Near Southall test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 14 roundabouts and 29 turns across 50 navigation steps.
This is an independent 24.3 km practice loop near Southall test centre, taking roughly 32 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, shops, stations and pubs, 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 50-step drive on real, named roads (about 24.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive south on Allenby Road.
Allenby Road77 m
Turn left onto Mornington Road.
Mornington Road558 m
Turn right onto Ruislip Road/B455. Continue on B455.
B455602 m
Turn left onto Greenford Road/A4127.
Greenford Road1.0 km
Enter Greenford Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Greenford Road/A4127.
Greenford Roundabout240 m
Exit the roundabout onto Greenford Road/A4127.
Greenford Road111 m
Turn left onto Cowgate Road.
Cowgate Road329 m
Turn left onto Penifather Lane.
Penifather Lane29 m
Turn left to stay on Penifather Lane.
Penifather Lane62 m
Turn right to stay on Penifather Lane.
Penifather Lane1 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Penifather Lane.
Penifather Lane1 m
Turn left to stay on Penifather Lane.
Penifather Lane62 m
Turn right to stay on Penifather Lane.
Penifather Lane29 m
Turn left onto Cowgate Road.
Cowgate Road30 m
Move left to stay on Cowgate Road.
Cowgate Road149 m
Turn left onto Hicks Avenue.
Hicks Avenue317 m
Turn left onto Leaver Gardens.
Leaver Gardens131 m
Turn left to take the ramp.
A4032 m
Enter Greenford Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A40/Western Avenue.
Greenford Roundabout225 m
Exit the roundabout onto A40/Western Avenue.
A402.5 km
Move left onto B456.
B4561.0 km
Turn left onto Ealing Road/A4005.
Ealing Road509 m
Turn right onto Ealing Road/A4089. Continue on A4089.
A4089411 m
Turn left onto St. James Gardens.
St. James Gardens81 m
Turn left to stay on St. James Gardens.
St. James Gardens168 m
Turn right to stay on St. James Gardens.
St. James Gardens133 m
Turn left to stay on St. James Gardens.
St. James Gardens81 m
Turn right onto Ealing Road/A4089. Continue on A4089.
A4089382 m
Turn left onto Ealing Road/A4005. Continue on A4005.
A4005931 m
Keep right to take Hanger Lane/A4005.
Hanger Lane101 m
Enter Hanger Lane Gyratory and take the 6th exit onto A40/Western Avenue.
Hanger Lane Gyratory344 m
Exit the roundabout onto A40.
A405.7 km
Take the Target Roundabout exit towards Heathrow Airport,Hayes,Southall,Yeading,A312.
A40345 m
Enter Target Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A312/Church Road.
Target Roundabout22 m
Exit the roundabout onto A312/Church Road.
A3121.1 km
Enter White Hart and take the 2nd exit onto A312/The Parkway.
White Hart65 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.
A312782 m
Take the Ossie Garvin Roundabout exit towards Ealing/Southall/Hillingdon/Hayes.
A312416 m
Enter Ossie Garvin Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Uxbridge Road/A4020.
Ossie Garvin Roundabout3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Uxbridge Road/A4020. Continue on A4020.
A40201.5 km
Turn right onto Beachcroft Avenue.
Beachcroft Avenue106 m
Turn left onto Orchard Avenue.
Orchard Avenue201 m
Turn left onto Herbert Road.
Herbert Road119 m
Turn right onto The Broadway/A4020.
The Broadway100 m
Turn left onto Lady Margaret Road.
Lady Margaret Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Somerset Road.
Somerset Road843 m
Turn left onto Allenby Road.
Allenby Road77 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Southall · 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around 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.
Greenford Methodist Church
Start near Greenford Methodist Church.
Kopernik
Continue to Kopernik.
Salvation Army - Greenford
Continue to Salvation Army - Greenford.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Saint John Fisher Catholic Church
Continue to Saint John Fisher Catholic Church.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
Adlink
Continue to Adlink.
Alperton
Continue to Alperton.
Church of God of Prophecy
Continue to Church of God of Prophecy.
Selekt Chicken
Continue to Selekt Chicken.
Fox and Goose
Continue to Fox and Goose.
Hanger Lane
Continue to Hanger Lane.
Myllet Arms
Continue to Myllet Arms.
Greenford Lagoons
Continue to Greenford Lagoons.
Jedi Robe
Continue to Jedi Robe.
JK Convenience Store
Continue to JK Convenience Store.
Springfield Road
Continue to Springfield Road.
Gurdwara Miri Piri Sahib
Continue to Gurdwara Miri Piri Sahib.
Abu Bakr Masjid
Continue to Abu Bakr Masjid.
Vishwa Hindu Kendra - Southall Hindu Temple
Finish back near Vishwa Hindu Kendra - Southall Hindu Temple, completing the loop.
36 roundabouts · 11 turns
18 roundabouts · 4 turns
12 roundabouts · 14 turns
12 roundabouts · 24 turns
This route is 24.3 km and takes about 32 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Southall test centre, not an official DVSA route.