Near Southall test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 12 roundabouts and 24 turns across 46 navigation steps.
This is an independent 15.1 km practice loop near Southall test centre, taking roughly 23 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, pubs, schools 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 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 46-step drive on real, named roads (about 15.1 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northwest on Allenby Road.
Allenby Road785 m
Turn left onto Ruislip Road/B455.
Ruislip Road384 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Ruislip Road/B455.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ruislip Road/B455.
Ruislip Road494 m
Turn left onto Broadmead Road.
Broadmead Road746 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Glencoe Road.
58 m
Exit the roundabout onto Glencoe Road.
Glencoe Road492 m
Turn left onto Stipularis Drive.
Stipularis Drive123 m
Turn right to stay on Stipularis Drive.
Stipularis Drive25 m
Move right.
4 m
Turn right.
28 m
Make a right U-turn.
28 m
Turn left.
4 m
Move left onto Stipularis Drive.
Stipularis Drive25 m
Turn left to stay on Stipularis Drive.
Stipularis Drive123 m
Turn left onto Glencoe Road.
Glencoe Road251 m
Turn left onto Willow Tree Lane.
Willow Tree Lane76 m
Turn right to stay on Willow Tree Lane.
Willow Tree Lane16 m
Turn right to stay on Willow Tree Lane.
Willow Tree Lane128 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A312/The Parkway.
115 m
Exit the roundabout onto A312/The Parkway.
A3121.1 km
Enter White Hart and take the 3rd exit onto A312/Church Road.
White Hart110 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.
A40151 m
Keep right to take A40.
A403.0 km
Take the Perivale exit.
A40321 m
Turn left onto B452.
B4529 m
Make a sharp left onto Welland Gardens.
Welland Gardens317 m
Turn left onto Conway Crescent.
Conway Crescent489 m
Turn right.
38 m
Turn right.
15 m
Make a right U-turn.
15 m
Turn left.
38 m
Turn left onto Conway Crescent.
Conway Crescent489 m
Turn right onto Medway Parade.
Medway Parade263 m
Take the exit on the right.
A4032 m
Turn right onto B452.
B45238 m
Turn right to take the A40 ramp.
A40847 m
Take the exit.
A40324 m
Enter Greenford Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Greenford Road/A4127.
Greenford Roundabout13 m
Exit the roundabout onto Greenford Road/A4127.
Greenford Road1.0 km
Turn right onto The Broadway/B455. Continue on B455.
B455601 m
Turn left onto Mornington Road.
Mornington Road558 m
Turn right onto Allenby Road.
Allenby Road77 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Southall · 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.
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.
Hare and Hounds
Continue to Hare and Hounds.
Ravenor Primary School
Continue to Ravenor Primary School.
Season Secrets
Continue to Season Secrets.
Willows School
Continue to Willows School.
Burger King
Continue to Burger King.
Kopernik
Continue to Kopernik.
Ladbrokes
Continue to Ladbrokes.
JK Convenience Store
Continue to JK Convenience Store.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Northolt Library
Continue to Northolt Library.
Jedi Robe
Continue to Jedi Robe.
Eskdale Open space
Continue to Eskdale Open space.
Dunelm
Continue to Dunelm.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Prestige Bathrooms
Continue to Prestige Bathrooms.
Shurgard Self-Storage
Continue to Shurgard Self-Storage.
Salvation Army - Greenford
Continue to Salvation Army - Greenford.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Greenford Methodist Church
Finish back near Greenford Methodist Church, completing the loop.
14 roundabouts · 29 turns
36 roundabouts · 11 turns
18 roundabouts · 4 turns
12 roundabouts · 14 turns
This route is 15.1 km and takes about 23 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Southall test centre, not an official DVSA route.