Near Southall test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 18 roundabouts and 4 turns across 34 navigation steps.
This is an independent 22.9 km practice loop near Southall test centre, taking roughly 25 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 churches, schools, shops and parks, 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 Southall 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 34-step drive on real, named roads (about 23.9 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north on Allenby Road.
Allenby Road323 m
Keep left to stay on Allenby Road.
Allenby Road464 m
Turn left onto Ruislip Road/B455.
Ruislip Road64 m
Keep right to stay on Ruislip Road/B455.
Ruislip Road319 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Ruislip Road/B455.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ruislip Road/B455.
Ruislip Road1.4 km
Enter White Hart and take the 1st exit onto A312/The Parkway.
White Hart5 m
Exit the roundabout onto A312/The Parkway.
A3121.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A312/The Parkway.
64 m
Exit the roundabout onto A312/The Parkway.
A3123.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A312/The Parkway.
179 m
Exit the roundabout onto A312/The Parkway.
A3123.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A312/The Parkway.
56 m
Exit the roundabout onto A312/The Parkway.
A3121.1 km
Enter White Hart and take the 3rd exit onto A312/Church Road.
White Hart109 m
Exit the roundabout onto A312/Church Road.
A3121.1 km
Enter Target Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A40/Western Avenue.
Target Roundabout158 m
Exit the roundabout onto A40/Western Avenue.
A4047 m
Keep right to stay on A40/Western Avenue.
A40103 m
Keep right to stay on A40/Western Avenue.
A401.7 km
Take the exit.
A40251 m
Keep right to take A40/Western Avenue.
A40128 m
Enter Greenford Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Greenford Road/A4127.
Greenford Roundabout22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Greenford Road/A4127.
Greenford Road3.1 km
Make a sharp right onto Harrow Road/A4005/A4127. Continue on A4127.
A41271.2 km
Keep straight to take Greenford Road/A4127.
Greenford Road463 m
Keep straight to stay on Greenford Road/A4127.
Greenford Road567 m
Move left to stay on Greenford Road/A4127.
Greenford Road865 m
Enter Greenford Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Greenford Road/A4127.
Greenford Roundabout93 m
Exit the roundabout onto Greenford Road/A4127.
Greenford Road772 m
Keep right to stay on Greenford Road/A4127.
Greenford Road245 m
Turn right onto The Broadway/B455. Continue on B455.
B4551.2 km
Turn right onto Allenby Road.
Allenby Road75 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Southall · Dual-carriageway 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
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.
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.
Christ the Redeemer
Start near Christ the Redeemer.
Ravenor Primary School
Continue to Ravenor Primary School.
Happy Store
Continue to Happy Store.
Volvo Truck and Bus
Continue to Volvo Truck and Bus.
Hyderabadi Biryani
Continue to Hyderabadi Biryani.
Northolt Food Centre
Continue to Northolt Food Centre.
Jedi Robe
Continue to Jedi Robe.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Eskdale Open space
Continue to Eskdale Open space.
Dunelm
Continue to Dunelm.
GBS - Global Banking School
Continue to GBS - Global Banking School.
Horsenden House
Continue to Horsenden House.
Sudbury Hill
Continue to Sudbury Hill.
Tiffty's Tavern Irish Bar
Continue to Tiffty's Tavern Irish Bar.
Metro Food and Wine
Continue to Metro Food and Wine.
Sudbury Hill Hair Salon
Continue to Sudbury Hill Hair Salon.
Ryan's Bar
Continue to Ryan's Bar.
Salvation Army - Greenford
Continue to Salvation Army - Greenford.
Halal Meat Centre
Continue to Halal Meat Centre.
Greenford Methodist Church
Finish back near Greenford Methodist Church, completing the loop.
14 roundabouts · 29 turns
36 roundabouts · 11 turns
12 roundabouts · 14 turns
12 roundabouts · 24 turns
This route is 22.9 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Southall test centre, not an official DVSA route.