Near Wanstead test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts and 18 turns across 49 navigation steps.
This is an independent 19.5 km practice loop near Wanstead test centre, taking roughly 30 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 Green Man Roundabout and Bush Road / Green Man 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, 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, stations, shops 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 Wanstead 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 49-step drive on real, named roads (about 20.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west on Wellesley Road.
Wellesley Road5 m
Turn right onto Hermon Hill/A113.
Hermon Hill1.1 km
Turn left onto George Lane/B168. Continue on B168.
B168339 m
Keep left to take Mulberry Way/B168.
Mulberry Way21 m
Turn left onto The Viaduct/B168.
The Viaduct303 m
Enter George Lane Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Eastwood Road.
George Lane Roundabout75 m
Exit the roundabout onto Eastwood Road.
Eastwood Road217 m
Turn left to stay on Eastwood Road.
Eastwood Road260 m
Turn right onto George Lane/B168.
George Lane125 m
Turn left onto High Road/A1199. Continue on A1199.
A11992.2 km
Keep right to stay on Hollybush Hill.
Hollybush Hill352 m
Enter Green Man Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto High Road Leytonstone/A114.
Green Man Roundabout190 m
Exit the roundabout onto High Road Leytonstone/A114.
High Road Leytonstone70 m
Turn left onto Bush Road/A114.
Bush Road134 m
Keep left to stay on Bush Road/A114.
Bush Road447 m
Turn right onto Blake Hall Road/A114.
Blake Hall Road38 m
Keep right to stay on A114.
A114635 m
Keep right to take Centre Road/A114.
Centre Road1.4 km
Keep left to take Woodgrange Road/A114.
Woodgrange Road209 m
Keep right to stay on A114.
A1141.6 km
Turn right onto Plashet Road/B165.
Plashet Road29 m
Turn left onto Pelly Road.
Pelly Road152 m
Turn left onto Crescent Road.
Crescent Road41 m
Turn left onto Stopford Road/A114. Continue on A114.
A1143.4 km
Keep straight to stay on A114.
A114479 m
Keep straight to take Blake Hall Road/A114.
Blake Hall Road219 m
Turn left onto Bush Road/A114.
Bush Road537 m
Keep left to stay on Bush Road/A114.
Bush Road62 m
Turn right onto High Road Leytonstone/A114.
High Road Leytonstone72 m
Enter Green Man Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Whipps Cross Road/A114.
Green Man Roundabout129 m
Exit the roundabout onto Whipps Cross Road/A114.
Whipps Cross Road188 m
Keep right to stay on Whipps Cross Road/A114.
Whipps Cross Road549 m
Turn left onto James Lane.
James Lane142 m
Keep right to stay on James Lane.
James Lane357 m
Keep left to stay on James Lane.
James Lane96 m
Turn right onto Peterborough Road.
Peterborough Road432 m
Turn left onto Nottingham Road.
Nottingham Road239 m
Turn left onto Essex Road.
Essex Road438 m
Turn left onto James Lane.
James Lane301 m
Keep right to stay on James Lane.
James Lane116 m
Keep right to stay on James Lane.
James Lane110 m
Keep straight to stay on James Lane.
James Lane304 m
Turn right onto Whipps Cross Road/A114.
Whipps Cross Road833 m
Enter Green Man Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Hollybush Hill/A113.
Green Man Roundabout8 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hollybush Hill/A113.
Hollybush Hill149 m
Keep right to stay on Hollybush Hill.
Hollybush Hill33 m
Move right onto New Wanstead/A113. Continue on A113.
A113836 m
Turn right onto Wellesley Road.
Wellesley Road5 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Wanstead · Residential + A-road 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.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Green Man Roundabout, Bush Road / Green Man Roundabout, Green Man 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.
Hermon Hill Methodist Church
Start near Hermon Hill Methodist Church.
George Lane / Chigwell Road
Continue to George Lane / Chigwell Road.
South Woodford
Continue to South Woodford.
International Supermarket
Continue to International Supermarket.
Grove Hill
Continue to Grove Hill.
Bedford Road
Continue to Bedford Road.
Eagle Lane
Continue to Eagle Lane.
Green Man Roundabout
Continue to Green Man Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Bush Road / Green Man Roundabout
Continue to Bush Road / Green Man Roundabout.
Wanstead Quaker Meeting House
Continue to Wanstead Quaker Meeting House.
Wanstead Park
Continue to Wanstead Park.
Forest Gate
Continue to Forest Gate.
Quwwat ul Islam Masjid
Continue to Quwwat ul Islam Masjid.
Wat Buddharam
Continue to Wat Buddharam.
Green Man Roundabout
Continue to Green Man Roundabout.
Shree Nathji Sanatan
Continue to Shree Nathji Sanatan.
Clare Road
Continue to Clare Road.
Cornerstone (St Catherine & St Paul)
Continue to Cornerstone (St Catherine & St Paul).
Peterborough Road
Continue to Peterborough Road.
High Street / Hermon Hill
Finish back near High Street / Hermon Hill, completing the loop.
21 roundabouts · 9 turns
12 roundabouts · 20 turns
8 roundabouts · 5 turns
10 roundabouts · 19 turns
This route is 19.5 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Wanstead test centre, not an official DVSA route.