Near Portsmouth test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 18 roundabouts and 35 turns across 63 navigation steps.
This is an independent 16.6 km practice loop near Portsmouth test centre, taking roughly 22 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. 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 63-step drive on real, named roads (about 16.7 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 Road131 m
Turn right onto Southampton Road/A27. Continue on A27.
A271.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Western Road/A27.
178 m
Exit the roundabout onto Western Road/A27.
Western Road403 m
Enter Portsbridge Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Northern Road/A397.
Portsbridge Roundabout37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Northern Road/A397.
Northern Road159 m
Turn right onto Portsmouth Road.
Portsmouth Road61 m
Turn left to stay on Portsmouth Road.
Portsmouth Road79 m
Turn right onto Highbury Way.
Highbury Way15 m
Keep right to stay on Highbury Way.
Highbury Way65 m
Turn right onto The Old Road.
The Old Road182 m
Turn right onto Tudor Crescent.
Tudor Crescent100 m
Turn right onto Donaldson Road.
Donaldson Road117 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Donaldson Road.
Donaldson Road117 m
Turn left onto Tudor Crescent.
Tudor Crescent100 m
Turn left onto The Old Road.
The Old Road101 m
Keep right to stay on The Old Road.
The Old Road80 m
Turn left onto Highbury Way.
Highbury Way81 m
Turn left onto Portsmouth Road.
Portsmouth Road149 m
Move left onto Northern Road/A397.
Northern Road121 m
Enter Portsbridge Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Western Road/A27.
Portsbridge Roundabout425 m
Exit the roundabout onto Western Road/A27.
Western Road398 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
957 m
Keep right to stay on Western Road/A27.
Western Road65 m
Take the exit on the right.
Western Road26 m
Turn right onto Southampton Road/A3.
Southampton Road489 m
Turn left onto Allaway Avenue.
Allaway Avenue967 m
Turn right onto Elkstone Road.
Elkstone Road80 m
Turn left to stay on Elkstone Road.
Elkstone Road449 m
Turn left onto Leominster Road.
Leominster Road92 m
Turn left onto Woofferton Road.
Woofferton Road483 m
Turn left onto Allaway Avenue.
Allaway Avenue1.3 km
Turn right onto Southampton Road/A3.
Southampton Road406 m
Move left.
15 m
Turn left onto Western Road/A27.
Western Road869 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Western Road/A27.
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 right to stay on A3.
A3635 m
Turn right onto Matapan Road.
Matapan Road506 m
Turn right onto Barham Way.
Barham Way22 m
Turn left onto Valiant Gardens.
Valiant Gardens58 m
Turn left to stay on Valiant Gardens.
Valiant Gardens53 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Valiant Gardens.
Valiant Gardens53 m
Turn right to stay on Valiant Gardens.
Valiant Gardens58 m
Turn right onto Barham Way.
Barham Way22 m
Turn left onto Spinnaker Drive.
Spinnaker Drive506 m
Turn left onto Northern Parade/A3. Continue on A3.
A3889 m
Enter Portsbridge Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Western Road/A27.
Portsbridge Roundabout230 m
Exit the roundabout onto Western Road/A27.
Western Road398 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Western Road/A27.
187 m
Exit the roundabout onto Western Road/A27.
Western Road770 m
Keep left to stay on A27.
A27110 m
Keep left to take 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 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.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Portsbridge 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.
Morrisons Daily
Start near Morrisons Daily.
Portsbridge
Continue to Portsbridge.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Portsbridge Roundabout
Continue to Portsbridge Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Allaway Grill & Fish Bar
Continue to Allaway Grill & Fish Bar.
Blue Ocean Fish & Chips
Continue to Blue Ocean Fish & Chips.
Golden Bridge
Continue to Golden Bridge.
New Kwiki Mart
Continue to New Kwiki Mart.
Premier
Continue to Premier.
Zaxo Barber
Continue to Zaxo Barber.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Cross Keys
Continue to Cross Keys.
Paulsgrove Baptist Church
Continue to Paulsgrove Baptist Church.
St Paul's
Continue to St Paul's.
Ladbrokes
Continue to Ladbrokes.
One Stop
Continue to One Stop.
Co-operative Food
Continue to Co-operative Food.
St Francis' Church
Continue to St Francis' Church.
Widley Express
Finish back near Widley Express, completing the loop.
26 roundabouts · 8 turns
25 roundabouts · 10 turns
10 roundabouts · 18 turns
24 roundabouts · 16 turns
This route is 16.6 km and takes about 22 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Portsmouth test centre, not an official DVSA route.