Near Loughton test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 15 turns across 17 navigation steps.
This is an independent 21.7 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.
On this route you’ll practise 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, churches, pubs and schools, 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 47-step drive on real, named roads (about 21.7 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 right onto High Road/A121.
High Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Algers Road.
Algers Road283 m
Turn right onto The Avenue.
The Avenue185 m
Turn right onto The Crescent.
The Crescent315 m
Turn left onto High Road/A121.
High Road173 m
Turn left onto Spring Grove.
Spring Grove383 m
Turn left onto The Avenue.
The Avenue317 m
Turn right onto Algers Road.
Algers Road150 m
Turn left onto Lower Park Road.
Lower Park Road10 m
Turn right onto Algers Road.
Algers Road48 m
Turn left onto The Avenue.
The Avenue317 m
Turn right onto Spring Grove.
Spring Grove197 m
Turn left onto Summerfield Road.
Summerfield Road137 m
Turn left onto Hill Crest Road.
Hill Crest Road397 m
Turn left onto Spring Grove.
Spring Grove459 m
Turn left onto Summerfield Road.
Summerfield Road137 m
Turn left onto Hill Crest Road.
Hill Crest Road397 m
Turn left onto Spring Grove.
Spring Grove645 m
Turn right onto High Road/A121. Continue on A121.
A1211.5 km
Turn left onto York Hill.
York Hill39 m
Turn left onto King's Green.
King's Green70 m
Turn right onto High Road/A121.
High Road3.0 km
Turn right onto Church Road.
Church Road262 m
Turn left onto Epping New Road/A104.
Epping New Road5 m
Turn right onto Brook Road.
Brook Road763 m
Turn left onto Whitehall Road/A110.
Whitehall Road215 m
Turn left onto Whitehall Lane.
Whitehall Lane451 m
Turn left onto Epping New Road/A104.
Epping New Road228 m
Turn right onto Stag Lane.
Stag Lane203 m
Turn left onto High Road/A121.
High Road536 m
Turn right onto Forest Side.
Forest Side108 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Forest Side.
Forest Side108 m
Turn right onto High Road/A121.
High Road620 m
Turn left onto Manor Road.
Manor Road482 m
Turn right onto Epping New Road/A104.
Epping New Road189 m
Turn left onto Ranger's Road/A1069.
Ranger's Road1.5 km
Turn left onto Forest Side.
Forest Side773 m
Turn left onto Whitehall Road/A110.
Whitehall Road321 m
Turn left onto Brook Road.
Brook Road763 m
Turn right onto Epping New Road/A104.
Epping New Road80 m
Turn left onto Hills Road.
Hills Road145 m
Turn left onto Osborne Road.
Osborne Road76 m
Turn right onto Church Road.
Church Road96 m
Turn left onto High Road/A121. Continue on A121.
A1213.5 km
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Loughton · Route 11 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.
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.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40 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.
Book Shop
Start near Book Shop.
Efes Barbers
Continue to Efes Barbers.
Forest Hall
Continue to Forest Hall.
Last Post
Continue to Last Post.
Loughton Methodist Church
Continue to Loughton Methodist Church.
St Mary the Virgin
Continue to St Mary the Virgin.
Ali Barbers
Continue to Ali Barbers.
Domino's
Continue to Domino's.
Fifteen York Hill
Continue to Fifteen York Hill.
Hollybush
Continue to Hollybush.
Mini Market Corner Shop
Continue to Mini Market Corner Shop.
Totally Wicked
Continue to Totally Wicked.
Braeside School
Continue to Braeside School.
Buckhurst Hill Store
Continue to Buckhurst Hill Store.
Glyn Hopkin Repair
Continue to Glyn Hopkin Repair.
Glyn Hopkin Sales
Continue to Glyn Hopkin Sales.
Bald Faced Stag
Continue to Bald Faced Stag.
Queen Elizabeth
Continue to Queen Elizabeth.
Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge
Continue to Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge.
Royal Forest
Finish back near Royal Forest, completing the loop.
4 roundabouts · 18 turns · 3 sets of lights
1 roundabout · 13 turns
3 roundabouts · 18 turns · 1 set of lights
5 roundabouts · 13 turns
This route is 21.7 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.