Near Letchworth test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts, 14 turns and 1 signalled junction across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 37.7 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, Saint Michael's Road and Sollershott Circus. 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 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 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 90-step drive on real, named roads (about 37.7 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.
Baldock Road1.4 km
Turn left onto Letchworth Lane.
Letchworth Lane1.0 km
Turn left onto Willian Road.
Willian Road264 m
Move right onto Wymondley Road.
Wymondley Road2.2 km
Move right onto Hitchin Road.
Hitchin Road41 m
Turn right to stay on Hitchin Road.
Hitchin Road1.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto St Michaels Road.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto St Michaels Road.
St Michaels Road86 m
Turn right onto Tennyson Avenue.
Tennyson Avenue285 m
Turn left onto Ruskin Lane.
Ruskin Lane163 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Ruskin Lane.
Ruskin Lane163 m
Turn right onto Tennyson Avenue.
Tennyson Avenue284 m
Turn right onto St Michaels Road.
St Michaels Road298 m
Enter Saint Michael's Road and take the 2nd exit onto St Michaels Road.
Saint Michael's Road34 m
Exit the roundabout onto St Michaels Road.
St Michaels Road988 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Cambridge Road/A505.
56 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cambridge Road/A505.
Cambridge Road798 m
Turn left onto Millard Way.
Millard Way333 m
Turn right onto Grovelands Avenue.
Grovelands Avenue409 m
Turn left onto Stotfold Road.
Stotfold Road2.7 km
Turn left to stay on 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 3rd exit onto A507.
65 m
Exit the roundabout onto A507.
A5071.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Norton Road.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Norton Road.
Norton Road123 m
Turn right onto Groveland Way.
Groveland Way61 m
Turn left onto The Coppens.
The Coppens78 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on The Coppens.
The Coppens78 m
Turn right onto Groveland Way.
Groveland Way61 m
Turn left onto Norton Road.
Norton Road109 m
Turn left to stay on Norton Road.
Norton Road13 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A507.
90 m
Exit the roundabout onto A507.
A5071.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Hitchin Road.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hitchin Road.
Hitchin Road654 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hitchin Road.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hitchin Road.
Hitchin Road380 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Stotfold Road.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stotfold Road.
Stotfold Road1.6 km
Turn right onto Wilbury Hills Road.
Wilbury Hills Road2.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Cambridge Road/A505.
46 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cambridge Road/A505.
Cambridge Road612 m
Turn left onto Willian Road.
Willian Road115 m
Turn left onto Hampden Road.
Hampden Road560 m
Turn left onto Queenswood Drive.
Queenswood Drive117 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Cambridge Road/A505.
54 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cambridge Road/A505. Continue on A505.
A5051.4 km
Turn left onto Broadway.
Broadway342 m
Enter Sollershott Circus and take the 3rd exit onto Broadway.
Sollershott Circus45 m
Exit the roundabout onto Broadway.
Broadway473 m
Turn left to stay on Broadway.
Broadway245 m
Turn right to stay on Broadway.
Broadway32 m
Turn left to stay on Broadway.
Broadway258 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Station Place.
24 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 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 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.
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.
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.
Lechworth Central Methodist Church
Continue to Lechworth Central Methodist Church.
St Paul's
Continue to St Paul's.
Letchworth Gate
Continue to Letchworth Gate, taking the junction with good observation.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Shop n Drive
Continue to Shop n Drive.
Saint Mary the Virgin
Continue to Saint Mary the Virgin.
Green Man
Continue to Green Man.
Saint Michael's Road
Continue to Saint Michael's Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Anchor Inn
Continue to Anchor Inn.
Millstream
Continue to Millstream.
St Faith's Church
Continue to St Faith's Church.
Two Chimneys
Continue to Two Chimneys.
Hitchin Garden Centre
Continue to Hitchin Garden Centre.
New Testament Church of God
Continue to New Testament Church of God.
Sollershott Circus
Continue to Sollershott Circus, taking the junction with good observation.
Emil Dale Academy
Continue to Emil Dale Academy.
Kattz Kidz
Continue to Kattz Kidz.
Secure Store
Continue to Secure Store.
Wentworth Kitchens
Finish back near Wentworth Kitchens, 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 37.7 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.