Near Newport (Isle of Wight) test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 16 roundabouts and 12 turns across 35 navigation steps.
This is an independent 30.1 km practice loop near Newport (Isle of Wight) test centre, taking roughly 30 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 Long Lane, Staplers Road, Church on the Roundabout and Somerton 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 schools, shops, pubs 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 Newport (Isle of Wight) 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 35-step drive on real, named roads (about 30.2 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north.
8 m
Turn right.
53 m
Turn right onto Monks Brook.
Monks Brook168 m
Turn left onto Dodnor Lane.
Dodnor Lane416 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Parkhurst Road.
49 m
Exit the roundabout onto Parkhurst Road.
Parkhurst Road70 m
Turn left onto Medina Way/A3020.
Medina Way1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Fairlee Road/A3054.
16 m
Exit the roundabout onto Fairlee Road/A3054.
Fairlee Road83 m
Turn right onto Staplers Road.
Staplers Road929 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Staplers Road.
224 m
Exit the roundabout onto Staplers Road.
Staplers Road925 m
Turn left onto Fairlee Road/A3054.
Fairlee Road83 m
Enter Coppins Bridge Roundabout and take the 6th exit onto Medina Way/A3020.
Coppins Bridge Roundabout266 m
Exit the roundabout onto Medina Way/A3020.
A30204.6 km
Keep right to take Newport Road.
Newport Road1.3 km
Enter Somerton Roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Newport Road/A3020.
Somerton Roundabout60 m
Exit the roundabout onto Newport Road/A3020.
Newport Road5.7 km
Take the exit.
168 m
Move left onto Fairlee Road/A3054.
A30543.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards A3021/East Cowes, Southampton, Osborne.
19 m
Exit the roundabout towards A3021/East Cowes, Southampton, Osborne.
Whippingham Road2.6 km
Enter Barton Manor Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Whippingham Road/A3021.
Barton Manor Roundabout67 m
Exit the roundabout onto Whippingham Road/A3021. Continue on Whippingham Road.
Whippingham Road2.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards A3054/A3020/Newport,Cowes.
89 m
Exit the roundabout towards A3054/A3020/Newport,Cowes.
Racecourse3.3 km
Take the exit on the right.
150 m
Turn right onto Medina Way/A3020.
Medina Way1.0 km
Turn right onto Parkhurst Road.
Parkhurst Road93 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Dodnor Lane.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dodnor Lane.
Dodnor Lane416 m
Turn right onto Monks Brook.
Monks Brook168 m
Turn left.
53 m
Turn left.
8 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Newport (Isle of Wight) · 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.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near 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 Church on the Roundabout, Somerton 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.
Platform One
Start near Platform One.
White Windows
Continue to White Windows.
Bargeman's Rest
Continue to Bargeman's Rest.
Topps Tiles
Continue to Topps Tiles.
St Paul's
Continue to St Paul's.
Long Lane
Continue to Long Lane, taking the junction with good observation.
Staplers Road
Continue to Staplers Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Church on the Roundabout
Continue to Church on the Roundabout.
First Choice Stairlifts
Continue to First Choice Stairlifts.
Hamilton & Marshall Funeral Directors
Continue to Hamilton & Marshall Funeral Directors.
Stag Inn
Continue to Stag Inn.
Horseshoe Inn
Continue to Horseshoe Inn.
Somerton Roundabout
Continue to Somerton Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Horsebridge Hill
Continue to Horsebridge Hill.
Breast Screening
Continue to Breast Screening.
Fairlee Service Station
Continue to Fairlee Service Station.
Isle of Wight Postal Museum
Continue to Isle of Wight Postal Museum.
Barton Lodges
Continue to Barton Lodges.
CECAMM Centre
Continue to CECAMM Centre.
Isle of Wight Printing Services
Finish back near Isle of Wight Printing Services, completing the loop.
17 roundabouts · 15 turns
8 roundabouts · 10 turns
4 roundabouts · 16 turns
10 roundabouts · 28 turns
This route is 30.1 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Newport (Isle of Wight) test centre, not an official DVSA route.