Near Loughton test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 1 roundabout and 13 turns across 16 navigation steps.
This is an independent 43.0 km practice route near Loughton test centre, taking roughly 20 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 Charlie Brown's Roundabout and Wake Arms Roundabout. 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 shops, pubs, stations and named junctions, 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 Loughton 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 59-step drive on real, named roads (about 43.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast.
20 m
Turn right onto King's Green.
King's Green14 m
Turn left onto High Road/A121. Continue on A121.
A121913 m
Turn right onto Rectory Lane.
Rectory Lane217 m
Turn right onto The Greens Close.
The Greens Close15 m
Turn left onto Rectory Lane.
Rectory Lane242 m
Turn left to stay on Rectory Lane.
Rectory Lane299 m
Turn right onto Hillyfields.
Hillyfields545 m
Turn right onto Pyrles Lane.
Pyrles Lane118 m
Turn left onto Burney Drive.
Burney Drive547 m
Turn right onto Westall Road.
Westall Road43 m
Turn right onto Etheridge Road.
Etheridge Road340 m
Turn right onto Colebrook Lane.
Colebrook Lane608 m
Turn right onto Jessel Drive.
Jessel Drive570 m
Turn right onto Willingale Road.
Willingale Road816 m
Turn right onto The Broadway.
The Broadway43 m
Turn left onto Burton Road.
Burton Road330 m
Turn right onto Torrington Drive.
Torrington Drive75 m
Turn right onto The Broadway.
The Broadway291 m
Turn left onto Willingale Road.
Willingale Road182 m
Turn left onto Sandford Avenue.
Sandford Avenue30 m
Turn left onto Doubleday Road.
Doubleday Road200 m
Turn left onto Barrington Road.
Barrington Road83 m
Turn right onto Barrington Green.
Barrington Green100 m
Turn left to stay on Barrington Green.
Barrington Green142 m
Turn left onto Chigwell Lane/A1168.
Chigwell Lane773 m
Take the M11 ramp towards London.
M116.5 km
Keep right to take exit 4 to stay on M11 towards N Circular.
M11163 m
Keep right to take A406(W) towards N Circular.
A4061.8 km
Take the Waterworks exit onto A104.
A406479 m
Enter Waterworks Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Woodford New Road/A104.
Waterworks Roundabout34 m
Exit the roundabout onto Woodford New Road/A104. Continue on A104.
A1041.6 km
Move left onto Lea Bridge Road/A104.
Lea Bridge Road69 m
Turn left onto Whipps Cross Road/A114.
Whipps Cross Road200 m
Turn right onto Hospital Road.
Hospital Road97 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hospital Road.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hospital Road.
Hospital Road135 m
Turn left to stay on Hospital Road.
Hospital Road293 m
Turn left onto Bridge Road.
Bridge Road313 m
Turn left onto James Lane.
James Lane223 m
Turn right onto Whipps Cross Road/A114.
Whipps Cross Road833 m
Enter Green Man Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A12/Eastern Avenue.
Green Man Roundabout128 m
Exit the roundabout onto A12/Eastern Avenue.
A1277 m
Take the A12 exit on the right.
A121.8 km
Take the A406 exit.
A406898 m
Keep left to take M11 towards Cambridge/Stansted.
M117.3 km
Take exit 5 onto A1168 towards Loughton.
M11462 m
Turn right onto Chigwell Lane/A1168.
Chigwell Lane673 m
Turn left onto Abridge Road/A113.
Abridge Road1.6 km
Enter Little London and take the 1st exit onto Abridge Road/A113.
Little London22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Abridge Road/A113. Continue on A113.
A1131.2 km
Turn left onto Market Place/A113.
Market Place126 m
Turn left onto Abridge Road/B172. Continue on B172.
B1725.7 km
Enter Wake Arms Roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Coppice Row/B172.
Wake Arms Roundabout117 m
Exit the roundabout onto Coppice Row/B172.
Coppice Row30 m
Make a sharp right to stay on Coppice Row/B172.
Coppice Row37 m
Enter Wake Arms Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Golding's Hill/A121.
Wake Arms Roundabout5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Golding's Hill/A121. Continue on A121.
A1212.6 km
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Loughton · Route 1 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.
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
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Charlie Brown's Roundabout, Wake Arms Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 17.4 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 (20, 30, 40, 50, 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.
Newsbox Fireworks
Start near Newsbox Fireworks.
Sainsbury's Local
Continue to Sainsbury's Local.
Cottage Loaf
Continue to Cottage Loaf.
Iceland
Continue to Iceland.
Mercedes-Benz Loughton
Continue to Mercedes-Benz Loughton.
Smart Loughton
Continue to Smart Loughton.
Ashton Playing Fields
Continue to Ashton Playing Fields.
Charlie Brown's Roundabout
Continue to Charlie Brown's Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Whipps Cross Bus Stand
Continue to Whipps Cross Bus Stand.
Woodford Spiritualist Church
Continue to Woodford Spiritualist Church.
Cambridge Road
Continue to Cambridge Road.
Highstone Avenue
Continue to Highstone Avenue.
Wanstead
Continue to Wanstead.
Wanstead Station
Continue to Wanstead Station.
Blue Boar Inn
Continue to Blue Boar Inn.
Maltsters Arms
Continue to Maltsters Arms.
Bull
Continue to Bull.
Old School House
Continue to Old School House.
Wake Arms Roundabout
Continue to Wake Arms Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Plume of Feathers
Finish back near Plume of Feathers, completing the loop.
4 roundabouts · 18 turns · 3 sets of lights
3 roundabouts · 18 turns · 1 set of lights
5 roundabouts · 13 turns
5 roundabouts · 9 turns
This route is 43.0 km and takes about 20 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Loughton test centre, not an official DVSA route.