Near Portsmouth test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 10 roundabouts and 18 turns across 37 navigation steps.
This is an independent 18.9 km practice loop near Portsmouth test centre, taking roughly 19 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 Port Way and Castle Street 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, churches, 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 37-step drive on real, named roads (about 19.7 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.
Southampton Road222 m
Take the M275 ramp on the right.
M275349 m
Keep left to stay on M275 towards Portsmouth/Ferries/Southsea and North End.
M2753.4 km
Keep left to take exit 2 onto M275 towards Cruise and Cross Channel Ferries/North End.
M275507 m
Exit the roundabout onto Twyford Avenue/A3.
Twyford Avenue721 m
Make a right U-turn at Twyford Avenue/A3 onto Stamshaw Road/A3.
Stamshaw Road153 m
Turn left onto London Avenue.
London Avenue116 m
Turn right onto Cardiff Road.
Cardiff Road264 m
Turn right onto Angerstein Road.
Angerstein Road64 m
Turn right onto Monmouth Road.
Monmouth Road266 m
Turn left onto London Avenue.
London Avenue64 m
Turn left onto Stamshaw Road/A3. Continue on A3.
A3648 m
Enter Rudmore Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto M275.
Rudmore Roundabout186 m
Exit the roundabout onto M275.
M2752.3 km
Keep left to stay on M275 towards Southampton/Fareham.
M2751.9 km
Turn left towards A27/Fareham/Portchester.
Southampton Road2.6 km
Enter Castle Street Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Castle Street.
Castle Street Roundabout12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Castle Street.
Castle Street611 m
Turn right onto White Hart Lane.
White Hart Lane595 m
Turn left onto Grove Avenue.
Grove Avenue208 m
Turn left onto Merton Crescent.
Merton Crescent109 m
Turn left onto Merton Avenue.
Merton Avenue219 m
Turn right onto White Hart Lane.
White Hart Lane497 m
Turn left to stay on White Hart Lane.
White Hart Lane619 m
Enter Castle Street Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto East Street/A27.
Castle Street Roundabout133 m
Exit the roundabout onto East Street/A27.
East Street2.1 km
Keep right to take Southampton Road/A27.
Southampton Road189 m
Keep right at the fork.
36 m
Turn right.
70 m
Turn left.
13 m
Turn right.
51 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Portsmouth · School-zone 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.
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 Castle Street 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.
Allan's Marine
Start near Allan's Marine.
Church of St John the Baptist
Continue to Church of St John the Baptist.
Mother Shipton
Continue to Mother Shipton.
Stamshaw Infant Academy
Continue to Stamshaw Infant Academy.
Portland Arms
Continue to Portland Arms.
R.D. News
Continue to R.D. News.
Admiral Drake
Continue to Admiral Drake.
Derby Tavern
Continue to Derby Tavern.
Port Way
Continue to Port Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Lidl
Continue to Lidl.
Solent Grill
Continue to Solent Grill.
Castle Street Roundabout
Continue to Castle Street Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Portchester Methodist Church
Continue to Portchester Methodist Church.
White Hart
Continue to White Hart.
Wink
Continue to Wink.
Red Lion
Continue to Red Lion.
Home Bargains
Finish back near Home Bargains, completing the loop.
26 roundabouts · 8 turns
25 roundabouts · 10 turns
18 roundabouts · 35 turns
24 roundabouts · 16 turns
This route is 18.9 km and takes about 19 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Portsmouth test centre, not an official DVSA route.