Near Southport test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 12 roundabouts and 16 turns across 31 navigation steps.
This is an independent 10.5 km practice loop near Southport test centre, taking roughly 15 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 Kew Roundabout. 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 roundabout approach & exit 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 shops, churches, pubs and named junctions, 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 31-step drive on real, named roads (about 10.5 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.
A5702.2 km
Enter Kew Roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Town Lane Kew.
Kew Roundabout167 m
Exit the roundabout onto Town Lane Kew.
Town Lane Kew147 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Town Lane Kew.
89 m
Exit the roundabout onto Town Lane Kew.
Town Lane Kew158 m
Enter Kew Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Meols Cop Road/B5276.
Kew Roundabout35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Meols Cop Road/B5276. Continue on B5276.
B52762.2 km
Turn right onto Roe Lane/A5267.
Roe Lane335 m
Turn left onto Hesketh Drive.
Hesketh Drive815 m
Turn left onto A565/Cambridge Road.
A565468 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A565/Park Crescent.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto A565/Park Crescent. Continue on A565.
A5651.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A565/Lord Street.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto A565/Lord Street.
A565309 m
Turn right onto Bold Street.
Bold Street199 m
Turn left onto Back Bath Street.
Back Bath Street188 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Back Bath Street.
Back Bath Street109 m
Turn right onto Victoria Street.
Victoria Street57 m
Turn right onto Bath Street.
Bath Street149 m
Turn left onto Nevill Street.
Nevill Street141 m
Turn right onto A565/Lord Street.
A565247 m
Turn left 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 · Residential 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.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Kew Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Molly's
Start near Molly's.
Baptist Church
Continue to Baptist Church.
St Philip and St Paul with Wesley
Continue to St Philip and St Paul with Wesley.
Hartley Hospital
Continue to Hartley Hospital.
Richmond
Continue to Richmond.
Kew Roundabout
Continue to Kew Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Johnsons Toyota (Southport)
Continue to Johnsons Toyota (Southport).
Southport timber Centre
Continue to Southport timber Centre.
Thatch And Thistle
Continue to Thatch And Thistle.
Meols Cop
Continue to Meols Cop.
Beauty One 2 One
Continue to Beauty One 2 One.
Rose Garden
Continue to Rose Garden.
Imperial
Continue to Imperial.
LORD ST/LEICESTER ST/STOP GA
Continue to LORD ST/LEICESTER ST/STOP GA.
LORD ST/UNION ST/STOP GB
Continue to LORD ST/UNION ST/STOP GB.
Corridor
Continue to Corridor.
Sandgrounder Ice Cream Shop
Continue to Sandgrounder Ice Cream Shop.
Fox and Goose
Continue to Fox and Goose.
Wine Cellar
Continue to Wine Cellar.
Wellington
Finish back near Wellington, completing the loop.
18 roundabouts · 12 turns
10 roundabouts · 13 turns
14 roundabouts · 13 turns
8 roundabouts · 16 turns
This route is 10.5 km and takes about 15 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Southport test centre, not an official DVSA route.