Near Newbury test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 24 roundabouts and 14 turns across 44 navigation steps.
This is an independent 20.9 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 and Swan 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, named junctions and churches, 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 44-step drive on real, named roads (about 20.8 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 3rd exit onto Hectors Way/B3421.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hectors Way/B3421.
Hectors Way85 m
Move left onto Kings Road/B3421.
Kings Road116 m
Turn left onto A339/Winchcombe Road. Continue on A339.
A339437 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 2nd exit onto A339.
40 m
Exit the roundabout onto A339.
A3391.3 km
Enter Swan Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A339.
Swan Roundabout54 m
Exit the roundabout onto A339.
A339879 m
Move left onto Highwood Copse Way.
Highwood Copse Way258 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Highwood Copse Way.
Highwood Copse Way238 m
Turn left onto A339/Newtown Road. Continue on A339.
A339369 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A339/Newbury North/South Relief Road.
40 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 1st exit onto A339.
Kings Road Roundabout52 m
Exit the roundabout onto A339.
A339942 m
Keep right to take A4.
A4156 m
Move right onto A339/Western Avenue.
A3391.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto London Road/A4.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto London Road/A4. Continue on A4.
A41.4 km
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.
A42.7 km
Turn right.
34 m
Make a right U-turn.
34 m
Turn left onto London Road/A4. Continue on A4.
A42.7 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
Turn left onto Hambridge Road/B3421.
Hambridge Road565 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Hambridge Lane.
4 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 · School-zone 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.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
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, Swan 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.
Toolstation
Continue to Toolstation.
Crucible
Continue to Crucible.
Old London Apprentice
Continue to Old London Apprentice.
Mole Country Stores
Continue to Mole Country Stores.
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.
Swan Roundabout
Continue to Swan Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Newbury Bus Station
Continue to Newbury Bus Station.
Cinch Storage
Continue to Cinch Storage.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Swan
Continue to Swan.
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.
Memorial Garden
Continue to Memorial Garden.
Thatcham Evangelical Church
Continue to Thatcham Evangelical Church.
Plough
Continue to Plough.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
Wheatsheaf
Finish back near Wheatsheaf, completing the loop.
28 roundabouts · 14 turns
35 roundabouts · 9 turns
38 roundabouts · 25 turns
20 roundabouts · 10 turns
This route is 20.9 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.