Near Newbury test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 35 roundabouts and 9 turns across 48 navigation steps.
This is an independent 21.1 km practice loop near Newbury test centre, taking roughly 23 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, churches, pubs and stations, 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 48-step drive on real, named roads (about 21.1 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 3rd exit onto Hambridge Road/B3421.
42 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hambridge Road/B3421.
Hambridge Road547 m
Turn right onto London Road/A4. Continue on A4.
A4834 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Bath Road (Benham Hill)/A4.
61 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bath Road (Benham Hill)/A4. Continue on A4.
A42.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto London Road/A4.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto London Road/A4.
London Road438 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A4.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto A4.
A41.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A4.
113 m
Exit the roundabout onto A4.
A41.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto London Road/A4.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto London Road/A4.
London Road445 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto London Road/A4.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto London Road/A4. Continue on A4.
A42.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Bath Road (Benham Hill)/A4.
6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bath Road (Benham Hill)/A4. Continue on A4.
A4791 m
Move right onto London Road/A4.
London Road641 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. Continue on A339.
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 3rd exit onto Pinchington Lane.
54 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. Continue on B3421.
B3421273 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 Lane666 m
Turn right.
13 m
Turn left.
97 m
Make a sharp right.
86 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Newbury · Roundabout 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.
Clothing Warehouse Ltd
Continue to Clothing Warehouse Ltd.
Henwick News
Continue to Henwick News.
Subway
Continue to Subway.
Catholic Church of Our Lady of The Assumption
Continue to Catholic Church of Our Lady of The Assumption.
Thatcham Evangelical Church
Continue to Thatcham Evangelical Church.
Four Seasons
Continue to Four Seasons.
Plough
Continue to Plough.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
Wheatsheaf
Continue to Wheatsheaf.
Ladbrokes
Continue to Ladbrokes.
Swan
Continue to Swan.
Lidl
Continue to Lidl.
Kwik Fit
Continue to Kwik Fit.
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.
Specialist dry cleaners
Continue to Specialist dry cleaners.
Old London Apprentice
Continue to Old London Apprentice.
Crucible
Finish back near Crucible, completing the loop.
28 roundabouts · 14 turns
24 roundabouts · 14 turns
38 roundabouts · 25 turns
20 roundabouts · 10 turns
This route is 21.1 km and takes about 23 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Newbury test centre, not an official DVSA route.