Near Portsmouth test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 25 roundabouts and 10 turns across 45 navigation steps.
This is an independent 23.9 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 Spur Road Roundabout, Portsbridge Roundabout, Port Way, Condor Avenue Roundabout and Cornaway Lane Roundabout and 2 more named junctions. 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 multiple roundabouts, 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, named junctions 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 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 45-step drive on real, named roads (about 23.9 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 Road131 m
Turn right onto Southampton Road/A27.
Southampton Road258 m
Turn left onto Southampton Road/A3.
Southampton Road1.5 km
Enter Spur Road Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Northern Road/A397.
Spur Road Roundabout72 m
Exit the roundabout onto Northern Road/A397.
Northern Road143 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Northern Road/A397.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Northern Road/A397.
Northern Road836 m
Enter Portsbridge Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A27.
Portsbridge Roundabout16 m
Exit the roundabout onto A27.
A271.5 km
Take the Farlington exit.
522 m
Enter Farlington Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Eastern Road/A2030.
Farlington Roundabout268 m
Exit the roundabout onto Eastern Road/A2030.
Eastern Road880 m
Keep right to take Anchorage Road.
Anchorage Road370 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Anchorage Road.
83 m
Exit the roundabout onto Anchorage Road.
Anchorage Road167 m
Move left.
48 m
Move left onto Eastern Road/A2030.
Eastern Road978 m
Enter Farlington Roundabout and take the 1st exit.
Farlington Roundabout5 m
Exit the roundabout onto A27.
A271.4 km
Continue on M27.
M27958 m
Keep right to stay on M27.
M276.0 km
Take exit 11 onto A27 towards Fareham Central/Gosport.
M27484 m
Enter Wallington Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A27.
Wallington Roundabout7 m
Exit the roundabout onto A27.
A27382 m
Take the exit.
A27570 m
Enter Delme Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Cams Hill/A27.
Delme Roundabout29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cams Hill/A27. Continue on A27.
A271.1 km
Enter Condor Avenue Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Portchester Road/A27.
Condor Avenue Roundabout10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Portchester Road/A27.
Portchester Road905 m
Enter Cornaway Lane Roundabout and take the 6th exit onto West Street/A27.
Cornaway Lane Roundabout332 m
Exit the roundabout onto West Street/A27.
West Street768 m
Enter West Street Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A27.
West Street Roundabout44 m
Exit the roundabout onto A27.
A27287 m
Enter Castle Street Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto East Street/A27.
Castle Street Roundabout54 m
Exit the roundabout onto East Street/A27. Continue on A27.
A272.3 km
Keep right at the fork.
45 m
Turn right.
62 m
Turn left.
13 m
Turn right.
51 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Portsmouth · 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.
Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.
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 Spur Road Roundabout, Portsbridge Roundabout, Condor Avenue 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.
Castles Furniture
Start near Castles Furniture.
Sasse Hair & Beauty
Continue to Sasse Hair & Beauty.
Spur Road Roundabout
Continue to Spur Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Portsbridge Roundabout
Continue to Portsbridge Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Port Way
Continue to Port Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Cams Mill
Continue to Cams Mill.
Delme Arms
Continue to Delme Arms.
Condor Avenue Roundabout
Continue to Condor Avenue Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Cornaway Lane Roundabout
Continue to Cornaway Lane Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Seagull
Continue to Seagull.
M&S Simply Food
Continue to M&S Simply Food.
Ruby
Continue to Ruby.
Beau Chien
Continue to Beau Chien.
Castle Street Roundabout
Continue to Castle Street Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
West Street Roundabout
Continue to West Street Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Kwikfit
Continue to Kwikfit.
Solent Grill
Continue to Solent Grill.
Home Bargains
Continue to Home Bargains.
Subway
Finish back near Subway, completing the loop.
26 roundabouts · 8 turns
10 roundabouts · 18 turns
18 roundabouts · 35 turns
24 roundabouts · 16 turns
This route is 23.9 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.