Near Southall test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 36 roundabouts and 11 turns across 54 navigation steps.
This is an independent 23.2 km practice loop near Southall test centre, taking roughly 35 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 Whitton Avenue West and Wood End Lane. 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 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, parks and 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 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 54-step drive on real, named roads (about 23.3 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 1st exit onto Western Avenue/A40.
Greenford Roundabout23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Western Avenue/A40.
Western Avenue119 m
Stay straight to take the A40 ramp.
A401.8 km
Take the Target Roundabout exit towards Heathrow Airport,Hayes,Southall,Yeading,A312.
A40345 m
Enter Target Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A312.
Target Roundabout184 m
Exit the roundabout onto A312.
A312583 m
Turn left onto Eastcote Lane.
Eastcote Lane451 m
Turn left onto Islip Manor Road.
Islip Manor Road646 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A40/Western Avenue.
6 m
Exit the roundabout onto A40/Western Avenue.
A40398 m
Enter Target Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A312.
Target Roundabout20 m
Exit the roundabout onto A312.
A3121.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Whitton Avenue West/A4090.
92 m
Exit the roundabout onto Whitton Avenue West/A4090.
Whitton Avenue West303 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Whitton Avenue West/A4090.
65 m
Exit the roundabout onto Whitton Avenue West/A4090.
Whitton Avenue West346 m
Turn right onto Oldfields Circus.
Oldfields Circus90 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Oldfields Circus.
116 m
Exit the roundabout onto Oldfields Circus.
Oldfields Circus90 m
Turn left onto Whitton Avenue West/A4090.
Whitton Avenue West347 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Wood End Lane.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wood End Lane.
Wood End Lane400 m
Turn left onto Mandeville Road/A312. Continue on A312.
A3121.5 km
Enter Target Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A312/Church Road.
Target Roundabout102 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.
A40201.8 km
Turn right onto South Road/A3005.
South Road720 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Merrick Road/A3005.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merrick Road/A3005.
Merrick Road207 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Merrick Road/A3005.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merrick Road/A3005.
Merrick Road137 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Merrick Road/A3005.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merrick Road/A3005.
Merrick Road645 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Merrick Road/A3005.
85 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merrick Road/A3005.
Merrick Road646 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Merrick Road/A3005.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merrick Road/A3005.
Merrick Road137 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Merrick Road/A3005.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto Merrick Road/A3005.
Merrick Road210 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto South Road/A3005.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto South Road/A3005.
South Road1.8 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 · Roundabout 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.
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.
Smoke & Watch
Continue to Smoke & Watch.
Salvation Army - Greenford
Continue to Salvation Army - Greenford.
Greenford Lagoons
Continue to Greenford Lagoons.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Northolt Methodist Church
Continue to Northolt Methodist Church.
St Bernard's Catholic church
Continue to St Bernard's Catholic church.
Islip Manor Road
Continue to Islip Manor Road.
Northolt
Continue to Northolt.
Wood End Lane
Continue to Wood End Lane.
Whitton Avenue West
Continue to Whitton Avenue West, taking the junction with good observation.
Office
Continue to Office.
Greenwood Hotel
Continue to Greenwood Hotel.
Wood End Lane
Continue to Wood End Lane, taking the junction with good observation.
Springfield Road
Continue to Springfield Road.
Gurdwara Miri Piri Sahib
Continue to Gurdwara Miri Piri Sahib.
Abu Bakr Masjid
Continue to Abu Bakr Masjid.
Three Horseshoes
Continue to Three Horseshoes.
Southall
Continue to Southall.
Vishwa Hindu Kendra - Southall Hindu Temple
Finish back near Vishwa Hindu Kendra - Southall Hindu Temple, completing the loop.
14 roundabouts · 29 turns
18 roundabouts · 4 turns
12 roundabouts · 14 turns
12 roundabouts · 24 turns
This route is 23.2 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Southall test centre, not an official DVSA route.