Near Letchworth test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 18 turns and 1 signalled junction across 26 navigation steps.
This is an independent 19.6 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 Sollershott Circus and 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, 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, parks, named junctions and shops, 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 69-step drive on real, named roads (about 19.6 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 Road393 m
Turn left onto The Crescent.
The Crescent113 m
Move right to stay on The Crescent.
The Crescent158 m
Turn right onto Baldock Road/A505.
Baldock Road637 m
Turn right onto Sollershott East.
Sollershott East342 m
Turn right onto Field Lane.
Field Lane251 m
Turn left onto Souberie Avenue.
Souberie Avenue96 m
Turn left onto Broadway.
Broadway319 m
Enter Sollershott Circus and take the 1st exit onto Sollershott East.
Sollershott Circus11 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sollershott East.
Sollershott East535 m
Turn left onto Baldock Road/A505.
Baldock Road507 m
Turn left onto The Crescent.
The Crescent752 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 Road322 m
Turn left onto Birds Hill.
Birds Hill135 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Norton Way North.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Norton Way North.
Norton Way North322 m
Turn left onto Icknield Way.
Icknield Way682 m
Turn right onto Cowslip Hill.
Cowslip Hill689 m
Turn left onto Wilbury Road.
Wilbury Road266 m
Turn left onto Longmead.
Longmead439 m
Turn left onto Cowslip Hill.
Cowslip Hill221 m
Turn right onto Wilbury Road.
Wilbury Road456 m
Turn left onto Grange Road.
Grange Road376 m
Turn left onto Southfields.
Southfields199 m
Turn left onto Sherwood.
Sherwood159 m
Turn left onto Midhurst.
Midhurst70 m
Turn left onto Woodhurst.
Woodhurst183 m
Turn right onto Southfields.
Southfields215 m
Turn left onto Middlefields.
Middlefields199 m
Turn right onto Danescroft.
Danescroft217 m
Turn right onto Eastern Way.
Eastern Way392 m
Turn left onto Norton Road.
Norton Road787 m
Turn right onto Green Lane.
Green Lane684 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Green Lane.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Green Lane.
Green Lane167 m
Turn right onto Works Road.
Works Road320 m
Turn left onto Dunhams Lane.
Dunhams Lane523 m
Turn right to stay on 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 Way598 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Baldock Road/B656.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Baldock Road/B656.
Baldock Road652 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
Move right onto Dunhams Lane.
Dunhams Lane523 m
Turn left onto Works Road.
Works Road461 m
Turn left onto Pixmore Avenue.
Pixmore Avenue453 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 3 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
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.
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.
Letchworth Dhamma Nikethanaya
Start near Letchworth Dhamma Nikethanaya.
Church Of St Alban
Continue to Church Of St Alban.
Howard Park and Gardens
Continue to Howard Park and Gardens.
Sollershott Circus
Continue to Sollershott Circus, taking the junction with good observation.
Norton Way Gallery
Continue to Norton Way Gallery.
Norton Way Nissan
Continue to Norton Way Nissan.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Coral
Continue to Coral.
Grange Baptist Church
Continue to Grange Baptist Church.
Grange Wine Store
Continue to Grange Wine Store.
Kings Cod
Continue to Kings Cod.
Green Lane
Continue to Green Lane, taking the junction with good observation.
STS Tyre Pros
Continue to STS Tyre Pros.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Lechworth Central Methodist Church
Continue to Lechworth Central Methodist Church.
St Paul's
Continue to St Paul's.
Aldi
Continue to Aldi.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
HSL
Continue to HSL.
Secure Store
Finish back near Secure Store, 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 19.6 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.