Near Reading test centre
Mostly steady roads with few demanding junctions, a gentle loop to build confidence.
This is an independent 9.8 km practice loop near Reading test centre, taking roughly - 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.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads 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, parks 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 Reading 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:
Road mix
The full 52-step drive on real, named roads (about 11.7 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive south on Elgar Road South.
Elgar Road South269 m
Keep left to stay on Elgar Road South.
Elgar Road South99 m
Keep left to stay on Elgar Road South.
Elgar Road South195 m
Turn right onto Basingstoke Road/B3031.
Basingstoke Road264 m
Keep left to stay on Basingstoke Road/B3031.
Basingstoke Road23 m
Turn left onto Long Barn Lane.
Long Barn Lane48 m
Turn left onto Canterbury Road.
Canterbury Road263 m
Turn right to stay on Canterbury Road.
Canterbury Road159 m
Turn left to stay on Canterbury Road.
Canterbury Road129 m
Turn left onto Long Barn Lane.
Long Barn Lane449 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Northumberland Avenue.
57 m
Exit the roundabout onto Northumberland Avenue.
Northumberland Avenue303 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Northumberland Avenue.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto Northumberland Avenue.
Northumberland Avenue651 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Hartland Road.
58 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hartland Road.
Hartland Road267 m
Turn left onto Blandford Road.
Blandford Road82 m
Turn right onto Ambrook Road.
Ambrook Road143 m
Turn left to stay on Ambrook Road.
Ambrook Road421 m
Turn right onto Thornbridge Road.
Thornbridge Road63 m
Turn left onto Meadowcroft Road.
Meadowcroft Road178 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Blandford Road.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Blandford Road.
Blandford Road222 m
Turn left onto Ambrook Road.
Ambrook Road73 m
Turn left to stay on Ambrook Road.
Ambrook Road277 m
Turn left onto Thornbridge Road.
Thornbridge Road63 m
Turn left onto Meadowcroft Road.
Meadowcroft Road178 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Blandford Road.
81 m
Exit the roundabout onto Blandford Road.
Blandford Road480 m
Turn right onto Whitley Wood Road.
Whitley Wood Road136 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Whitley Wood Lane.
111 m
Exit the roundabout onto Whitley Wood Lane.
Whitley Wood Lane531 m
Turn right onto B3270.
B3270317 m
Keep left to stay on B3270.
B3270195 m
Keep right to stay on B3270 towards Reading/GreenPark/Madejski Stadium.
B3270108 m
Enter Three Mile Cross Interchange and take the 4th exit onto A33/Basingstoke Road.
Three Mile Cross Interchange624 m
Exit the roundabout onto A33/Basingstoke Road.
A33301 m
Move right onto Basingstoke Road/B3031.
Basingstoke Road71 m
Keep left to take Basingstoke Road/B3031.
Basingstoke Road537 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Basingstoke Road/B3031.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Basingstoke Road/B3031.
Basingstoke Road575 m
Keep right to stay on Basingstoke Road/B3031.
Basingstoke Road741 m
Keep right to stay on Basingstoke Road/B3031.
Basingstoke Road120 m
Keep right to stay on Basingstoke Road/B3031.
Basingstoke Road186 m
Move left to stay on Basingstoke Road.
Basingstoke Road77 m
Move left onto Rose Kiln Lane.
Rose Kiln Lane173 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Rose Kiln Lane.
75 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rose Kiln Lane.
Rose Kiln Lane195 m
Turn left onto Basingstoke Road/B3031.
Basingstoke Road351 m
Move left onto Elgar Road South.
Elgar Road South335 m
Keep left to stay on Elgar Road South.
Elgar Road South316 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Reading · Route 6 · variant 2 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 0.9 km of this loop is dual carriageway. Build your speed on the slip road, take an effective rearward observation, and merge without forcing other traffic to brake.
Residential streets
Narrow residential roads mean parked cars, pedestrians and reduced visibility. Cover the brake, keep your speed down and be ready to give way.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Alper Kebab
Start near Alper Kebab.
Basingstoke Store
Continue to Basingstoke Store.
Belle Hair
Continue to Belle Hair.
Choi Hung
Continue to Choi Hung.
Choi Hung Fish and Chips
Continue to Choi Hung Fish and Chips.
Chubby's
Continue to Chubby's.
Cotswold Outdoor
Continue to Cotswold Outdoor.
Crystal Hair Design
Continue to Crystal Hair Design.
Electric Centre
Continue to Electric Centre.
Halfords Autocentre
Continue to Halfords Autocentre.
Harmony Nails
Continue to Harmony Nails.
Launderette & Dry Cleaners
Continue to Launderette & Dry Cleaners.
Long Barn Lane Recreation Ground
Continue to Long Barn Lane Recreation Ground.
Signarama
Continue to Signarama.
Signs Express
Continue to Signs Express.
St Agnes
Continue to St Agnes.
Think Ford
Continue to Think Ford.
Top Cut
Continue to Top Cut.
Turkish Mangal
Continue to Turkish Mangal.
Vape360
Finish back near Vape360, completing the loop.
This route is 9.8 km and takes about - to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Reading test centre, not an official DVSA route.