Near Newbury test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 38 roundabouts and 25 turns across 86 navigation steps.
This is an independent 20.5 km practice loop near Newbury test centre, taking roughly 24 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 Queens Road 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 shops, pubs, stations and named junctions, 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 Newbury 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:
The full 86-step drive on real, named roads (about 21.8 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west.
42 m
Turn right.
70 m
Turn left onto Hambridge Lane.
Hambridge Lane667 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hambridge Road/B3241.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hambridge Road/B3241.
Hambridge Road1.2 km
Turn left onto Hectors Way/B3421.
Hectors Way79 m
Turn right to stay on Hectors Way/B3421.
Hectors Way210 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Hectors Way/B3421.
78 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hectors Way/B3421.
Hectors Way210 m
Turn left to stay on Hectors Way/B3421.
Hectors Way79 m
Turn right onto Kings Road/B3421.
Kings Road1.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Hambridge Road/B3421.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hambridge Road/B3421.
Hambridge Road547 m
Turn right onto London Road/A4.
London Road27 m
Keep right to stay on A4.
A4806 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Tull Way.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tull Way.
Tull Way1.4 km
Turn right onto Mersey Way.
Mersey Way96 m
Turn right to stay on Mersey Way.
Mersey Way65 m
Turn right onto Trent Crescent.
Trent Crescent42 m
Turn left onto Severn Close.
Severn Close98 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Severn Close.
Severn Close98 m
Turn right onto Trent Crescent.
Trent Crescent42 m
Turn left onto Mersey Way.
Mersey Way65 m
Turn left to stay on Mersey Way.
Mersey Way96 m
Turn left onto Bowling Green Road.
Bowling Green Road1.1 km
Keep right to stay on Tull Way.
Tull Way103 m
Keep right to stay on Tull Way.
Tull Way151 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bath Road (Benham Hill)/A4.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bath Road (Benham Hill)/A4. Continue on A4.
A4514 m
Keep left to take London Road/A4.
London Road277 m
Move right to stay on London Road/A4.
London Road640 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto London Road/A4.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto London Road/A4. Continue on A4.
A4900 m
Turn left towards A339.
A339740 m
Enter Kings Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A339/Winchcombe Road.
Kings Road Roundabout52 m
Exit the roundabout onto A339/Winchcombe Road.
A339414 m
Enter Queens Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A339/Newbury North/South Relief Road.
Queens Road Roundabout39 m
Exit the roundabout onto A339/Newbury North/South Relief Road.
A3391.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Pinchington Lane.
6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pinchington Lane.
Pinchington Lane103 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Pinchington Lane.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pinchington Lane.
Pinchington Lane119 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Pinchington Lane.
22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pinchington Lane.
Pinchington Lane253 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Pinchington Lane.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pinchington Lane.
Pinchington Lane705 m
Turn left onto New Road.
New Road101 m
Turn right onto Wormersley Close.
Wormersley Close164 m
Turn right onto Pritchard Close.
Pritchard Close60 m
Turn right to stay on Pritchard Close.
Pritchard Close104 m
Move right onto Marchant Close.
Marchant Close9 m
Turn right to stay on Marchant Close.
Marchant Close76 m
Turn right onto Wormersley Close.
Wormersley Close32 m
Keep left to stay on Wormersley Close.
Wormersley Close36 m
Turn right onto Pritchard Close.
Pritchard Close60 m
Turn right to stay on Pritchard Close.
Pritchard Close104 m
Move right onto Marchant Close.
Marchant Close9 m
Turn right to stay on Marchant Close.
Marchant Close76 m
Turn left onto Wormersley Close.
Wormersley Close96 m
Turn left onto New Road.
New Road101 m
Turn right onto Bury's Bank Road.
Bury's Bank Road635 m
Keep left to take Pinchington Lane.
Pinchington Lane72 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Pinchington Lane.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pinchington Lane.
Pinchington Lane252 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Pinchington Lane.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pinchington Lane.
Pinchington Lane120 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Pinchington Lane.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pinchington Lane.
Pinchington Lane111 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A339/Newbury North/South Relief Road.
71 m
Exit the roundabout onto A339/Newbury North/South Relief Road.
A3391.3 km
Enter Queens Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A339/Greenham Road.
Queens Road Roundabout43 m
Exit the roundabout onto A339/Greenham Road. Continue on A339.
A339423 m
Enter Kings Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Kings Road/B3421.
Kings Road Roundabout105 m
Exit the roundabout onto Kings Road/B3421.
Kings Road183 m
Keep left to stay on B3421.
B342189 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Hectors Way/B3421.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hectors Way/B3421.
Hectors Way210 m
Turn left to stay on Hectors Way/B3421.
Hectors Way79 m
Turn right onto Kings Road/B3421.
Kings Road1.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hambridge Lane.
22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hambridge Lane.
Hambridge Lane667 m
Turn right.
13 m
Turn left.
96 m
Make a sharp right.
86 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Newbury · Residential practice loop 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.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Queens Road Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Newbury Self Storage
Start near Newbury Self Storage.
Crucible
Continue to Crucible.
Banjo Cycles
Continue to Banjo Cycles.
Old London Apprentice
Continue to Old London Apprentice.
Specialized
Continue to Specialized.
Buildbase
Continue to Buildbase.
Clothing Warehouse Ltd
Continue to Clothing Warehouse Ltd.
Swan
Continue to Swan.
Tapi Carpets
Continue to Tapi Carpets.
M&S Simply Food
Continue to M&S Simply Food.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Cinch Storage
Continue to Cinch Storage.
Newbury Bus Station
Continue to Newbury Bus Station.
Queens Road Roundabout
Continue to Queens Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
Continue to Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Waylands MG
Continue to Waylands MG.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Continue to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Marshall Volkswagen
Continue to Marshall Volkswagen.
lotus garden
Continue to lotus garden.
Mole Country Stores
Finish back near Mole Country Stores, completing the loop.
28 roundabouts · 14 turns
35 roundabouts · 9 turns
24 roundabouts · 14 turns
20 roundabouts · 10 turns
This route is 20.5 km and takes about 24 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Newbury test centre, not an official DVSA route.