Near Maidstone test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 16 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 27 navigation steps.
This is an independent 21.1 km practice loop near Maidstone test centre, taking roughly 40 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 multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, independent driving 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, 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 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 111-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.
A229328 m
Keep right to stay on A229.
A229331 m
Turn left onto Postley Road.
Postley Road31 m
Keep right to stay on Postley Road.
Postley Road395 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Postley Road.
112 m
Exit the roundabout onto Postley Road.
Postley Road427 m
Turn left onto A229/Postley Road. Continue on A229.
A229749 m
Move right to stay on A229.
A229308 m
Turn left onto Romney Place.
Romney Place147 m
Move right to stay on Romney Place.
Romney Place34 m
Move right to stay on Romney Place.
Romney Place65 m
Turn left onto A249/Wat Tyler Way. Continue on A249.
A249758 m
Keep right to take A249/Sittingbourne Road.
A24936 m
Turn right onto Claremont Road.
Claremont Road188 m
Turn left onto Marston Drive.
Marston Drive330 m
Turn left onto Matfield Crescent.
Matfield Crescent28 m
Turn right onto Marston Drive.
Marston Drive222 m
Turn left onto Commodore Road.
Commodore Road246 m
Turn right onto Alkham Road.
Alkham Road105 m
Keep left to stay on Alkham Road.
Alkham Road142 m
Turn right onto Snowdon Avenue.
Snowdon Avenue287 m
Turn right onto Marston Drive.
Marston Drive91 m
Turn left onto Claremont Road.
Claremont Road188 m
Turn right onto A249/Sittingbourne Road.
A249708 m
Turn right onto Hampton Road.
Hampton Road679 m
Keep left to stay on Hampton Road.
Hampton Road368 m
Turn left onto A249/Bearsted Road.
A249222 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A249/Bearsted Road.
78 m
Exit the roundabout onto A249/Bearsted Road.
A249458 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bearsted Road.
49 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bearsted Road.
Bearsted Road308 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Bearsted Road.
110 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bearsted Road.
Bearsted Road304 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A249/Bearsted Road.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto A249/Bearsted Road.
A249465 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Penenden Heath Road.
49 m
Exit the roundabout onto Penenden Heath Road.
Penenden Heath Road527 m
Turn left onto Boxley Road.
Boxley Road722 m
Keep left to stay on Boxley Road.
Boxley Road319 m
Turn right onto John Street.
John Street180 m
Turn left onto Thornhill Place.
Thornhill Place74 m
Turn left onto Cross Street.
Cross Street98 m
Turn right onto Hardy Street.
Hardy Street48 m
Keep left to stay on Hardy Street.
Hardy Street125 m
Turn left onto Lower Boxley Road/B2012. Continue on B2012.
B2012778 m
Turn right onto A249/Sittingbourne Road.
A249333 m
Turn left onto A249/Andrew Broughton Way.
A249119 m
Move right onto Andrew Broughton Way/A20. Continue on A20.
A20140 m
Turn right towards Mote Park.
Square Hill Road401 m
Turn right onto Mote Road.
Mote Road80 m
Turn left onto Hastings Road.
Hastings Road388 m
Keep left to take St Phillips Avenue.
St Phillips Avenue30 m
Turn left onto Lower Road.
Lower Road95 m
Turn left to stay on Lower Road.
Lower Road28 m
Turn right to stay on Lower Road.
Lower Road112 m
Turn left.
23 m
Turn left.
22 m
Move right onto Lower Road.
Lower Road85 m
Turn left to stay on Lower Road.
Lower Road28 m
Turn right to stay on Lower Road.
Lower Road95 m
Turn right onto St Phillips Avenue.
St Phillips Avenue30 m
Keep straight to stay on St Phillips Avenue.
St Phillips Avenue388 m
Turn left onto Mote Road.
Mote Road51 m
Keep right to stay on Mote Road.
Mote Road112 m
Move left onto A249/Mote Road. Continue on A249.
A249305 m
Turn right onto A229/Mill Street.
A229451 m
Make a right U-turn at A229 to stay on A229.
A22929 m
Keep right to stay on A229.
A22962 m
Turn right.
101 m
Keep left to take A229/Fairmeadow.
A229270 m
Turn right onto St Faith's Street.
St Faith's Street222 m
Turn right to stay on St Faith's Street.
St Faith's Street53 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on St Faith's Street.
St Faith's Street53 m
Turn left to stay on St Faith's Street.
St Faith's Street208 m
Turn left onto A229/Fairmeadow.
A229178 m
Turn left onto Medway Street.
Medway Street29 m
Turn right onto Fairmeadow.
Fairmeadow92 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Fairmeadow.
Fairmeadow90 m
Turn left onto Medway Street.
Medway Street28 m
Turn left onto A229/Fairmeadow. Continue on A229.
A22995 m
Keep left to stay on A229.
A22927 m
Move left onto High Street.
High Street142 m
Turn right onto Mill Street.
Mill Street159 m
Turn left onto A229/Palace Avenue. Continue on A229.
A229795 m
Turn left onto Waterloo Street.
Waterloo Street104 m
Keep left to stay on Waterloo Street.
Waterloo Street87 m
Turn right onto St Phillips Avenue.
St Phillips Avenue35 m
Keep left to stay on St Phillips Avenue.
St Phillips Avenue30 m
Turn left onto Lower Road.
Lower Road95 m
Turn left to stay on Lower Road.
Lower Road28 m
Turn right to stay on Lower Road.
Lower Road112 m
Turn left.
23 m
Turn left.
22 m
Move right onto Lower Road.
Lower Road85 m
Turn left to stay on Lower Road.
Lower Road28 m
Turn right to stay on Lower Road.
Lower Road95 m
Turn right onto St Phillips Avenue.
St Phillips Avenue30 m
Keep straight to stay on St Phillips Avenue.
St Phillips Avenue35 m
Turn left onto Waterloo Street.
Waterloo Street79 m
Turn right onto Kingsley Road.
Kingsley Road53 m
Turn left onto Melville Road.
Melville Road49 m
Move right to stay on Melville Road.
Melville Road176 m
Turn left onto Brunswick Street.
Brunswick Street78 m
Turn left onto A229/Upper Stone Street. Continue on A229.
A229744 m
Turn left onto Postley Road.
Postley Road427 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Armstrong Road.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Armstrong Road.
Armstrong Road290 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Maidstone · 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.
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
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 8.0 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.
Cycles UK
Start near Cycles UK.
Coach House
Continue to Coach House.
Chiltern Hundreds
Continue to Chiltern Hundreds.
High Spirits
Continue to High Spirits.
HL2
Continue to HL2.
Maidstone Family Church
Continue to Maidstone Family Church.
St Paul's Church
Continue to St Paul's Church.
Aldi
Continue to Aldi.
Corner Shop
Continue to Corner Shop.
British Queen
Continue to British Queen.
National Tyres and Autocare - a Halfords company
Continue to National Tyres and Autocare - a Halfords company.
Maidstone Baptist Church
Continue to Maidstone Baptist Church.
Royal Albion
Continue to Royal Albion.
United Reformed Church
Continue to United Reformed Church.
Drakes Cork & Cask House
Continue to Drakes Cork & Cask House.
Centurry Club
Continue to Centurry Club.
Pilot
Continue to Pilot.
St Philip's Church
Continue to St Philip's Church.
Kingsleys
Continue to Kingsleys.
Lewis’s Fish and Grill
Finish back near Lewis’s Fish and Grill, 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 21.1 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Maidstone test centre, not an official DVSA route.