Near Loughton test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 21 turns across 23 navigation steps.
This is an independent 30.8 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. 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, 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, shops, 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 75-step drive on real, named roads (about 30.8 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 right onto High Road/A121.
High Road634 m
Turn right.
43 m
Turn left onto Smart's Lane.
Smart's Lane32 m
Turn left onto High Beech Road.
High Beech Road32 m
Turn left onto High Road/A121.
High Road594 m
Turn right onto Traps Hill.
Traps Hill723 m
Turn left onto Border's Lane.
Border's Lane481 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 Lane197 m
Turn right onto Newmans Lane.
Newmans Lane275 m
Turn left onto Newmans Close.
Newmans Close44 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Newmans Close.
Newmans Close44 m
Turn left onto Newmans Lane.
Newmans Lane284 m
Turn left onto Rectory Lane/A1168. Continue on Rectory Lane.
Rectory Lane397 m
Turn left to stay on Rectory Lane.
Rectory Lane242 m
Make a right U-turn at The Greens Close to stay on Rectory Lane.
Rectory Lane833 m
Turn left onto Westall Road.
Westall Road200 m
Turn left onto Colebrook Lane.
Colebrook Lane214 m
Turn left onto Conyers Way.
Conyers Way170 m
Turn right onto Lawton Road.
Lawton Road267 m
Turn left onto Pyrles Lane.
Pyrles Lane81 m
Turn right onto Rectory Lane.
Rectory Lane82 m
Turn left to stay on Rectory Lane.
Rectory Lane242 m
Make a right U-turn at The Greens Close to stay on Rectory Lane.
Rectory Lane1.3 km
Turn left onto The Broadway.
The Broadway376 m
Turn left onto Willingale Road.
Willingale Road815 m
Turn left onto Jessel Drive.
Jessel Drive117 m
Turn left onto Burney Drive.
Burney Drive44 m
Turn right onto Goldingham Avenue.
Goldingham Avenue73 m
Turn left onto Hanson Drive.
Hanson Drive250 m
Turn right onto Mannock Drive.
Mannock Drive250 m
Turn left onto Goldingham Avenue.
Goldingham Avenue277 m
Turn left onto Burney Drive.
Burney Drive219 m
Turn right onto Westall Road.
Westall Road43 m
Turn right onto Etheridge Road.
Etheridge Road340 m
Turn right onto Colebrook Lane.
Colebrook Lane65 m
Turn left onto Burney Drive.
Burney Drive188 m
Turn right onto Pyrles Lane.
Pyrles Lane118 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 Lane1.7 km
Turn left onto The Green.
The Green2.5 km
Turn right onto High Road/B1393. Continue on B1393.
B13931.3 km
Turn left onto St. John's Road.
St. John's Road422 m
Turn left onto Ashlyns Road.
Ashlyns Road85 m
Turn left onto Chapel Road.
Chapel Road114 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Chapel Road.
Chapel Road114 m
Turn right onto Ashlyns Road.
Ashlyns Road85 m
Turn right onto St. John's Road.
St. John's Road423 m
Turn right onto High Street/B1393. Continue on B1393.
B13934.2 km
Enter Wake Arms Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Coppice Row/B172.
Wake Arms Roundabout3 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.
A1213.7 km
Turn right.
43 m
Turn left onto Smart's Lane.
Smart's Lane32 m
Turn left onto High Beech Road.
High Beech Road32 m
Turn left onto High Road/A121. Continue on A121.
A1211.6 km
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 right to stay on Rectory Lane.
Rectory Lane109 m
Turn right onto Wellfields.
Wellfields795 m
Turn right onto Traps Hill.
Traps Hill532 m
Turn left onto High Road/A121.
High Road379 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Loughton · Route 5 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.
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. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
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.
Forest Hall
Start near Forest Hall.
Loughton Methodist Church
Continue to Loughton Methodist Church.
Loughton Synagogue
Continue to Loughton Synagogue.
Iceland
Continue to Iceland.
Rendezvous Fish and Chips
Continue to Rendezvous Fish and Chips.
Trinity Church, Loughton
Continue to Trinity Church, Loughton.
St. Mary the Virgin, Theydon Bois
Continue to St. Mary the Virgin, Theydon Bois.
Theydon Bois Baptist Church
Continue to Theydon Bois Baptist Church.
Forest Gate Inn
Continue to Forest Gate Inn.
Beauty Skin and Eyelash Lounge
Continue to Beauty Skin and Eyelash Lounge.
Tower School
Continue to Tower School.
Epping Methodist Church
Continue to Epping Methodist Church.
St John the Baptist
Continue to St John the Baptist.
Duke of Wellington
Continue to Duke of Wellington.
Epping News
Continue to Epping News.
Wake Arms Roundabout
Continue to Wake Arms Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
My Dream Kitchen
Continue to My Dream Kitchen.
Plume of Feathers
Continue to Plume of Feathers.
Scher and Ward
Continue to Scher and Ward.
Loughton Town Hall
Finish back near Loughton Town Hall, 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 30.8 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.