Near Maidstone test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts, 28 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 35 navigation steps.
This is an independent 21.2 km practice route near Maidstone test centre, taking roughly 45 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, dual-carriageway joins, 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 and shops, 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 Maidstone 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 74-step drive on real, named roads (about 21.2 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west.
21 m
Turn right.
39 m
Turn right onto Armstrong Road.
Armstrong Road237 m
Turn left onto A229/Loose Road. Continue on A229.
A2291.4 km
Move right to stay on A229.
A229254 m
Turn right onto A229/Lower Stone Street.
A229202 m
Turn left onto A249/Mote Road.
A249150 m
Turn right to stay on Mote Road.
Mote Road219 m
Turn left onto Square Hill Road.
Square Hill Road402 m
Turn left onto Ashford Road/A20. Continue on Ashford Road.
Ashford Road222 m
Move right onto A249.
A24929 m
Turn right onto A249/Andrew Broughton Way.
A24943 m
Move right.
40 m
Move right onto A249/Andrew Broughton Way.
A24990 m
Move right onto Andrew Broughton Way/A20. Continue on A20.
A202.4 km
Turn right onto Romney Close.
Romney Close174 m
Turn left to stay on Romney Close.
Romney Close15 m
Turn left onto Ashford Road/A20.
A202.7 km
Move right onto A249.
A24929 m
Turn right onto A249/Andrew Broughton Way. Continue on A249.
A2491.1 km
Turn left onto Stuart Close.
Stuart Close71 m
Turn right onto A249/Sittingbourne Road.
A249895 m
Turn right.
86 m
Move left onto Union Street.
Union Street65 m
Turn left onto Tufton Street.
Tufton Street179 m
Turn left onto Wyatt Street.
Wyatt Street117 m
Turn left onto Marsham Street.
Marsham Street145 m
Turn left onto Queen Anne Road.
Queen Anne Road171 m
Turn left.
46 m
Move left onto Union Street.
Union Street445 m
Turn left onto Church Street.
Church Street221 m
Turn right to stay on Church Street.
Church Street100 m
Turn left onto King Street.
King Street283 m
Turn left onto A249/Andrew Broughton Way.
A24943 m
Move right.
40 m
Move right onto A249/Andrew Broughton Way.
A24990 m
Turn right to stay on A249.
A24941 m
Turn right onto A249/Ashford Road.
A249115 m
Move left onto A249/Wat Tyler Way. Continue on A249.
A249402 m
Take the A229 exit towards Hastings/Tovil.
A24964 m
Turn left onto A229/Upper Stone Street.
A229270 m
Turn right onto Campbell Road.
Campbell Road188 m
Turn left onto Muir Road.
Muir Road166 m
Turn left onto Old Tovil Road.
Old Tovil Road73 m
Turn left onto Rawdon Road.
Rawdon Road154 m
Turn left onto Campbell Road.
Campbell Road92 m
Turn left onto Muir Road.
Muir Road166 m
Turn left onto Old Tovil Road.
Old Tovil Road160 m
Turn right onto A229/Loose Road.
A229136 m
Move right onto A229/Sheals Crescent. Continue on A229.
A229652 m
Turn left.
24 m
Turn left onto College Road/B2010.
College Road541 m
Turn right onto Tovil Road/B2010. Continue on B2010.
B2010845 m
Turn right onto Burial Ground Lane.
Burial Ground Lane508 m
Move left onto Lower Tovil.
Lower Tovil95 m
Turn left onto Wharf Road.
Wharf Road58 m
Turn right onto Beaconsfield Road.
Beaconsfield Road155 m
Turn right to stay on Beaconsfield Road.
Beaconsfield Road105 m
Turn left onto Church Road.
Church Road124 m
Move left onto Tovil Road/B2010.
Tovil Road388 m
Turn right onto Brenchley Road.
Brenchley Road241 m
Turn right to stay on Brenchley Road.
Brenchley Road22 m
Turn left onto Courtenay Road.
Courtenay Road41 m
Make a sharp left onto Brenchley Road.
Brenchley Road185 m
Turn left onto Coombe Road.
Coombe Road324 m
Turn left onto Courtenay Road.
Courtenay Road109 m
Turn left to stay on Courtenay Road.
Courtenay Road517 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Postley Road.
85 m
Exit the roundabout onto Postley Road.
Postley Road65 m
Turn right onto Forest Hill.
Forest Hill557 m
Turn right onto Courtenay Road.
Courtenay Road517 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Postley Road.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Postley Road.
Postley Road144 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Maidstone · Route 11 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.
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.
Dual-carriageway join
About 6.3 km of this loop is dual carriageway. Build your speed on the slip road, take an effective rearward observation, and merge without forcing other traffic to brake.
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.
Archbishop's Palace
Start near Archbishop's Palace.
Maidstone Baptist Church
Continue to Maidstone Baptist Church.
Centurry Club
Continue to Centurry Club.
Fishermans Arms
Continue to Fishermans Arms.
British Queen
Continue to British Queen.
National Tyres and Autocare - a Halfords company
Continue to National Tyres and Autocare - a Halfords company.
Rose
Continue to Rose.
Coach House
Continue to Coach House.
Goachers Rifle Volunteers
Continue to Goachers Rifle Volunteers.
Quaker Meeting House
Continue to Quaker Meeting House.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Duke of Marlborough
Continue to Duke of Marlborough.
Style and Winch
Continue to Style and Winch.
Trinity Foyer
Continue to Trinity Foyer.
Halfords Autocentre
Continue to Halfords Autocentre.
Pilot
Continue to Pilot.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
Pizza Hut Delivery
Continue to Pizza Hut Delivery.
Royal Paper Mill
Continue to Royal Paper Mill.
CTD Tiles
Finish back near CTD Tiles, completing the loop.
3 roundabouts · 19 turns
6 roundabouts · 12 turns · 3 sets of lights
2 roundabouts · 11 turns · 4 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 19 turns · 2 sets of lights
This route is 21.2 km and takes about 45 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Maidstone test centre, not an official DVSA route.