Near Southport test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 10 roundabouts and 13 turns across 26 navigation steps.
This is an independent 18.2 km practice loop near Southport test centre, taking roughly 24 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, pubs 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 Southport 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 26-step drive on real, named roads (about 18.2 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southwest.
46 m
Turn left.
50 m
Turn left onto Part Street.
Part Street78 m
Turn right onto A570/Eastbank Street.
A570281 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A570/Scarisbrick New Road.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto A570/Scarisbrick New Road.
A570546 m
Turn left onto Ash Street/A5267. Continue on A5267.
A52671.1 km
Turn left onto Hartwood Road/A5267.
Hartwood Road286 m
Turn right onto Roe Lane/A5267.
Roe Lane1.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Roe Lane/A5267.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Roe Lane/A5267.
Roe Lane1.4 km
Turn left onto Hartwood Road/A5267.
Hartwood Road286 m
Turn right onto St Luke's Road/A5267. Continue on A5267.
A52672.8 km
Turn left onto Liverpool Road/A5267.
Liverpool Road2.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A565/Liverpool Road.
16 m
Exit the roundabout onto A565/Liverpool Road.
A5651.4 km
Make a sharp left to stay on A565/Liverpool Road.
A5651.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A565/Waterloo Road.
26 m
Exit the roundabout onto A565/Waterloo Road. Continue on A565.
A5653.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A565/Lord Street.
18 m
Exit the roundabout onto A565/Lord Street.
A565493 m
Turn right onto A570/Eastbank Street.
A570455 m
Turn right onto Part Street.
Part Street78 m
Turn right.
50 m
Turn right.
46 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Southport · Dual-carriageway 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.
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.
Baptist Church
Start near Baptist Church.
St Philip and St Paul with Wesley
Continue to St Philip and St Paul with Wesley.
Paradise - Childrens Creative Play Centre
Continue to Paradise - Childrens Creative Play Centre.
Capelli
Continue to Capelli.
St Luke's Parish Church
Continue to St Luke's Parish Church.
Wallpaper John
Continue to Wallpaper John.
Community Church Centre
Continue to Community Church Centre.
Southport Community Church
Continue to Southport Community Church.
George
Continue to George.
Jenesis Hair Emporium
Continue to Jenesis Hair Emporium.
Crown
Continue to Crown.
Sacred Heart RC Church
Continue to Sacred Heart RC Church.
In Den Engel
Continue to In Den Engel.
Our Lady of Lourdes
Continue to Our Lady of Lourdes.
Hillside
Continue to Hillside.
St James
Continue to St James.
Lord St/Duke St (Stop AA)
Continue to Lord St/Duke St (Stop AA).
Lord St/Duke St (Stop AB)
Continue to Lord St/Duke St (Stop AB).
Old Ship
Continue to Old Ship.
MCL Group
Finish back near MCL Group, completing the loop.
18 roundabouts · 12 turns
14 roundabouts · 13 turns
8 roundabouts · 16 turns
12 roundabouts · 16 turns
This route is 18.2 km and takes about 24 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Southport test centre, not an official DVSA route.