Near Merthyr Tydfil test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 9 roundabouts and 8 turns across 21 navigation steps.
This is an independent 74.7 km practice loop near Merthyr Tydfil 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 Fiddlers Elbow Roundabout, High Street and Swansea Road. 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, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and independent driving. 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, named junctions 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 Merthyr Tydfil 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 96-step drive on real, named roads (about 74.7 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northeast.
25 m
Turn right.
253 m
Turn left.
101 m
Turn right onto Merthyr Road/A4054.
Merthyr Road237 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Merthyr Road/A4054.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merthyr Road/A4054. Continue on A4054.
A40549.2 km
Enter Fiddlers Elbow Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A472.
Fiddlers Elbow Roundabout57 m
Exit the roundabout onto A472.
A472227 m
Move left onto A470.
A4705.8 km
Take the Bridge Street exit.
218 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A4223.
145 m
Exit the roundabout onto A4223.
A4223768 m
Enter Sardis Road Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Rhondda Road/A4058.
Sardis Road Roundabout228 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rhondda Road/A4058. Continue on A4058.
A40583.7 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Llwyncelyn Road/A4058.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Llwyncelyn Road/A4058. Continue on A4058.
A4058987 m
Move right to stay on A4058.
A4058439 m
Turn right onto B4278.
B4278178 m
Turn left onto Rheola Road/B4278. Continue on B4278.
B4278254 m
Turn left onto Cemetery Road/B4278.
Cemetery Road311 m
Turn right onto Mount Pleasant Road.
Mount Pleasant Road237 m
Turn right onto Bryngwyn Street.
Bryngwyn Street57 m
Turn left onto Troedyrhiw Road.
Troedyrhiw Road218 m
Turn left.
182 m
Move right onto Troedyrhiw Road.
Troedyrhiw Road57 m
Turn right onto Bryngwyn Street.
Bryngwyn Street57 m
Turn left onto Mount Pleasant Road.
Mount Pleasant Road237 m
Turn left onto Cemetery Road/B4278.
Cemetery Road311 m
Turn right to stay on B4278.
B4278333 m
Turn right onto North Road/B4278. Continue on B4278.
B42781.2 km
Turn left onto Llwyncelyn Road/A4058.
Llwyncelyn Road95 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A4058.
34 m
Exit the roundabout onto A4058.
A40583.7 km
Enter Sardis Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Catherine Street/A4223.
Sardis Road Roundabout96 m
Exit the roundabout onto Catherine Street/A4223. Continue on A4223.
A4223476 m
Move right onto Morgan Street/A4223. Continue on A4223.
A4223277 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto A470.
A4705.9 km
Enter Abercynon Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A472.
Abercynon Roundabout214 m
Exit the roundabout onto A472.
A472312 m
Enter Fiddlers Elbow Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Fiddlers Elbow/A4054.
Fiddlers Elbow Roundabout10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Fiddlers Elbow/A4054. Continue on A4054.
A40549.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Merthyr Road/A4054.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merthyr Road/A4054.
Merthyr Road1.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Merthyr Road/A4054.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merthyr Road/A4054.
Merthyr Road878 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Pentrebach Road/A4054.
56 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pentrebach Road/A4054. Continue on A4054.
A40541.2 km
Enter High Street and take the 1st exit onto A4102.
High Street10 m
Exit the roundabout onto A4102.
A4102231 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A4102.
26 m
Exit the roundabout onto A4102.
A4102318 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A470.
129 m
Exit the roundabout onto A470.
A4701.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A470.
70 m
Exit the roundabout onto A470.
A4701.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A470.
150 m
Exit the roundabout onto A470.
A4701.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Swansea Road/A4102.
16 m
Exit the roundabout onto Swansea Road/A4102.
Swansea Road96 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Swansea Road/A4102.
40 m
Exit the roundabout onto Swansea Road/A4102.
Swansea Road471 m
Turn left onto Cyfarthfa Road/A4054.
Cyfarthfa Road484 m
Turn right to stay on Cyfarthfa Road/A4054.
Cyfarthfa Road45 m
Turn left onto Brecon Road/A4054.
Brecon Road720 m
Turn left onto Maesgwynne.
Maesgwynne34 m
Turn right onto Heol y Cae.
Heol y Cae67 m
Turn right to stay on Heol y Cae.
Heol y Cae84 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Heol y Cae.
Heol y Cae84 m
Turn left to stay on Heol y Cae.
Heol y Cae67 m
Turn left onto Maesgwynne.
Maesgwynne34 m
Turn right onto Brecon Road/A4054.
Brecon Road720 m
Turn right onto Cyfarthfa Road/A4054.
Cyfarthfa Road45 m
Turn left to stay on Cyfarthfa Road/A4054.
Cyfarthfa Road488 m
Turn left onto Joseph Parry Way/A4054. Continue on A4054.
A4054504 m
Turn right onto Avenue de Clichy/A4054.
Avenue de Clichy953 m
Enter High Street and take the 2nd exit onto High Street/A4054.
High Street45 m
Exit the roundabout onto High Street/A4054. Continue on A4054.
A4054339 m
Turn left onto Plymouth Street.
Plymouth Street99 m
Turn right onto Tramroad Side South.
Tramroad Side South228 m
Turn right onto Christopher Terrace.
Christopher Terrace152 m
Turn right.
168 m
Turn left onto Plymouth Street/A4054. Continue on A4054.
A4054578 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Merthyr Road/A4054.
42 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merthyr Road/A4054.
Merthyr Road882 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Merthyr Road/A4054.
88 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merthyr Road/A4054.
Merthyr Road1.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Merthyr Road/A4054.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merthyr Road/A4054. Continue on A4054.
A40544.5 km
Turn right.
85 m
Turn left.
181 m
Turn left onto South View.
South View53 m
Turn left onto Cardiff Road/A4054. Continue on A4054.
A40544.7 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Merthyr Road/A4054.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merthyr Road/A4054.
Merthyr Road701 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Merthyr Tydfil · Route 4 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 Fiddlers Elbow Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 16.8 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.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 mph). Watch for repeater signs and adjust early, examiners mark you down for carrying the wrong speed into a new limit.
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.
Pak Ho Fishbar
Start near Pak Ho Fishbar.
Windsor Hotel
Continue to Windsor Hotel.
Glantaff Inn
Continue to Glantaff Inn.
Troz Takeaway
Continue to Troz Takeaway.
Fiddlers Elbow Roundabout
Continue to Fiddlers Elbow Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Norton Bridge Methodist
Continue to Norton Bridge Methodist.
Temple Baptist Church
Continue to Temple Baptist Church.
Capel Rhondda
Continue to Capel Rhondda.
Trehafod
Continue to Trehafod.
Shadez
Continue to Shadez.
Llwyncelyn
Continue to Llwyncelyn.
Saint Catherine's Church
Continue to Saint Catherine's Church.
Newbridge Arms
Continue to Newbridge Arms.
Pontypridd Bus Station
Continue to Pontypridd Bus Station.
Pentre-bach
Continue to Pentre-bach.
High Street
Continue to High Street, taking the junction with good observation.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Continue to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Swansea Road
Continue to Swansea Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Merthyr Bus Station Stand 1
Continue to Merthyr Bus Station Stand 1.
Merthyr Bus Station Stand 2
Finish back near Merthyr Bus Station Stand 2, completing the loop.
18 roundabouts · 14 turns · 2 sets of lights
9 roundabouts · 16 turns
14 roundabouts · 13 turns · 1 set of lights
12 roundabouts · 13 turns · 2 sets of lights
This route is 74.7 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Merthyr Tydfil test centre, not an official DVSA route.