Near Loughton test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 18 turns across 20 navigation steps.
This is an independent 19.8 km practice route near Loughton test centre, taking roughly 25 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 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 stations, churches, shops 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 48-step drive on real, named roads (about 19.8 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 Road555 m
Turn left onto Station Road.
Station Road353 m
Turn left onto Old Station Road.
Old Station Road10 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Alderton Hill.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Alderton Hill.
Alderton Hill1.1 km
Turn right onto Border's Lane.
Border's Lane240 m
Turn right onto Deepdene Road.
Deepdene Road530 m
Turn left onto Bushfields.
Bushfields226 m
Turn left onto Colson Road.
Colson Road425 m
Turn left onto Border's Lane.
Border's Lane88 m
Turn right onto Newmans Lane.
Newmans Lane559 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 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 Drive435 m
Move left onto Westall Road.
Westall Road43 m
Turn right onto Etheridge Road.
Etheridge Road340 m
Turn right onto Colebrook Lane.
Colebrook Lane277 m
Turn right onto Brady Avenue.
Brady Avenue180 m
Turn right onto Goldingham Avenue.
Goldingham Avenue200 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 left onto Hillyfields.
Hillyfields545 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. Continue on A121.
A1213.9 km
Turn right onto Church Road.
Church Road262 m
Turn left onto Epping New Road/A104.
Epping New Road85 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.
High Road2.5 km
Turn left onto Forest Road.
Forest Road618 m
Turn left onto Smarts Lane.
Smarts Lane231 m
Turn right onto High Beech Road.
High Beech Road439 m
Turn left onto High Road/A121.
High Road215 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Loughton · Route 7 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.
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.
Roundabout
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
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.
Loughton Station
Start near Loughton Station.
St Mary the Virgin
Continue to St Mary the Virgin.
Loughton Synagogue
Continue to Loughton Synagogue.
M&S Simply Food
Continue to M&S Simply Food.
Rendezvous Fish and Chips
Continue to Rendezvous Fish and Chips.
E.S.S.
Continue to E.S.S..
Plume of Feathers
Continue to Plume of Feathers.
M&S Foodhall
Continue to M&S Foodhall.
William Hill
Continue to William Hill.
Baylis News
Continue to Baylis News.
Palace Fish Bar
Continue to Palace Fish Bar.
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.
Repro @ 96
Continue to Repro @ 96.
Carpenters Arms
Continue to Carpenters Arms.
Victoria Tavern
Continue to Victoria Tavern.
Forest Hall
Continue to Forest Hall.
Prestige
Finish back near Prestige, 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 19.8 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Loughton test centre, not an official DVSA route.