Church
Continue to Lechworth Central Methodist Church.
St Paul's
Continue to St Paul's.
Jackmans Wine Store
Continue to Jackmans Wine Store.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
King's Community Church
Continue to King's Community Church.
Radburn Way
Continue to Radburn Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Baldock
Continue to Baldock.
Old White Horse
Continue to Old White Horse.
Saint Mary the Virgin
Continue to Saint Mary the Virgin.
White Lion
Continue to White Lion.
Burger King
Continue to Burger King.
STS Tyre Pros
Continue to STS Tyre Pros.
Secure Store
Continue to Secure Store.
Wentworth Kitchens
Continue to Wentworth Kitchens.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Premier Basra Stores
Finish back near Premier Basra Stores, 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 35.3 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.