Near Salisbury test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 24 roundabouts and 21 turns across 48 navigation steps.
This is an independent 14.1 km practice loop near Salisbury test centre, taking roughly 16 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 College Roundabout, Exeter Street Roundabout and Portway. 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 schools, named junctions, parks and shops, 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 48-step drive on real, named roads (about 14.1 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 1st exit onto A36/Churchill Way East.
St Mark's Roundabout8 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.
A338465 m
Enter Exeter Street Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Exeter Street.
Exeter Street Roundabout81 m
Exit the roundabout onto Exeter Street.
Exeter Street167 m
Turn right onto Carmelite Way.
Carmelite Way115 m
Turn right.
77 m
Turn right.
21 m
Turn right.
17 m
Make a right U-turn.
17 m
Turn left.
21 m
Turn left.
77 m
Turn left onto Carmelite Way.
Carmelite Way115 m
Turn left onto Exeter Street.
Exeter Street162 m
Enter Exeter Street Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A338/Churchill Way South.
Exeter Street Roundabout8 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 2nd exit onto A36/Churchill Way North.
St Mark's Roundabout15 m
Exit the roundabout onto A36/Churchill Way North.
A36775 m
Enter Castle Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A345.
Castle Roundabout121 m
Exit the roundabout onto A345.
A3452.6 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.
Portway243 m
Turn left onto Sherbourne Drive.
Sherbourne Drive115 m
Turn left onto Ramsbury Drive.
Ramsbury Drive141 m
Turn left to stay on Ramsbury Drive.
Ramsbury Drive107 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Portway.
49 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.
A36773 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.
A36400 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 · 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.
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 Marys Hall of Residence
Start near 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.
St Osmund's Catholic Primary School, Salisbury
Continue to St Osmund's Catholic Primary School, Salisbury.
Exeter House School
Continue to Exeter House School.
Greencroft
Continue to Greencroft.
Chutneys
Continue to Chutneys.
Gentle Grooming and Pet Boutique
Continue to Gentle Grooming and Pet Boutique.
Popeye's
Continue to Popeye's.
premier
Continue to premier.
Tender Touch Pet Salon
Continue to Tender Touch Pet Salon.
Wickd Up Vape Store
Continue to Wickd Up Vape Store.
Wyndham Arms
Continue to Wyndham Arms.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
St Francis Church
Continue to St Francis Church.
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
Finish back near St Mark's Church, completing the loop.
30 roundabouts · 21 turns
20 roundabouts · 10 turns
17 roundabouts · 12 turns
18 roundabouts · 27 turns
This route is 14.1 km and takes about 16 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Salisbury test centre, not an official DVSA route.