Near Monmouth test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 18 turns and 5 signalled junctions across 29 navigation steps.
This is an independent 70.5 km practice loop near Monmouth 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.
Along the way you'll meet St. James' Square. 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 pubs, churches, named junctions 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 Monmouth 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 90-step drive on real, named roads (about 70.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northeast.
22 m
Turn left.
12 m
Turn left onto Old Dixton Road.
Old Dixton Road154 m
Enter St. James' Square and take the 2nd exit onto St. James' Square/A466.
St. James' Square54 m
Exit the roundabout onto St. James' Square/A466. Continue on A466.
A466195 m
Turn right onto Dixton Road/A466.
Dixton Road934 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A40.
110 m
Exit the roundabout onto A40.
A4011.0 km
Keep right to stay on A40.
A4076 m
Take the Raglan exit.
A40902 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on A40.
A40264 m
Take the exit.
A4011.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto A40.
157 m
Exit the roundabout onto A40.
A40932 m
Turn left onto A466.
A46691 m
Keep left to stay on A466.
A466155 m
Turn right onto Redbrook Road/A466.
Redbrook Road706 m
Turn left onto Wyesham Avenue.
Wyesham Avenue373 m
Turn right onto Wyesham Road.
Wyesham Road300 m
Turn right onto Woodland View.
Woodland View184 m
Turn right onto Newland Way.
Newland Way159 m
Move right onto Woodland View.
Woodland View190 m
Turn left to stay on Woodland View.
Woodland View65 m
Turn left onto Wyesham Road.
Wyesham Road300 m
Turn left onto Wyesham Avenue.
Wyesham Avenue373 m
Turn right onto Redbrook Road/A466.
Redbrook Road705 m
Turn right onto Staunton Road/A4136.
Staunton Road748 m
Keep right to stay on Staunton Road/A4136.
Staunton Road2.0 km
Keep right to stay on Staunton Road/A4136.
Staunton Road2.5 km
Turn left onto Wellmeadow.
Wellmeadow89 m
Turn right onto Reddings Lane.
Reddings Lane105 m
Turn left onto Wellmeadow.
Wellmeadow80 m
Turn right onto Staunton Road/A4136.
Staunton Road3.3 km
Keep right to stay on Staunton Road/A4136.
Staunton Road217 m
Keep left to stay on Staunton Road/A4136.
Staunton Road118 m
Keep left to stay on Staunton Road/A4136.
Staunton Road326 m
Keep right to stay on Staunton Road/A4136.
Staunton Road102 m
Keep right to stay on Staunton Road/A4136.
Staunton Road1.1 km
Move right onto A466.
A466219 m
Keep left to stay on A466.
A46627 m
Turn left onto A40.
A4010.0 km
Keep right to stay on A40.
A40136 m
Keep right to stay on A40.
A4076 m
Take the Raglan exit.
A40902 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on A40.
A40264 m
Take the exit.
A409.8 km
Move left onto B4293.
B429392 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Portal Road/B4293.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Portal Road/B4293.
Portal Road356 m
Keep left to stay on Portal Road/B4293.
Portal Road104 m
Keep left to stay on Portal Road/B4293.
Portal Road57 m
Turn left onto Beech Road/B4293.
Beech Road222 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Beech Road/B4293.
Beech Road222 m
Turn right onto Portal Road/B4293.
Portal Road518 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Cinderhill Street/B4233.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cinderhill Street/B4233.
Cinderhill Street124 m
Turn right onto B4293.
B4293162 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Blestium Street.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Blestium Street.
Blestium Street442 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto B4293.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto B4293.
B4293623 m
Turn left onto Wonastow Road.
Wonastow Road548 m
Turn left onto Link Road.
Link Road49 m
Keep right to stay on Link Road.
Link Road860 m
Turn right onto Portal Road/B4293.
Portal Road61 m
Keep left to stay on Portal Road/B4293.
Portal Road122 m
Keep left to stay on B4293.
B4293591 m
Keep straight to take Portal Road/B4293.
Portal Road100 m
Keep right at the fork.
38 m
Turn left.
13 m
Turn left onto B4293.
B429354 m
Keep left to stay on B4293.
B42931.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Cinderhill Street/B4233.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cinderhill Street/B4233.
Cinderhill Street124 m
Turn right onto B4293.
B4293162 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Blestium Street.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Blestium Street.
Blestium Street228 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Blestium Street.
Blestium Street228 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Blestium Street/B4293.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Blestium Street/B4293.
Blestium Street134 m
Turn right onto Monnow Street/B4293.
Monnow Street352 m
Keep right to stay on Monnow Street/B4293.
Monnow Street21 m
Turn right onto Agincourt Street.
Agincourt Street76 m
Turn right to stay on Agincourt Street.
Agincourt Street41 m
Turn left onto Glendower Street.
Glendower Street165 m
Turn right onto Almshouse Street.
Almshouse Street21 m
Turn left to stay on Almshouse Street.
Almshouse Street208 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto St. James' Square/A466.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto St. James' Square/A466.
St. James' Square22 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Monmouth · Route 6 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
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 46.0 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.
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.
Club
Start near Club.
Monmouth Baptist Church
Continue to Monmouth Baptist Church.
Old Nags Head
Continue to Old Nags Head.
St. James' Square
Continue to St. James' Square, taking the junction with good observation.
Morrisons Daily
Continue to Morrisons Daily.
Lidl
Continue to Lidl.
Mayhill Hotel
Continue to Mayhill Hotel.
Saint James
Continue to Saint James.
Screwfix
Continue to Screwfix.
Topstak
Continue to Topstak.
White Horse Inn
Continue to White Horse Inn.
Overmonnow Garage
Continue to Overmonnow Garage.
Yummies Pizza
Continue to Yummies Pizza.
Albion Fish and Chips
Continue to Albion Fish and Chips.
Best-one
Continue to Best-one.
Castle Inn
Continue to Castle Inn.
Kings Head
Continue to Kings Head.
Monmouth Bus Station
Continue to Monmouth Bus Station.
Monmouth Methodist Church
Continue to Monmouth Methodist Church.
Robin Hood
Finish back near Robin Hood, completing the loop.
6 roundabouts · 19 turns · 5 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 19 turns · 4 sets of lights
8 roundabouts · 13 turns · 5 sets of lights
9 roundabouts · 17 turns · 4 sets of lights
This route is 70.5 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Monmouth test centre, not an official DVSA route.