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Practice route
ModerateLoop

Mill Hill · School-zone practice loop

Near Mill Hill test centre

25.3 km
Distance
36 min
Duration
Moderate
Difficulty
38
Manoeuvres
Difficulty: Demanding

Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts and 24 turns across 38 navigation steps.

How this route is examined

This is an independent 25.3 km practice loop near Mill Hill test centre, taking roughly 36 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 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 stations, churches, shops and schools, 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 Mill Hill 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.

Manoeuvre breakdown

What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.

24
Left turns
0
Right turns
8
Roundabouts
0
Traffic lights
38
Total steps

Skills & features

20
Landmarks

This route helps you practise:

  • Independent driving
  • Sustained concentration

Turn-by-turn directions

The full 38-step drive on real, named roads (about 25.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.

  1. Depart:

    Drive northwest.

    58 m

  2. Turn left:

    Turn left.

    23 m

  3. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Bunn's Lane.

    Bunn's Lane405 m

  4. Turn left:

    Move left onto Hale Lane/A5100.

    Hale Lane15 m

  5. Turn right:

    Turn right to stay on Hale Lane/A5100.

    Hale Lane46 m

  6. Turn left:

    Turn left onto The Broadway/A5100.

    The Broadway517 m

  7. Roundabout:

    Enter Mill Hill Circus and take the 1st exit onto A1/Watford Way.

    Mill Hill Circus12 m

  8. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A1/Watford Way.

    A1867 m

  9. Roundabout:

    Enter Apex Corner and take the 3rd exit onto A1/Barnet Way.

    Apex Corner108 m

  10. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A1/Barnet Way.

    A171 m

  11. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Marsh Lane/A5109. Continue on A5109.

    A51094.9 km

  12. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Totteridge Green.

    Totteridge Green693 m

  13. U-turn:

    Make a right U-turn to stay on Totteridge Green.

    Totteridge Green692 m

  14. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Totteridge Village/A5109. Continue on A5109.

    A51094.9 km

  15. Turn left:

    Move left onto A1/Barnet Way.

    A165 m

  16. Roundabout:

    Enter Apex Corner and take the 2nd exit onto Selvage Lane/A5109.

    Apex Corner62 m

  17. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Selvage Lane/A5109. Continue on A5109.

    A5109641 m

  18. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Deans Lane/A5109.

    Deans Lane964 m

  19. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Deansbrook Road/A5109.

    57 m

  20. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Deansbrook Road/A5109.

    Deansbrook Road677 m

  21. Turn left:

    Turn left onto A5.

    A53.1 km

  22. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Kingsbury Road/A4006.

    Kingsbury Road1.3 km

  23. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Slough Lane.

    Slough Lane82 m

  24. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Old Kenton Lane.

    Old Kenton Lane146 m

  25. Turn left:

    Turn left.

    131 m

  26. Turn right:

    Turn right.

    18 m

  27. U-turn:

    Make a right U-turn.

    18 m

  28. Turn left:

    Turn left.

    131 m

  29. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Old Kenton Lane.

    Old Kenton Lane146 m

  30. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Slough Lane.

    Slough Lane509 m

  31. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Hay Lane.

    Hay Lane708 m

  32. Turn left:

    Move left to stay on Hay Lane.

    Hay Lane48 m

  33. Turn left:

    Move left onto The Hyde/A5.

    A51.5 km

  34. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Watling Avenue.

    Watling Avenue1.8 km

  35. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Bunn's Lane.

    Bunn's Lane28 m

  36. Turn right:

    Turn right.

    23 m

  37. Turn right:

    Turn right.

    58 m

  38. Arrive:

    You have arrived at your destination.

Directions for the Mill Hill · School-zone practice loop loop. Always drive to the road and conditions you see, not the list — signs, signals and other traffic take priority.

Local roads & landmarks

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.

Stations

Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.

  • Mill Hill Broadway
  • Burnt Oak

Schools

Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.

  • St Andrew's C of E Primary School

Churches

Useful navigation anchors on the loop.

  • Sacred Heart & Mary Immaculate
  • Saint Andrew's
  • John Keble Church
  • Islamic Centre of Edgware
  • Hyde United Reformed Church

Pubs

Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.

  • Rising Sun
  • Railway Tavern
  • Green Man

Shops & parades

Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.

  • KFC
  • Shah Autos
  • Algarve Portuguese delicatessen and off licence
  • Kia Motors Humming Bird

Watch out for

  • Local junctions

    Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.

Drive it: landmark by landmark

Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.

  1. Mill Hill Broadway

    Start near Mill Hill Broadway.

  2. Sacred Heart & Mary Immaculate

    Continue to Sacred Heart & Mary Immaculate.

  3. KFC

    Continue to KFC.

  4. St Andrew's C of E Primary School

    Continue to St Andrew's C of E Primary School.

  5. Saint Andrew's

    Continue to Saint Andrew's.

  6. Rising Sun

    Continue to Rising Sun.

  7. Railway Tavern

    Continue to Railway Tavern.

  8. John Keble Church

    Continue to John Keble Church.

  9. Islamic Centre of Edgware

    Continue to Islamic Centre of Edgware.

  10. Shah Autos

    Continue to Shah Autos.

  11. Algarve Portuguese delicatessen and off licence

    Continue to Algarve Portuguese delicatessen and off licence.

  12. Kia Motors Humming Bird

    Continue to Kia Motors Humming Bird.

  13. Hyde United Reformed Church

    Continue to Hyde United Reformed Church.

  14. Holy Innocents Church

    Continue to Holy Innocents Church.

  15. Shree Swaminarayan Mandir

    Continue to Shree Swaminarayan Mandir.

  16. Green Man

    Continue to Green Man.

  17. Catholic Church of Ss. Sebastian & Pancras

    Continue to Catholic Church of Ss. Sebastian & Pancras.

  18. Loon Fung

    Continue to Loon Fung.

  19. W.H. Pulham Ltd

    Continue to W.H. Pulham Ltd.

  20. Burnt Oak

    Finish back near Burnt Oak, completing the loop.

More routes at Mill Hill test centre

Route FAQs

This route is 25.3 km and takes about 36 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Mill Hill test centre, not an official DVSA route.