Near Portsmouth test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 24 roundabouts and 16 turns across 59 navigation steps.
This is an independent 11.6 km practice loop near Portsmouth test centre, taking roughly 14 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 Portsbridge Roundabout, Copnor Road, Old London Road, Norway Road and Spur Road 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 and independent driving. 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, named junctions, pubs and schools, 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 59-step drive on real, named roads (about 12.0 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.
177 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Compass Road.
51 m
Exit the roundabout onto Compass Road.
Compass Road120 m
Turn left onto Southampton Road/A27.
Southampton Road702 m
Turn left onto Port Way.
Port Way284 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Port Way.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Port Way.
Port Way164 m
Turn right onto Holywell Drive.
Holywell Drive163 m
Turn right onto Bryher Island.
Bryher Island30 m
Turn left to stay on Bryher Island.
Bryher Island39 m
Turn left to stay on Bryher Island.
Bryher Island190 m
Turn left onto Port Way.
Port Way158 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Port Way.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Port Way.
Port Way303 m
Move right.
17 m
Move right onto Southampton Road/A27.
Southampton Road598 m
Keep right to stay on A27.
A271.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit.
178 m
Exit the roundabout onto Western Road/A27.
Western Road403 m
Enter Portsbridge Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto London Road/A3.
Portsbridge Roundabout218 m
Exit the roundabout onto London Road/A3.
London Road281 m
Keep left to stay on London Road.
London Road293 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Copnor Road.
167 m
Exit the roundabout onto Copnor Road.
Copnor Road118 m
Keep left to take Norway Road.
Norway Road97 m
Keep right to stay on Norway Road.
Norway Road199 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Norway Road.
51 m
Exit the roundabout onto Norway Road.
Norway Road173 m
Keep right to stay on Norway Road.
Norway Road84 m
Turn right onto Copnor Road/A288. Continue on Copnor Road.
Copnor Road164 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto London Road.
369 m
Exit the roundabout onto London Road.
London Road199 m
Keep right to stay on London Road.
London Road362 m
Enter Portsbridge Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Northern Road/A397.
Portsbridge Roundabout322 m
Exit the roundabout onto Northern Road/A397.
Northern Road838 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Northern Road/A397.
54 m
Exit the roundabout onto Northern Road/A397.
Northern Road144 m
Enter Spur Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Northern Road/A3.
Spur Road Roundabout41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Northern Road/A3.
Northern Road235 m
Make a sharp right onto Old London Road.
Old London Road42 m
Turn left onto St George's Road.
St George's Road33 m
Keep right to stay on St George's Road.
St George's Road123 m
Turn left onto St Matthews Road.
St Matthews Road103 m
Turn left onto St Johns Road.
St Johns Road146 m
Turn right onto St George's Road.
St George's Road76 m
Turn left onto Old London Road.
Old London Road2 m
Turn right to stay on Old London Road.
Old London Road32 m
Turn left onto Northern Road/A3.
Northern Road179 m
Enter Spur Road Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Southampton Road/A3.
Spur Road Roundabout72 m
Exit the roundabout onto Southampton Road/A3.
Southampton Road1.3 km
Move right to stay on Southampton Road/A3.
Southampton Road75 m
Stay straight to take the Southampton Road ramp.
Southampton Road44 m
Keep left to stay on Southampton Road/A27.
Southampton Road147 m
Turn left.
62 m
Turn left.
13 m
Turn right.
51 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Portsmouth · Residential + A-road 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.
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 Portsbridge Roundabout, Spur Road 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.
Greggs
Start near Greggs.
Subway
Continue to Subway.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Home Bargains
Continue to Home Bargains.
Jollyes
Continue to Jollyes.
Portsbridge Roundabout
Continue to Portsbridge Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Hilsea Market
Continue to Hilsea Market.
Coach and Horses
Continue to Coach and Horses.
Copnor Road
Continue to Copnor Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Old London Road
Continue to Old London Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Sign Shop
Continue to Sign Shop.
Sunshine Health
Continue to Sunshine Health.
Norway Road
Continue to Norway Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Protyre
Continue to Protyre.
UTC Portsmouth
Continue to UTC Portsmouth.
Indian Kitchen
Continue to Indian Kitchen.
Spur Road Roundabout
Continue to Spur Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Portsmouth Music Academy
Continue to Portsmouth Music Academy.
Grill Out
Finish back near Grill Out, completing the loop.
26 roundabouts · 8 turns
25 roundabouts · 10 turns
10 roundabouts · 18 turns
18 roundabouts · 35 turns
This route is 11.6 km and takes about 14 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Portsmouth test centre, not an official DVSA route.