Near Loughton test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 3 roundabouts, 18 turns and 1 signalled junction across 23 navigation steps.
This is an independent 41.1 km practice route near Loughton test centre, taking roughly 30 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 Wake Arms Roundabout and Robin Hood 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, 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, named junctions 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 71-step drive on real, named roads (about 41.1 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.
A1213.1 km
Enter Wake Arms Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Coppice Row/B172.
Wake Arms Roundabout89 m
Exit the roundabout onto Coppice Row/B172. Continue on B172.
B1722.4 km
Turn left onto Piercing Hill.
Piercing Hill820 m
Turn left to stay on Piercing Hill.
Piercing Hill363 m
Turn left to stay on Piercing Hill.
Piercing Hill20 m
Turn right to stay on Piercing Hill.
Piercing Hill236 m
Turn left onto Morgan Crescent.
Morgan Crescent445 m
Turn right onto Orchard Drive.
Orchard Drive112 m
Turn right onto Coppice Row/B172. Continue on B172.
B1722.6 km
Enter Wake Arms Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Epping New Road/A104.
Wake Arms Roundabout33 m
Exit the roundabout onto Epping New Road/A104.
Epping New Road2.7 km
Enter Robin Hood Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Epping New Road/A104.
Robin Hood Roundabout52 m
Exit the roundabout onto Epping New Road/A104. Continue on A104.
A1044.1 km
Turn left onto The Glade.
The Glade353 m
Move left onto Forest Way.
Forest Way296 m
Turn left onto Monkham's Lane.
Monkham's Lane193 m
Turn right onto Orchard Lane.
Orchard Lane90 m
Turn right onto Princes Avenue.
Princes Avenue513 m
Turn right onto Monkham's Drive.
Monkham's Drive190 m
Move left onto Monkham's Lane.
Monkham's Lane436 m
Turn right onto High Road Woodford Green/A104. Continue on A104.
A1044.9 km
Enter Robin Hood Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Epping New Road/A104.
Robin Hood Roundabout46 m
Exit the roundabout onto Epping New Road/A104.
Epping New Road2.7 km
Enter Wake Arms Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Coppice Row/B172.
Wake Arms Roundabout68 m
Exit the roundabout onto Coppice Row/B172. Continue on B172.
B1722.8 km
Turn right onto Poplar Row.
Poplar Row254 m
Turn right onto The Green.
The Green134 m
Turn left onto Woburn Avenue.
Woburn Avenue268 m
Turn right onto Hornbeam Road.
Hornbeam Road239 m
Turn left to stay on Hornbeam Road.
Hornbeam Road50 m
Turn left onto Loughton Lane.
Loughton Lane2.0 km
Turn left onto Pyrles Lane.
Pyrles Lane256 m
Turn right onto Hillyfields.
Hillyfields4 m
Turn left onto Pyrles Lane.
Pyrles Lane473 m
Turn right onto Rectory Lane.
Rectory Lane381 m
Turn right onto Hillyfields.
Hillyfields263 m
Turn right.
119 m
Turn right.
58 m
Turn left onto Hillyfields.
Hillyfields161 m
Turn left onto Rectory Lane.
Rectory Lane71 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 Lane228 m
Turn left onto The Greens Close.
The Greens Close100 m
Turn right onto Marjorams Avenue.
Marjorams Avenue236 m
Turn left onto Hill Top.
Hill Top231 m
Turn left onto Roundmead Avenue.
Roundmead Avenue293 m
Turn left onto Roundmead Close.
Roundmead Close139 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Roundmead Close.
Roundmead Close139 m
Turn left onto Roundmead Avenue.
Roundmead Avenue332 m
Turn right onto Marjorams Avenue.
Marjorams Avenue111 m
Turn left onto Church Hill/A121.
Church Hill570 m
Turn left onto The Uplands.
The Uplands405 m
Turn right onto Carroll Hill.
Carroll Hill175 m
Turn left.
62 m
Turn right onto Church Lane.
Church Lane191 m
Turn right to stay on Church Lane.
Church Lane246 m
Turn right onto Traps Hill.
Traps Hill532 m
Turn right onto High Road/A121. Continue on A121.
A121147 m
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 Road86 m
Turn left onto Traps Hill.
Traps Hill705 m
Turn right onto Spareleaze Hill.
Spareleaze Hill791 m
Turn right onto Brook Road.
Brook Road109 m
Turn right onto Brooklyn Avenue.
Brooklyn Avenue438 m
Turn left onto High Road/A121.
High Road229 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Loughton · Route 12 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 Wake Arms Roundabout, Robin Hood Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
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.
French Tip
Start near French Tip.
Plume of Feathers
Continue to Plume of Feathers.
Wake Arms Roundabout
Continue to Wake Arms Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Old School House
Continue to Old School House.
St. Mary the Virgin, Theydon Bois
Continue to St. Mary the Virgin, Theydon Bois.
Glyn Hopkin Repair
Continue to Glyn Hopkin Repair.
Glyn Hopkin Sales
Continue to Glyn Hopkin Sales.
St Thomas of Canterbury Church
Continue to St Thomas of Canterbury Church.
St Thomas of Canterbury Church
Continue to St Thomas of Canterbury Church.
Travellers Friend
Continue to Travellers Friend.
Warren Wood
Continue to Warren Wood.
Robin Hood Roundabout
Continue to Robin Hood Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Bull
Continue to Bull.
Queen Victoria
Continue to Queen Victoria.
David Clulow
Continue to David Clulow.
Kaspa's
Continue to Kaspa's.
Fifteen York Hill
Continue to Fifteen York Hill.
Loughton Methodist Church
Continue to Loughton Methodist Church.
Last Post
Continue to Last Post.
St Mary the Virgin
Finish back near St Mary the Virgin, completing the loop.
4 roundabouts · 18 turns · 3 sets of lights
1 roundabout · 13 turns
5 roundabouts · 13 turns
5 roundabouts · 9 turns
This route is 41.1 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Loughton test centre, not an official DVSA route.