How long is the Mitcham · Dual-carriageway practice loop route?

This route is 20.3 km and takes about 28 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Mitcham test centre, not an official DVSA route.

How difficult is this route?

We rate it moderate based on its road mix and length, with roughly 32 manoeuvres along the way. Difficulty reflects how much is going on, not whether you’ll pass, every route is good practice.

Is this a real DVSA test route?

No. The DVSA stopped publishing its examiner routes, and DriveRoutes is an independent study aid not affiliated with the DVSA. This is a practice loop on the same public roads near Mitcham test centre, built to rehearse local road types and junctions.

What will I practise on this route?

Expect to practise roundabout approach & exit, independent driving and sustained concentration. Repeating the loop a few times is the fastest way to get comfortable with the area before your test.

What junctions are on the Mitcham · Dual-carriageway practice loop route?

This loop passes Lombard Roundabout. Each is drawn from the route's real catalogued landmarks, practise the approach, lane choice and exit at each one so nothing is a surprise on the day.

How should I prepare for my test using this route?

Drive it two or three times in the week before your test, once slowly to learn the layout, then at a normal pace to build confidence. Focus on the junctions and manoeuvre spots rather than memorising a fixed order; examiners vary the route, so familiarity with the local roads matters far more than any single sequence.

Mitcham · Dual-carriageway practice loop, 20.3 km Practice Route

Challenging

Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 12 roundabouts and 10 turns across 32 navigation steps.

How this route is examined

This is an independent 20.3 km practice loop near Mitcham test centre, taking roughly 28 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 Lombard 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 roundabout approach & exit, 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 named junctions, shops, stations and pubs, 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 Mitcham 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.

10
Left turns: 0
Right turns: 12
Roundabouts: 0
Traffic lights: 32
Total steps

Skills & features

1
Roundabouts: 20
Landmarks

This route helps you practise:

Roundabout approach & exit
Independent driving
Sustained concentration

Turn-by-turn directions

The full 32-step drive on real, named roads (about 20.5 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.

Depart:
Drive northwest.
35 m
Turn right:
Turn right onto Red House Road.
Red House Road114 m
Turn right:
Turn right onto Mitcham Road/A236.
Mitcham Road1.1 km
Roundabout:
Enter Lombard Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A23/Purley Way.
Lombard Roundabout73 m
Leave roundabout:
Exit the roundabout onto A23/Purley Way. Continue on A23.
A233.1 km
Turn right:
Turn right onto Waddon Way.
Waddon Way41 m
Turn right:
Turn right onto A23/Purley Way. Continue on A23.
A233.2 km
Roundabout:
Enter Lombard Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Mitcham Road/A236.
Lombard Roundabout21 m
Leave roundabout:
Exit the roundabout onto Mitcham Road/A236. Continue on A236.
A2363.0 km
Roundabout:
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Commonside West/A236.
62 m
Leave roundabout:
Exit the roundabout onto Commonside West/A236.
Commonside West570 m
Roundabout:
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Upper Green East/A236.
5 m
Leave roundabout:
Exit the roundabout onto Upper Green East/A236.
Upper Green East305 m
Turn left:
Turn left onto London Road/A217.
London Road35 m
Turn right:
Move right to stay on London Road/A217.
London Road21 m
Turn right:
Turn right onto Raleigh Gardens.
Raleigh Gardens800 m
Turn left:
Move left onto London Road/A217. Continue on A217.
A2172.2 km
U-turn:
Make a right U-turn at A24/Tooting High Street onto Mitcham Road/A217.
Mitcham Road58 m
Turn left:
Turn left.
8 m
U-turn:
Make a right U-turn.
8 m
Turn left:
Turn left onto Mitcham Road/A217. Continue on A217.
A2172.1 km
Turn right:
Move right onto London Road/A217. Continue on A217.
A217437 m
Turn right:
Move right onto Holborn Way/A217.
Holborn Way196 m
Turn left:
Turn left onto Upper Green West/A236.
Upper Green West79 m
Keep left:
Keep left to stay on A236.
A236343 m
Roundabout:
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Commonside West/A236.
26 m
Leave roundabout:
Exit the roundabout onto Commonside West/A236.
Commonside West565 m
Roundabout:
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Croydon Road/A236.
38 m
Leave roundabout:
Exit the roundabout onto Croydon Road/A236.
Croydon Road1.8 km
Turn right:
Turn right onto Red House Road.
Red House Road114 m
Turn left:
Turn left.
35 m
Arrive:
You have arrived at your destination.

Directions for the Mitcham · Dual-carriageway 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.

Junctions & roundabouts

Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.

Lombard Roundabout

Stations

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

Waddon
Tooting
Tooting Broadway Station
Mitcham Road / Tooting Broadway Station
Mitcham Road / Tooting Station

Schools

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

Jus'T'Learn

Churches

Useful navigation anchors on the loop.

Makkah Masjid Mitcham

Parks & green space

Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.

Mitcham Fair Green

Pubs

Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.

Windmill Inn
Ravensbury

Shops & parades

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

Croydon Cash & Carry
Carphone Warehouse
Mint & Curry Leaves
Ford Dees of Croydon

Watch out for

Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Lombard Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.

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.

Lombard Roundabout
Start near Lombard Roundabout.
Croydon Cash & Carry
Continue to Croydon Cash & Carry.
Carphone Warehouse
Continue to Carphone Warehouse.
Waddon
Continue to Waddon.
Mint & Curry Leaves
Continue to Mint & Curry Leaves.
Ford Dees of Croydon
Continue to Ford Dees of Croydon.
ITC Concepts
Continue to ITC Concepts.
Sofology
Continue to Sofology.
FTM-Fulham timber&builders merchants
Continue to FTM-Fulham timber&builders merchants.
Windmill Inn
Continue to Windmill Inn.
Jus'T'Learn
Continue to Jus'T'Learn.
Makkah Masjid Mitcham
Continue to Makkah Masjid Mitcham.
Tooting
Continue to Tooting.
Tooting Broadway Station
Continue to Tooting Broadway Station.
Mitcham Road / Tooting Broadway Station
Continue to Mitcham Road / Tooting Broadway Station.
Mitcham Road / Tooting Station
Continue to Mitcham Road / Tooting Station.
Dallas Chicken
Continue to Dallas Chicken.
Mitcham Fair Green
Continue to Mitcham Fair Green.
Ravensbury
Continue to Ravensbury.
Bidder Memorial
Finish back near Bidder Memorial, completing the loop.

More routes at Mitcham test centre

Route FAQs

: This route is 20.3 km and takes about 28 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Mitcham test centre, not an official DVSA route.

Mitcham · Dual-carriageway practice loop