Near Loughton test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts and 9 turns across 17 navigation steps.
This is an independent 35.5 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.
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, 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, named junctions, pubs and churches, 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 62-step drive on real, named roads (about 35.5 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 3rd exit onto Epping Road/B1393.
Wake Arms Roundabout61 m
Exit the roundabout onto Epping Road/B1393. Continue on B1393.
B13933.0 km
Turn left.
18 m
Turn left.
24 m
Turn left.
26 m
Turn right onto High Road/B1393. Continue on B1393.
B13933.0 km
Enter Wake Arms Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Golding's Hill/A121.
Wake Arms Roundabout27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Golding's Hill/A121. Continue on A121.
A1213.6 km
Turn left onto Station Road.
Station Road353 m
Turn left onto Old Station Road.
Old Station Road10 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Old Station Road.
63 m
Exit the roundabout onto Old Station Road.
Old Station Road228 m
Turn right onto High Road/A121.
High Road85 m
Turn left onto High Beech Road.
High Beech Road439 m
Turn left onto Smarts Lane.
Smarts Lane230 m
Turn left onto Earl's Path.
Earl's Path887 m
Enter Robin Hood Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Epping New Road/A104.
Robin Hood Roundabout85 m
Exit the roundabout onto Epping New Road/A104.
Epping New Road2.7 km
Enter Wake Arms Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Epping Road/B1393.
Wake Arms Roundabout41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Epping Road/B1393. Continue on B1393.
B13932.9 km
Turn right onto Theydon Road.
Theydon Road254 m
Turn left onto Ivy Chimneys Road.
Ivy Chimneys Road810 m
Turn left onto Centre Drive.
Centre Drive65 m
Turn right onto Centre Avenue.
Centre Avenue105 m
Turn left to stay on Centre Avenue.
Centre Avenue66 m
Turn left onto Centre Green.
Centre Green65 m
Turn left onto Centre Drive.
Centre Drive155 m
Turn right onto Ivy Chimneys Road.
Ivy Chimneys Road811 m
Turn left onto Theydon Road.
Theydon Road2.0 km
Turn left onto Coppice Row/B172.
Coppice Row447 m
Turn right onto Poplar Row.
Poplar Row254 m
Move left onto Theydon Park Road.
Theydon Park Road765 m
Turn right.
1 m
Make a right U-turn.
1 m
Turn left onto Theydon Park Road.
Theydon Park Road765 m
Move right onto Poplar Row.
Poplar Row254 m
Turn left onto Coppice Row/B172.
Coppice Row247 m
Turn right onto Orchard Drive.
Orchard Drive112 m
Turn left onto Morgan Crescent.
Morgan Crescent445 m
Turn right onto Piercing Hill.
Piercing Hill543 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 Hill513 m
Turn left onto Coppice Row/B172.
Coppice Row447 m
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 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 Lane352 m
Turn right onto Wellfields.
Wellfields548 m
Turn right onto Church Lane.
Church Lane130 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Loughton · Route 9 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.
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.
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.
E.S.S.
Start near E.S.S..
Lidl
Continue to Lidl.
Newsbox Fireworks
Continue to Newsbox Fireworks.
Wake Arms Roundabout
Continue to Wake Arms Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
French Tip
Continue to French Tip.
Loughton Bathrooms
Continue to Loughton Bathrooms.
Plume of Feathers
Continue to Plume of Feathers.
Sevenoaks Sound & Vision
Continue to Sevenoaks Sound & Vision.
Forest Hall
Continue to Forest Hall.
Hollybush
Continue to Hollybush.
Loughton Methodist Church
Continue to Loughton Methodist Church.
Loughton Station
Continue to Loughton Station.
St Mary the Virgin
Continue to St Mary the Virgin.
Robin Hood Roundabout
Continue to Robin Hood Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Forest Gate Inn
Continue to Forest Gate Inn.
St. Mary the Virgin, Theydon Bois
Continue to St. Mary the Virgin, Theydon Bois.
Bull
Continue to Bull.
J. Phillips
Continue to J. Phillips.
Queen Victoria
Continue to Queen Victoria.
Tikadi
Finish back near Tikadi, 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 35.5 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.