Near Southampton Forest Hills test centre
Mostly steady roads with few demanding junctions, a gentle loop to build confidence.
This is an independent 10.6 km practice loop near Southampton Forest Hills test centre, taking roughly - 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 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and independent driving. 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 Southampton Forest Hills 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:
Road mix
The full 32-step drive on real, named roads (about 10.7 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west on Forest Hills Drive.
Forest Hills Drive499 m
Turn left onto Woodmill Lane.
Woodmill Lane87 m
Turn right onto Oaktree Road.
Oaktree Road763 m
Move left onto St Catherines Road.
St Catherines Road284 m
Turn right onto Bond Road.
Bond Road92 m
Turn left onto Manor Farm Road.
Manor Farm Road64 m
Move right onto The Triangle.
The Triangle54 m
Move right onto The Triangle/A3035. Continue on A3035.
A3035773 m
Turn right onto Thomas Lewis Way/A335.
Thomas Lewis Way451 m
Turn left to stay on Thomas Lewis Way.
Thomas Lewis Way59 m
Turn left onto Portswood Road.
Portswood Road16 m
Turn left.
13 m
Make a right U-turn.
13 m
Turn right onto Portswood Road.
Portswood Road390 m
Turn left onto Kitchener Road.
Kitchener Road395 m
Turn left onto Upper Shaftesbury Avenue.
Upper Shaftesbury Avenue279 m
Turn right onto Welbeck Avenue.
Welbeck Avenue60 m
Turn right.
14 m
Make a right U-turn.
14 m
Turn right onto Welbeck Avenue.
Welbeck Avenue276 m
Turn left onto Church Lane.
Church Lane333 m
Turn right onto Highfield Lane/A3035.
Highfield Lane84 m
Turn left onto Brookvale Road.
Brookvale Road409 m
Turn left to stay on Brookvale Road.
Brookvale Road82 m
Turn right onto Winn Road.
Winn Road611 m
Turn left onto The Avenue/A33.
The Avenue520 m
Turn left onto Lodge Road.
Lodge Road1.6 km
Turn right onto St Denys Road/A3035.
A3035822 m
Move left onto Manor Farm Road.
Manor Farm Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Woodmill Lane.
Woodmill Lane23 m
Turn left onto Forest Hills Drive.
Forest Hills Drive510 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Southampton Forest Hills · Route 14 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.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40 mph). Watch for repeater signs and adjust early, examiners mark you down for carrying the wrong speed into a new limit.
Residential streets
Narrow residential roads mean parked cars, pedestrians and reduced visibility. Cover the brake, keep your speed down and be ready to give way.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Albany Park Court
Start near Albany Park Court.
Ash Tree Road
Continue to Ash Tree Road.
Bentley Court
Continue to Bentley Court.
Bitterne Park Triangle
Continue to Bitterne Park Triangle.
Bond Road
Continue to Bond Road.
Bowden Lane
Continue to Bowden Lane.
Broadwater Road
Continue to Broadwater Road.
Cedar Road
Continue to Cedar Road.
Dimond Road
Continue to Dimond Road.
Hop Inn
Continue to Hop Inn.
Nursery Road
Continue to Nursery Road.
Priory Road
Continue to Priory Road.
River Walk
Continue to River Walk.
Sirdar Road
Continue to Sirdar Road.
Stag Gates
Continue to Stag Gates.
St Denys
Continue to St Denys.
St Denys Church
Continue to St Denys Church.
Tennyson Court
Continue to Tennyson Court.
Upper Shaftesbury Avenue
Continue to Upper Shaftesbury Avenue.
Wellington Road
Finish back near Wellington Road, completing the loop.
This route is 10.6 km and takes about - to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Southampton Forest Hills test centre, not an official DVSA route.