Near Loughton test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 16 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 23 navigation steps.
This is an independent 31.1 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 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 roundabout approach & exit, 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, pubs, shops and parks, 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 73-step drive on real, named roads (about 31.1 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.
A121578 m
Turn right onto Church Lane.
Church Lane296 m
Turn right.
62 m
Turn right onto Carroll Hill.
Carroll Hill175 m
Turn left onto The Uplands.
The Uplands405 m
Turn right onto Church Hill/A121.
Church Hill485 m
Turn right onto Church Lane.
Church Lane487 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 Hill744 m
Turn right onto Tycehurst Hill.
Tycehurst Hill793 m
Turn right onto Spareleaze Hill.
Spareleaze Hill641 m
Turn right onto Brook Road.
Brook Road109 m
Turn right onto Brooklyn Avenue.
Brooklyn Avenue347 m
Turn left onto Priory Road.
Priory Road173 m
Turn left onto Churchfields.
Churchfields105 m
Turn right onto Brooklyn Avenue.
Brooklyn Avenue110 m
Turn left onto Brook Road.
Brook Road240 m
Turn left onto Alderton Hill.
Alderton Hill888 m
Turn left onto Traps Hill.
Traps Hill18 m
Turn left onto Spareleaze Hill.
Spareleaze Hill791 m
Turn left onto Brook Road.
Brook Road131 m
Turn right onto Alderton Hill.
Alderton Hill79 m
Turn left onto Roding Road.
Roding Road560 m
Turn left onto Oakwood Hill.
Oakwood Hill1.6 km
Turn left onto Chigwell Lane/A1168.
Chigwell Lane291 m
Turn left onto Colson Road.
Colson Road25 m
Turn left onto Ladyfields.
Ladyfields242 m
Turn right onto Colson Road.
Colson Road114 m
Turn right onto Chigwell Lane/A1168.
Chigwell Lane1.3 km
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. 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. Continue on A1168.
A11682.3 km
Turn right onto Pyrles Lane.
Pyrles Lane473 m
Turn right onto Hillyfields.
Hillyfields4 m
Turn left onto Pyrles Lane.
Pyrles Lane256 m
Turn right onto Englands Lane.
Englands Lane446 m
Move right onto Debden Lane.
Debden Lane1.6 km
Turn right onto Hornbeam Road.
Hornbeam Road50 m
Turn right to stay on Hornbeam Road.
Hornbeam Road146 m
Turn right to stay on Hornbeam Road.
Hornbeam Road69 m
Turn right onto Graylands.
Graylands76 m
Turn left onto Loughton Lane.
Loughton Lane1.9 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 Lane445 m
Turn left onto Church Hill/A121.
Church Hill416 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Loughton · Route 3 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.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Roundabout
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
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.
Fifteen York Hill
Continue to Fifteen York Hill.
Loughton Methodist Church
Continue to Loughton Methodist Church.
T. Cribb & Sons
Continue to T. Cribb & Sons.
Memorial Rose Garden
Continue to Memorial Rose Garden.
Roding Valley High School
Continue to Roding Valley High School.
St Michael and All Angels, Loughton
Continue to St Michael and All Angels, Loughton.
Mercedes-Benz Loughton
Continue to Mercedes-Benz Loughton.
Smart Loughton
Continue to Smart Loughton.
Little London
Continue to Little London, taking the junction with good observation.
Blue Boar Inn
Continue to Blue Boar Inn.
Budgens
Continue to Budgens.
Holy Trinity, Abridge
Continue to Holy Trinity, Abridge.
Abridge Cricket Club
Continue to Abridge Cricket Club.
Maltsters Arms
Continue to Maltsters Arms.
Rectory Lane Health Centre
Continue to Rectory Lane Health Centre.
Sainsbury's
Continue to Sainsbury's.
Lidl
Continue to Lidl.
Plume of Feathers
Continue to Plume of Feathers.
Sainsbury's Local
Finish back near Sainsbury's Local, 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 31.1 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.