Near Stirling Court test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 20 roundabouts and 18 turns across 53 navigation steps.
This is an independent 22.1 km practice loop near Stirling Court test centre, taking roughly 23 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 Elstree Way and Barnet Lane. 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 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 shops, named junctions, stations and pubs, 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 Stirling Court 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 53-step drive on real, named roads (about 22.8 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast.
56 m
Turn left onto Stirling Way.
Stirling Way284 m
Turn right onto Ripon Way.
Ripon Way38 m
Turn left onto A1/Barnet Bypass.
A1841 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Rowley Lane/A5135.
293 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rowley Lane/A5135. Continue on A5135.
A5135926 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Elstree Way/A5135.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Elstree Way/A5135.
Elstree Way24 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Elstree Way/A5135.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Elstree Way/A5135.
Elstree Way509 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Brook Road.
82 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brook Road.
Brook Road60 m
Keep right to stay on Brook Road.
Brook Road373 m
Turn left onto Stratfield Road.
Stratfield Road476 m
Turn right onto Haddon Close.
Haddon Close12 m
Keep left to stay on Haddon Close.
Haddon Close77 m
Turn left onto Chandos Road.
Chandos Road93 m
Turn left onto Lexington Close.
Lexington Close140 m
Turn right onto Stratfield Road.
Stratfield Road122 m
Turn left onto Theobald Street.
Theobald Street430 m
Turn right onto Allum Lane/B5378.
Allum Lane217 m
Turn left onto Deacons Hill Road.
Deacons Hill Road958 m
Turn left onto Barnet Lane/A411.
Barnet Lane69 m
Keep right to stay on Barnet Lane/A411.
Barnet Lane1.2 km
Keep right to stay on Barnet Lane/A411.
Barnet Lane40 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Barnet Lane/A411.
53 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barnet Lane/A411.
Barnet Lane215 m
Keep right to stay on Barnet Lane/A411.
Barnet Lane219 m
Enter Stirling Corner and take the 4th exit onto Barnet Road/A411.
Stirling Corner117 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barnet Road/A411.
Barnet Road115 m
Keep left to stay on Barnet Road/A411.
Barnet Road106 m
Keep right to stay on Barnet Road/A411.
Barnet Road2.1 km
Turn right onto Quinta Drive.
Quinta Drive83 m
Keep straight to stay on Quinta Drive.
Quinta Drive374 m
Turn left onto Aitken Road.
Aitken Road25 m
Turn left to stay on Aitken Road.
Aitken Road32 m
Turn right onto Quinta Drive.
Quinta Drive438 m
Turn left onto Barnet Road/A411.
Barnet Road2.3 km
Enter Stirling Corner and take the 1st exit onto A1/Barnet Way.
Stirling Corner14 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1/Barnet Way.
A12.4 km
Enter Apex Corner and take the 3rd exit onto A41/Watford By-pass.
Apex Corner93 m
Exit the roundabout onto A41/Watford By-pass. Continue on A41.
A411.3 km
Make a right U-turn at Broadfields Avenue to stay on A41.
A41553 m
Turn left onto Kenilworth Road.
Kenilworth Road286 m
Turn right onto Fairmead Crescent.
Fairmead Crescent898 m
Turn left onto Kenilworth Road.
Kenilworth Road54 m
Turn left onto A41/Edgware Way.
A41770 m
Enter Apex Corner and take the 1st exit onto A1/Barnet Way.
Apex Corner23 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1/Barnet Way.
A12.4 km
Enter Stirling Corner and take the 2nd exit onto Stirling Way.
Stirling Corner60 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stirling Way.
Stirling Way278 m
Turn left.
56 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Stirling Court · 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.
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.
Safestore
Start near Safestore.
M&S Simply Food
Continue to M&S Simply Food.
Halfords Autocentre
Continue to Halfords Autocentre.
Elstree Way
Continue to Elstree Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Venue
Continue to Venue.
Fairbrook Medical Centre
Continue to Fairbrook Medical Centre.
Elstree & Borehamwood
Continue to Elstree & Borehamwood.
Asda
Continue to Asda.
Barnet Lane
Continue to Barnet Lane, taking the junction with good observation.
Little Waitrose
Continue to Little Waitrose.
Gate
Continue to Gate.
St Peter's Arkley
Continue to St Peter's Arkley.
St Peter's House
Continue to St Peter's House.
Quinta Stores
Continue to Quinta Stores.
Tang's Takeaway
Continue to Tang's Takeaway.
Ahavas Torah Edgware
Continue to Ahavas Torah Edgware.
Edgware United
Continue to Edgware United.
Shell Select
Continue to Shell Select.
Scratchwood Park
Continue to Scratchwood Park.
Barons Borehamwood Mini
Finish back near Barons Borehamwood Mini, completing the loop.
35 roundabouts · 6 turns
20 roundabouts · 13 turns
4 roundabouts · 7 turns
16 roundabouts · 15 turns
This route is 22.1 km and takes about 23 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Stirling Court test centre, not an official DVSA route.