Near Plymouth test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 14 roundabouts and 2 turns across 36 navigation steps.
This is an independent 17.5 km practice loop near Plymouth test centre, taking roughly 18 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.
On this route you’ll practise 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 churches, shops and pubs, 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 Plymouth 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 36-step drive on real, named roads (about 17.7 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast on Ernesettle Lane.
Ernesettle Lane817 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A38.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto A38/The Parkway.
A382.7 km
Take the Manadon Roundabout exit.
A38464 m
Enter Manadon Roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
Manadon Roundabout71 m
Exit the roundabout onto A386.
A3861.4 km
Keep right to take Tavistock Road/A3822.
Tavistock Road229 m
Turn right onto Tavistock Road/A3822. Continue on A3822.
A3822510 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto William Prance Road/A3822.
52 m
Exit the roundabout onto William Prance Road/A3822.
William Prance Road330 m
Turn right.
39 m
Move left onto Partridge Road.
Partridge Road27 m
Turn left to stay on Partridge Road.
Partridge Road55 m
Turn left.
34 m
Make a right U-turn.
34 m
Turn right onto Partridge Road.
Partridge Road55 m
Turn right to stay on Partridge Road.
Partridge Road27 m
Move right.
39 m
Turn left onto William Prance Road/A3822.
William Prance Road331 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto William Prance Road/A3822.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto William Prance Road/A3822.
William Prance Road383 m
Keep left to stay on William Prance Road/A3822.
William Prance Road106 m
Turn left onto A386/Tavistock Road.
A3863.8 km
Keep right to take Outland Road/A386.
Outland Road143 m
Move right to stay on Outland Road/A386.
Outland Road37 m
Move right onto Wolseley Road/A3064.
Wolseley Road304 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Wolseley Road/A3064.
48 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wolseley Road/A3064.
Wolseley Road1.6 km
Keep right to stay on A3064.
A30641.7 km
Take the exit.
A38647 m
Take the St Budeaux exit.
A38523 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto B3413.
81 m
Exit the roundabout onto B3413.
B3413109 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Ernesettle Lane.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ernesettle Lane.
Ernesettle Lane817 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Plymouth · Dual-carriageway 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Kingdom Hall of Jahova's Witnesses
Start near Kingdom Hall of Jahova's Witnesses.
Parkway Sports and Social Club
Continue to Parkway Sports and Social Club.
Noakes Habermehl & Kerr
Continue to Noakes Habermehl & Kerr.
Crownhill Methodist Church
Continue to Crownhill Methodist Church.
Crownhill MOT Centre
Continue to Crownhill MOT Centre.
Farmfoods
Continue to Farmfoods.
Warrens Bakery
Continue to Warrens Bakery.
Co-operative Funeral Services
Continue to Co-operative Funeral Services.
Tamar
Continue to Tamar.
Best-one
Continue to Best-one.
EcoBlitz
Continue to EcoBlitz.
Uniform Company
Continue to Uniform Company.
St Bartholomew
Continue to St Bartholomew.
Britannia Inn
Continue to Britannia Inn.
Russell Ham
Continue to Russell Ham.
Seven Up
Continue to Seven Up.
Wolseley Road Gospel Hall
Continue to Wolseley Road Gospel Hall.
Wyatt's Barbers
Continue to Wyatt's Barbers.
Yousuf's Indian and Thai kitchen
Continue to Yousuf's Indian and Thai kitchen.
Camels Head Stores
Finish back near Camels Head Stores, completing the loop.
29 roundabouts · 6 turns
10 roundabouts · 24 turns
12 roundabouts · 19 turns
12 roundabouts · 10 turns
This route is 17.5 km and takes about 18 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Plymouth test centre, not an official DVSA route.