Skip to content
Practice route
ModerateLoop

Sidcup · Roundabout practice loop

Near Sidcup test centre

31.0 km
Distance
28 min
Duration
Moderate
Difficulty
53
Manoeuvres
Difficulty: Demanding

Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 30 roundabouts and 12 turns across 49 navigation steps.

How this route is examined

This is an independent 31.0 km practice loop near Sidcup test centre, taking roughly 28 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.

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 stations, 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 Sidcup 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.

Manoeuvre breakdown

What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.

12
Left turns
0
Right turns
30
Roundabouts
0
Traffic lights
49
Total steps

Skills & features

20
Landmarks

This route helps you practise:

  • Independent driving
  • Sustained concentration

Turn-by-turn directions

The full 49-step drive on real, named roads (about 31.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.

  1. Depart:

    Drive southwest.

    10 m

  2. Turn right:

    Turn right.

    21 m

  3. Turn left:

    Turn left.

    55 m

  4. Turn left:

    Turn left.

    290 m

  5. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Maidstone Road/A211.

    Maidstone Road365 m

  6. Roundabout:

    Enter Ruxley Corner and take the 1st exit onto North Cray Road/A223.

    Ruxley Corner6 m

  7. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto North Cray Road/A223.

    North Cray Road2.8 km

  8. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A223.

    23 m

  9. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A223.

    A223603 m

  10. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Bexley High Street/A223.

    Bexley High Street287 m

  11. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Bourne Road/A222. Continue on Bourne Road.

    Bourne Road447 m

  12. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bourne Road/A223.

    60 m

  13. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Bourne Road/A223.

    Bourne Road391 m

  14. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Gravel Hill/A220.

    39 m

  15. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Gravel Hill/A220.

    Gravel Hill801 m

  16. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Albion Road/A207.

    7 m

  17. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Albion Road/A207.

    Albion Road217 m

  18. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Albion Road/A207.

    16 m

  19. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Albion Road/A207.

    Albion Road351 m

  20. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Albion Road/A207.

    21 m

  21. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Albion Road/A207.

    Albion Road380 m

  22. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Albion Road/A207.

    29 m

  23. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Albion Road/A207.

    Albion Road65 m

  24. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Broadway/A207. Continue on A207.

    A2071.1 km

  25. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Danson Road/A221.

    Danson Road1.1 km

  26. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Lodge Lane.

    143 m

  27. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Lodge Lane.

    Lodge Lane140 m

  28. Take exit:

    Take the A2 exit.

    A28.2 km

  29. Take exit:

    Take the Darenth exit onto M25 towards Dartford Crossing/Dover.

    479 m

  30. Roundabout:

    Enter Darenth Interchange and take the 4th exit onto M25.

    Darenth Interchange420 m

  31. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto M25.

    M254.7 km

  32. Take exit:

    Take exit 3 onto A20 towards London (SE)/Swanley.

    M25400 m

  33. Roundabout:

    Enter Swanley Interchange and take the 5th exit onto London Road/B2173.

    Swanley Interchange410 m

  34. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto London Road/B2173. Continue on B2173.

    B21731.4 km

  35. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto High Street/B258.

    20 m

  36. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto High Street/B258.

    High Street166 m

  37. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Swanley Lane/B258.

    35 m

  38. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Swanley Lane/B258.

    Swanley Lane83 m

  39. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Bartholomew Way/B2173.

    5 m

  40. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Bartholomew Way/B2173.

    Bartholomew Way411 m

  41. Roundabout:

    Enter London Road and take the 3rd exit onto London Road/B2173.

    London Road28 m

  42. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto London Road/B2173. Continue on B2173.

    B21733.8 km

  43. Roundabout:

    Enter Ruxley Corner and take the 3rd exit onto Maidstone Road/A211.

    Ruxley Corner77 m

  44. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Maidstone Road/A211.

    Maidstone Road383 m

  45. Turn right:

    Turn right.

    289 m

  46. Turn right:

    Turn right.

    55 m

  47. Turn right:

    Turn right.

    21 m

  48. Turn left:

    Turn left.

    10 m

  49. Arrive:

    You have arrived at your destination.

Directions for the Sidcup · Roundabout practice loop loop. Always drive to the road and conditions you see, not the list — signs, signals and other traffic take priority.

Local roads & landmarks

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.

Stations

Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.

  • Ruxley Corner
  • Ellenborough Road
  • Parsonage Lane / North Cray Church
  • Bunkers Hill / The White Cross
  • Mount Mascal Farm

Watch out for

  • 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.

Drive it: landmark by landmark

Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.

  1. Ruxley Corner

    Start near Ruxley Corner.

  2. Ellenborough Road

    Continue to Ellenborough Road.

  3. Parsonage Lane / North Cray Church

    Continue to Parsonage Lane / North Cray Church.

  4. Bunkers Hill / The White Cross

    Continue to Bunkers Hill / The White Cross.

  5. Mount Mascal Farm

    Continue to Mount Mascal Farm.

  6. North Cray Road / Vicarage Road

    Continue to North Cray Road / Vicarage Road.

  7. Bexley Library

    Continue to Bexley Library.

  8. Gravel Hill Close

    Continue to Gravel Hill Close.

  9. Broomfield Road

    Continue to Broomfield Road.

  10. Upton Road

    Continue to Upton Road.

  11. Crook Log / Dallin Road

    Continue to Crook Log / Dallin Road.

  12. Garden Centre

    Continue to Garden Centre.

  13. Wested Lane

    Continue to Wested Lane.

  14. Rogers Court

    Continue to Rogers Court.

  15. High Street / Goldsel Road

    Continue to High Street / Goldsel Road.

  16. Bartholomew Way

    Continue to Bartholomew Way.

  17. Lesley Close

    Continue to Lesley Close.

  18. Walnut Way

    Continue to Walnut Way.

  19. Birchwood Corner

    Continue to Birchwood Corner.

  20. Hillside Nursery

    Finish back near Hillside Nursery, completing the loop.

More routes at Sidcup test centre

Route FAQs

This route is 31.0 km and takes about 28 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Sidcup test centre, not an official DVSA route.