Near Loughton test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts and 13 turns across 22 navigation steps.
This is an independent 36.8 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, Robin Hood Roundabout, High Road and Little London. 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, 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, schools 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 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 61-step drive on real, named roads (about 36.8 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.
A121578 m
Turn right onto Church Lane.
Church Lane296 m
Turn right.
62 m
Turn left onto Carroll Hill.
Carroll Hill184 m
Turn left onto Church Lane.
Church Lane661 m
Turn left onto Rectory Lane/A1168. Continue on Rectory Lane.
Rectory Lane109 m
Turn left to stay on Rectory Lane.
Rectory Lane242 m
Turn right onto The Greens Close.
The Greens Close15 m
Turn left onto Rectory Lane.
Rectory Lane217 m
Turn right onto Golding's Hill/A121.
Golding's Hill2.2 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 left onto Princes Avenue.
Princes Avenue229 m
Turn left onto King's Avenue.
King's Avenue136 m
Turn right onto Station Way.
Station Way386 m
Turn left onto Buckhurst Way.
Buckhurst Way1.0 km
Turn right onto Roding Lane/B170.
Roding Lane1.3 km
Turn left to stay on Roding Lane.
Roding Lane1.3 km
Turn left onto High Road/A113.
High Road389 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto High Road/A113.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto High Road/A113. Continue on A113.
A1132.5 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. Continue on A113.
A113487 m
Turn right onto New Farm Drive.
New Farm Drive256 m
Turn right onto Knights Walk.
Knights Walk272 m
Turn left onto Alderwood Drive.
Alderwood Drive284 m
Turn right onto Hoe Lane.
Hoe Lane238 m
Turn left onto London Road/A113. Continue on A113.
A1131.2 km
Enter Little London and take the 2nd exit onto Abridge Road/A113.
Little London24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Abridge Road/A113.
Abridge Road1.6 km
Turn right onto Chigwell Lane/A1168.
Chigwell Lane1.3 km
Turn left onto Colson Road.
Colson Road933 m
Turn right onto Border's Lane.
Border's Lane109 m
Turn left onto The Campus.
The Campus143 m
Turn left onto The Square.
The Square93 m
Turn left onto Abbess Terrace.
Abbess Terrace129 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Abbess Terrace.
Abbess Terrace128 m
Turn right onto The Square.
The Square93 m
Turn right onto The Campus.
The Campus143 m
Turn right onto Border's Lane.
Border's Lane482 m
Turn right onto Traps Hill.
Traps Hill724 m
Turn left onto High Road/A121.
High Road379 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Loughton · Route 2 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 (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.
St John the Baptist
Start near St John the Baptist.
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.
Robin Hood Roundabout
Continue to Robin Hood Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Warren Wood
Continue to Warren Wood.
Glyn Hopkin Sales
Continue to Glyn Hopkin Sales.
Monkhams
Continue to Monkhams.
Roding Valley
Continue to Roding Valley.
St Stephen, Buckhurst Hill
Continue to St Stephen, Buckhurst Hill.
St Mary's, Chigwell
Continue to St Mary's, Chigwell.
Ye Olde King's Head
Continue to Ye Olde King's Head.
High Road
Continue to High Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Little London
Continue to Little London, taking the junction with good observation.
Holy Trinity, Abridge
Continue to Holy Trinity, Abridge.
Abridge Cricket Club
Continue to Abridge Cricket Club.
Mercedes-Benz Loughton
Continue to Mercedes-Benz Loughton.
Loughton Synagogue
Continue to Loughton Synagogue.
Loughton Methodist Church
Continue to Loughton Methodist Church.
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
3 roundabouts · 18 turns · 1 set of lights
5 roundabouts · 9 turns
This route is 36.8 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.