Near Southampton Forest Hills test centre
Mostly steady roads with few demanding junctions, a gentle loop to build confidence.
This is an independent 12.9 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 multiple roundabouts, national-speed roads, 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 30-step drive on real, named roads (about 13.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive east on Forest Hills Drive.
Forest Hills Drive858 m
Turn right onto Wakefield Road.
Wakefield Road127 m
Turn right onto Cornwall Road.
Cornwall Road541 m
Turn right onto Woodmill Lane.
Woodmill Lane639 m
Turn left 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 right onto Portswood Road.
Portswood Road135 m
Turn left onto Bowden Lane.
Bowden Lane746 m
Move right onto University Road.
University Road666 m
Turn left onto Burgess Road/A35.
Burgess Road745 m
Turn right onto Bassett Avenue/A33.
Bassett Avenue533 m
Enter Memorial Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Bassett Avenue/A33.
Memorial Roundabout27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bassett Avenue/A33.
Bassett Avenue1.3 km
Enter Chilworth Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bassett Green Road/A27.
Chilworth Roundabout86 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bassett Green Road/A27.
Bassett Green Road2.0 km
Turn right onto Stoneham Lane/A35.
Stoneham Lane374 m
Turn right onto High Road/A35.
High Road83 m
Move left to stay on High Road.
High Road261 m
Turn left.
32 m
Make a right U-turn.
32 m
Turn left onto High Road.
High Road42 m
Turn left onto Woodmill Lane.
Woodmill Lane791 m
Turn left onto Forest Hills Drive.
Forest Hills Drive467 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Southampton Forest Hills · Route 8 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.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 60 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.
Ash Tree Road
Start near Ash Tree Road.
Bassett Crescent
Continue to Bassett Crescent.
Bassett Crossroads
Continue to Bassett Crossroads.
Bitterne Park Triangle
Continue to Bitterne Park Triangle.
Boldrewood Campus
Continue to Boldrewood Campus.
Broadwater Road
Continue to Broadwater Road.
Community Centre
Continue to Community Centre.
Cornwall Road
Continue to Cornwall Road.
Crematorium
Continue to Crematorium.
Dimond Road
Continue to Dimond Road.
Glen Eyre Road
Continue to Glen Eyre Road.
Glenwood Avenue
Continue to Glenwood Avenue.
Jubilee Sports Hall
Continue to Jubilee Sports Hall.
Market Buildings
Continue to Market Buildings.
Northfield Road
Continue to Northfield Road.
Nursery Road
Continue to Nursery Road.
Pinefield Road
Continue to Pinefield Road.
St Denys Church
Continue to St Denys Church.
Swaythling McDonald's
Continue to Swaythling McDonald's.
Wellington Road
Finish back near Wellington Road, completing the loop.
This route is 12.9 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.