Near Preston test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 10 roundabouts and 33 turns across 53 navigation steps.
This is an independent 20.5 km practice loop near Preston test centre, taking roughly 26 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 Oaks Wood and Broad Oak. 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 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, stations and named junctions, 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 Preston 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 53-step drive on real, named roads (about 20.6 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northeast on Chain Caul Road.
Chain Caul Road143 m
Turn right onto Chain Caul Way.
Chain Caul Way438 m
Turn right to stay on Chain Caul Way.
Chain Caul Way104 m
Turn left onto Navigation Way.
Navigation Way77 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Pedders Way.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pedders Way.
Pedders Way72 m
Move right to stay on Pedders Way.
Pedders Way736 m
Turn right onto A5085/Blackpool Road.
A5085894 m
Turn right onto Stocks Road.
Stocks Road324 m
Turn right onto Alert Street.
Alert Street30 m
Turn right.
36 m
Turn right onto Lowther Street.
Lowther Street24 m
Turn left onto Stocks Road.
Stocks Road128 m
Turn left onto Roebuck Street.
Roebuck Street73 m
Turn right onto Tulketh Brow.
Tulketh Brow185 m
Turn left onto A5085/Blackpool Road.
A50852.1 km
Turn left onto Greaves Town Lane.
Greaves Town Lane274 m
Move left onto Larches Lane.
Larches Lane20 m
Turn left to stay on Larches Lane.
Larches Lane58 m
Turn left to stay on Larches Lane.
Larches Lane493 m
Turn right onto Staining Avenue.
Staining Avenue324 m
Move right onto Whinfield Lane.
Whinfield Lane509 m
Turn right onto Pedders Lane.
Pedders Lane93 m
Turn left onto A583/Watery Lane.
A5831.2 km
Turn right onto A5072/West Strand. Continue on A5072.
A5072660 m
Turn right onto A59/Guild Way.
A591.1 km
Enter Oaks Wood and take the 2nd exit onto A59/Golden Way.
Oaks Wood40 m
Exit the roundabout onto A59/Golden Way.
A591.8 km
Enter Broad Oak and take the 3rd exit onto A59/John Horrocks Way.
Broad Oak92 m
Exit the roundabout onto A59/John Horrocks Way.
A591.3 km
Turn right onto Liverpool Road.
Liverpool Road685 m
Turn right onto Parklands Avenue.
Parklands Avenue230 m
Turn left onto Whitefield Road.
Whitefield Road90 m
Turn right onto Oaklands Drive.
Oaklands Drive67 m
Turn left to stay on Oaklands Drive.
Oaklands Drive188 m
Turn right onto Beechway.
Beechway374 m
Turn left onto Broad Oak Lane.
Broad Oak Lane42 m
Turn right to stay on Broad Oak Lane.
Broad Oak Lane219 m
Turn right onto Cop Lane.
Cop Lane272 m
Turn left to take the A59 ramp.
A591.3 km
Enter Oaks Wood and take the 1st exit onto A59/Guild Way.
Oaks Wood4 m
Exit the roundabout onto A59/Guild Way.
A59950 m
Take the exit.
Junction Road31 m
Keep right to stay on Junction Road.
Junction Road157 m
Move left onto A5072/West Strand.
A5072578 m
Move left onto A583/Watery Lane.
A5831.1 km
Turn left onto Pedders Way.
Pedders Way186 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Navigation Way.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Navigation Way.
Navigation Way78 m
Turn right onto Chain Caul Way.
Chain Caul Way104 m
Turn left to stay on Chain Caul Way.
Chain Caul Way438 m
Turn left onto Chain Caul Road.
Chain Caul Road143 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Preston · 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
One Stop
Start near One Stop.
Wyndsors World of Shoes
Continue to Wyndsors World of Shoes.
Lane Ends Hotel
Continue to Lane Ends Hotel.
Tap End
Continue to Tap End.
Ladbrokes
Continue to Ladbrokes.
Preston Skin and Laser Clinic
Continue to Preston Skin and Laser Clinic.
B & J Newsagent
Continue to B & J Newsagent.
Betfred
Continue to Betfred.
Co-operative Funeral Care
Continue to Co-operative Funeral Care.
Ashton News
Continue to Ashton News.
Lea News
Continue to Lea News.
Larches Lane Store
Continue to Larches Lane Store.
Grand Junction
Continue to Grand Junction.
Oaks Wood
Continue to Oaks Wood, taking the junction with good observation.
Brown Hare
Continue to Brown Hare.
Broad Oak
Continue to Broad Oak, taking the junction with good observation.
FAB Home Interiors
Continue to FAB Home Interiors.
Porsche Centre Preston
Continue to Porsche Centre Preston.
Halfords Autocentre
Continue to Halfords Autocentre.
Green Frog
Finish back near Green Frog, completing the loop.
55 roundabouts · 10 turns
6 roundabouts · 14 turns
10 roundabouts · 31 turns
8 roundabouts · 10 turns
This route is 20.5 km and takes about 26 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Preston test centre, not an official DVSA route.