Near Salisbury test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 30 roundabouts and 21 turns across 61 navigation steps.
This is an independent 16.0 km practice loop near Salisbury 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 Portway, College Roundabout and Exeter 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 churches, shops, named junctions 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 Salisbury 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 61-step drive on real, named roads (about 16.3 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north on Rougemont Close.
Rougemont Close37 m
Turn right to stay on Rougemont Close.
Rougemont Close54 m
Turn left onto Manor Road.
Manor Road243 m
Turn left onto Wain-a-long Road.
Wain-a-long Road76 m
Turn left to stay on Wain-a-long Road.
Wain-a-long Road20 m
Enter St Mark's Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A36/Churchill Way North.
St Mark's Roundabout60 m
Exit the roundabout onto A36/Churchill Way North.
A36775 m
Enter Castle Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Castle Street.
Castle Roundabout28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Castle Street.
Castle Street37 m
Turn right onto Nelson Road.
Nelson Road121 m
Make a right U-turn onto Scamell's Road.
Scamell's Road121 m
Turn left onto Castle Street.
Castle Street34 m
Enter Castle Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A345.
Castle Roundabout56 m
Exit the roundabout onto A345.
A345104 m
Keep right to take Castle Road/A345.
Castle Road2.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Portway.
97 m
Exit the roundabout onto Portway.
Portway430 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Portway.
22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Portway.
Portway253 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Portway.
Portway132 m
Keep right to stay on Portway.
Portway127 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Portway.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Portway.
Portway439 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A345.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto A345.
A3452.6 km
Turn left onto A36/Churchill Way North.
A36772 m
Enter St Mark's Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A36/Churchill Way East.
St Mark's Roundabout97 m
Exit the roundabout onto A36/Churchill Way East.
A361.2 km
Enter College Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A338/Churchill Way South.
College Roundabout41 m
Exit the roundabout onto A338/Churchill Way South.
A338464 m
Enter Exeter Street Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A338/New Bridge Road.
Exeter Street Roundabout5 m
Exit the roundabout onto A338/New Bridge Road. Continue on New Bridge Road.
New Bridge Road368 m
Enter Harnham Junction and take the 1st exit onto A338/Downton Road.
Harnham Junction31 m
Exit the roundabout onto A338/Downton Road.
A33844 m
Keep left to stay on A338/Downton Road.
A338358 m
Keep left to stay on A338/Downton Road.
A338105 m
Turn right onto Rowbarrow.
Rowbarrow125 m
Turn right onto Ancient Way.
Ancient Way46 m
Turn left to stay on Ancient Way.
Ancient Way41 m
Turn left onto Longhill Drive.
Longhill Drive20 m
Turn right onto Millennium Close.
Millennium Close70 m
Turn right to stay on Millennium Close.
Millennium Close112 m
Turn left onto Viking Way.
Viking Way60 m
Turn left onto Rowbarrow.
Rowbarrow327 m
Turn left onto A338/Downton Road.
A33883 m
Keep right to stay on A338/Downton Road.
A338360 m
Turn right to stay on A338.
A33865 m
Enter Harnham Junction and take the 2nd exit onto New Bridge Road.
Harnham Junction64 m
Exit the roundabout onto New Bridge Road.
New Bridge Road372 m
Enter Exeter Street Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A338/Churchill Way South.
Exeter Street Roundabout78 m
Exit the roundabout onto A338/Churchill Way South.
A338452 m
Enter College Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A36/Churchill Way East.
College Roundabout41 m
Exit the roundabout onto A36/Churchill Way East.
A361.2 km
Enter St Mark's Roundabout and take the 6th exit onto A36/Churchill Way East.
St Mark's Roundabout146 m
Exit the roundabout onto A36/Churchill Way East.
A36399 m
Move left.
65 m
Turn left onto Kelsey Road.
Kelsey Road145 m
Turn left onto Manor Road.
Manor Road119 m
Turn left onto Rougemont Close.
Rougemont Close54 m
Turn left to stay on Rougemont Close.
Rougemont Close37 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Salisbury · Residential + A-road 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.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
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 College Roundabout, Exeter 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.
St Francis Church
Start near St Francis Church.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
Secret Spitfire Memorial
Continue to Secret Spitfire Memorial.
Mudge Mapping Monument
Continue to Mudge Mapping Monument.
Portway
Continue to Portway, taking the junction with good observation.
Wessex Medical Ltd
Continue to Wessex Medical Ltd.
St Mark's Church
Continue to St Mark's Church.
St Marys Hall of Residence
Continue to St Marys Hall of Residence.
College Roundabout
Continue to College Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Exeter Street Roundabout
Continue to Exeter Street Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
M&S Simply Food
Continue to M&S Simply Food.
Nisa Local
Continue to Nisa Local.
Greencroft
Continue to Greencroft.
Popeye's
Continue to Popeye's.
premier
Continue to premier.
Wyndham Arms
Continue to Wyndham Arms.
Gentle Grooming and Pet Boutique
Continue to Gentle Grooming and Pet Boutique.
Park Street Garage
Continue to Park Street Garage.
Tender Touch Pet Salon
Continue to Tender Touch Pet Salon.
Wickd Up Vape Store
Finish back near Wickd Up Vape Store, completing the loop.
20 roundabouts · 10 turns
24 roundabouts · 21 turns
17 roundabouts · 12 turns
18 roundabouts · 27 turns
This route is 16.0 km and takes about 19 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Salisbury test centre, not an official DVSA route.