Near Portsmouth test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 26 roundabouts and 8 turns across 43 navigation steps.
This is an independent 24.2 km practice loop near Portsmouth test centre, taking roughly 20 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 Cornaway Lane Roundabout, Condor Avenue Roundabout, Roundabout Hotel and Port Way. 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 Portsmouth 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 43-step drive on real, named roads (about 24.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north.
51 m
Turn left.
64 m
Turn left.
111 m
Turn right.
66 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Compass Road.
51 m
Exit the roundabout onto Compass Road.
Compass Road120 m
Turn left onto Southampton Road/A27. Continue on A27.
A272.2 km
Enter Castle Street Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A27.
Castle Street Roundabout95 m
Exit the roundabout onto A27.
A27267 m
Enter West Street Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto West Street/A27.
West Street Roundabout67 m
Exit the roundabout onto West Street/A27.
West Street779 m
Enter Cornaway Lane Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Portchester Road/A27.
Cornaway Lane Roundabout82 m
Exit the roundabout onto Portchester Road/A27.
Portchester Road911 m
Enter Condor Avenue Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Portchester Road/A27.
Condor Avenue Roundabout9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Portchester Road/A27. Continue on A27.
A271.1 km
Enter Delme Roundabout and take the 5th exit onto A27.
Delme Roundabout307 m
Exit the roundabout onto A27.
A27138 m
Keep right to stay on A27.
A27792 m
Enter Wallington Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto M27.
Wallington Roundabout259 m
Exit the roundabout onto M27.
M275.2 km
Keep left to take exit 12 onto M275 towards Portsmouth (West).
M2753.2 km
Keep right to stay on M275.
M2751.4 km
Enter Church Street Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Commercial Road/A3.
Church Street Roundabout43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Commercial Road/A3.
Commercial Road247 m
Enter Marketway Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Cornmill Street/A2030.
Marketway Roundabout22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cornmill Street/A2030.
Cornmill Street69 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Lake Road/A2030.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lake Road/A2030.
Lake Road242 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Lake Road/A2030.
92 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lake Road/A2030.
Lake Road247 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Cornmill Street/A2030.
52 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cornmill Street/A2030.
Cornmill Street59 m
Enter Marketway Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Commercial Road/A3.
Marketway Roundabout97 m
Exit the roundabout onto Commercial Road/A3.
Commercial Road242 m
Enter Church Street Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Mile End Road/A3.
Church Street Roundabout43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Mile End Road/A3.
Mile End Road416 m
Keep right to take M275.
M2752.9 km
Keep left to stay on M275 towards Fareham.
M2751.9 km
Turn left towards A27/Fareham.
Southampton Road220 m
Turn left.
62 m
Turn left.
13 m
Turn right.
51 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Portsmouth · 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.
Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Cornaway Lane Roundabout, Condor Avenue Roundabout, Roundabout Hotel. 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.
KFC
Start near KFC.
Subway
Continue to Subway.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Lidl
Continue to Lidl.
Solent Grill
Continue to Solent Grill.
Al's
Continue to Al's.
Red Lion
Continue to Red Lion.
Cutesy Kink
Continue to Cutesy Kink.
Cornaway Lane Roundabout
Continue to Cornaway Lane Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Seagull
Continue to Seagull.
Condor Avenue Roundabout
Continue to Condor Avenue Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Delme Arms
Continue to Delme Arms.
Roundabout Hotel
Continue to Roundabout Hotel.
Ferry House Lodge
Continue to Ferry House Lodge.
Portsmouth Muslim Academy
Continue to Portsmouth Muslim Academy.
Goat
Continue to Goat.
Painters Arms
Continue to Painters Arms.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Fresh & Local Hants
Continue to Fresh & Local Hants.
Port Way
Finish back near Port Way, completing the loop.
25 roundabouts · 10 turns
10 roundabouts · 18 turns
18 roundabouts · 35 turns
24 roundabouts · 16 turns
This route is 24.2 km and takes about 20 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Portsmouth test centre, not an official DVSA route.