Near Stevenage test centre
Mostly steady roads with few demanding junctions, a gentle loop to build confidence.
This is an independent 13.1 km practice loop near Stevenage 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.
Along the way you'll meet Fairlands Way, Gunnels Wood Road, High Street, Hitchin Road and James Way and 2 more named junctions. 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 multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, 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 pubs, shops, churches 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 Stevenage 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 41-step drive on real, named roads (about 14.8 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive east.
2 m
Turn left onto Primett Road.
Primett Road43 m
Turn right onto Drapers Way.
Drapers Way72 m
Turn left onto High Street.
High Street231 m
Enter Lytton Way and take the 4th exit onto North Road.
Lytton Way453 m
Exit the roundabout onto North Road.
North Road841 m
Turn right onto Chancellors Road.
Chancellors Road316 m
Turn left onto Granby Road.
Granby Road520 m
Turn left onto North Road/B197.
North Road298 m
Turn right onto Coreys Mill Lane.
Coreys Mill Lane476 m
Enter Hitchin Road and take the 1st exit onto A602.
Hitchin Road7 m
Exit the roundabout onto A602.
A602573 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A1072.
34 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1072.
A10721.3 km
Enter Martins Way and take the 3rd exit onto Grace Way.
Martins Way138 m
Exit the roundabout onto Grace Way.
Grace Way1.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Fairlands Way/A1155.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Fairlands Way/A1155.
Fairlands Way136 m
Turn left onto Bedwell Crescent.
Bedwell Crescent374 m
Turn right onto Cuttys Lane.
Cuttys Lane506 m
Turn left onto St George's Way/A1155.
St George's Way276 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Monkswood Way/A602.
62 m
Exit the roundabout onto Monkswood Way/A602.
Monkswood Way946 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A602/Broadhall Way.
92 m
Exit the roundabout onto A602/Broadhall Way.
A602459 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Gunnels Wood Road/A1072.
94 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gunnels Wood Road/A1072.
Gunnels Wood Road967 m
Keep right to stay on Gunnels Wood Road/A1072.
Gunnels Wood Road873 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Gunnels Wood Road/A1072.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gunnels Wood Road/A1072.
Gunnels Wood Road718 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Bridge Road.
136 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bridge Road.
Bridge Road30 m
Move left onto Bridge Road West.
Bridge Road West221 m
Turn left onto Fairview Road.
Fairview Road48 m
Turn right onto Bridge Road.
Bridge Road303 m
Turn left onto Lytton Way/A602.
Lytton Way164 m
Enter James Way and take the 8th exit onto Lytton Way/A602.
James Way616 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lytton Way/A602.
Lytton Way512 m
Turn left onto Primett Road.
Primett Road57 m
Turn left to stay on Primett Road.
Primett Road197 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Stevenage · Route 4 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.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 0.6 km of this loop is dual carriageway. Build your speed on the slip road, take an effective rearward observation, and merge without forcing other traffic to brake.
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.
bank
Start near bank.
BMW
Continue to BMW.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Continue to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
cinnabar
Continue to cinnabar.
Fairlands Way
Continue to Fairlands Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Gunnels Wood Road
Continue to Gunnels Wood Road, taking the junction with good observation.
High Street
Continue to High Street, taking the junction with good observation.
Hitchin Road
Continue to Hitchin Road, taking the junction with good observation.
James Way
Continue to James Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Lytton Way
Continue to Lytton Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Marquis of Granby
Continue to Marquis of Granby.
Martins Way
Continue to Martins Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Mulberry Tree
Continue to Mulberry Tree.
Red Lion
Continue to Red Lion.
Standing Order
Continue to Standing Order.
St George and St Andrew
Continue to St George and St Andrew.
Subway
Continue to Subway.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Thistle and Willow
Continue to Thistle and Willow.
Woolenwick Junior School
Finish back near Woolenwick Junior School, completing the loop.
This route is 13.1 km and takes about - to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Stevenage test centre, not an official DVSA route.