Near Plymouth test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 29 roundabouts and 6 turns across 47 navigation steps.
This is an independent 29.4 km practice loop near Plymouth test centre, taking roughly 32 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 47-step drive on real, named roads (about 29.5 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 5th exit onto Outland Road.
Manadon Roundabout307 m
Exit the roundabout onto Outland Road.
Outland Road2.1 km
Keep left to take A386.
A3861.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Alma Road/A386.
118 m
Exit the roundabout onto Alma Road/A386.
Alma Road970 m
Keep left to stay on Alma Road/A386.
Alma Road105 m
Move left 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 2nd exit onto Crownhill Road/B3413.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Crownhill Road/B3413.
Crownhill Road690 m
Turn right onto Hirmandale Road.
Hirmandale Road253 m
Turn left onto Duncombe Avenue.
Duncombe Avenue457 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Duncombe Avenue.
77 m
Exit the roundabout onto Duncombe Avenue.
Duncombe Avenue457 m
Turn right onto Hirmandale Road.
Hirmandale Road245 m
Turn left onto Crownhill Road/B3413.
Crownhill Road680 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto B3413.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto B3413.
B3413104 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A38.
74 m
Exit the roundabout onto A38/The Parkway.
A381.5 km
Enter Tamar Bridge Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A38.
Tamar Bridge Roundabout60 m
Exit the roundabout onto A38.
A383.0 km
Enter Carkeel Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A38.
Carkeel Roundabout41 m
Exit the roundabout onto A38.
A38940 m
Turn left onto B3271.
B3271362 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Burraton Road.
115 m
Exit the roundabout onto Burraton Road.
Burraton Road647 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Callington Road/B3271.
16 m
Exit the roundabout onto Callington Road/B3271.
Callington Road256 m
Enter Carkeel Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A38.
Carkeel Roundabout111 m
Exit the roundabout onto A38.
A383.1 km
Enter Tamar Bridge Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A38/The Parkway.
Tamar Bridge Roundabout36 m
Exit the roundabout onto A38/The Parkway.
A381.3 km
Take the St Budeaux exit.
A38255 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Ernesettle Lane.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ernesettle Lane.
Ernesettle Lane817 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Plymouth · 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.
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.
Peverell Barbers
Continue to Peverell Barbers.
Uniform Company
Continue to Uniform Company.
St Bartholomew
Continue to St Bartholomew.
Armada Kitchens and Bathrooms
Continue to Armada Kitchens and Bathrooms.
Tremain News
Continue to Tremain News.
Britannia Inn
Continue to Britannia Inn.
Punchbowl
Continue to Punchbowl.
Wolseley Road Gospel Hall
Continue to Wolseley Road Gospel Hall.
Camels Head Stores
Continue to Camels Head Stores.
St Budeaux Church Community Hall
Continue to St Budeaux Church Community Hall.
West Park DIY
Continue to West Park DIY.
West Park Chippy
Continue to West Park Chippy.
Peter Goorde Travel
Continue to Peter Goorde Travel.
H. Elliott
Continue to H. Elliott.
Stop By
Continue to Stop By.
DB Autos
Continue to DB Autos.
Roger Young Land Rover
Continue to Roger Young Land Rover.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Saltash Heritage Museum
Finish back near Saltash Heritage Museum, completing the loop.
10 roundabouts · 24 turns
14 roundabouts · 2 turns
12 roundabouts · 19 turns
12 roundabouts · 10 turns
This route is 29.4 km and takes about 32 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Plymouth test centre, not an official DVSA route.