Near Wanstead test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 21 roundabouts and 9 turns across 38 navigation steps.
This is an independent 25.9 km practice loop near Wanstead test centre, taking roughly 33 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 Bush Road / Green Man Roundabout, Woodford Avenue and Charlie Brown's 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 stations, 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 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 38-step drive on real, named roads (about 25.9 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 left onto Hermon Hill/A113. Continue on A113.
A1131.0 km
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 Road582 m
Turn right onto Blake Hall Road/A114. Continue on A114.
A1142.5 km
Turn left onto Claremont Road.
Claremont Road381 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Claremont Road.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Claremont Road.
Claremont Road381 m
Turn right onto Woodgrange Road/A114.
A1142.9 km
Turn right onto Cambridge Park/A1008. Continue on A1008.
A1008456 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Kingfisher Avenue/A1008.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Kingfisher Avenue/A1008.
Kingfisher Avenue252 m
Continue on A12.
A12765 m
Enter Redbridge Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A12/Eastern Avenue.
Redbridge Roundabout217 m
Exit the roundabout onto A12/Eastern Avenue.
A121.5 km
Enter Gants Hill Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Cranbrook Road/A123.
Gants Hill Roundabout57 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cranbrook Road/A123. Continue on A123.
A1231.9 km
Turn left onto Fremantle Road.
Fremantle Road309 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Looe Gardens.
131 m
Exit the roundabout onto Looe Gardens.
Looe Gardens1.6 km
Enter Woodford Avenue and take the 4th exit onto A1400/Woodford Avenue.
Woodford Avenue76 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1400/Woodford Avenue. Continue on A1400.
A14002.0 km
Enter Charlie Brown's Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A406/North Circular Road.
Charlie Brown's Roundabout107 m
Exit the roundabout onto A406/North Circular Road.
A4061.3 km
Take the Waterworks exit onto A104.
A406479 m
Enter Waterworks Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Woodford New Road/A104.
Waterworks Roundabout34 m
Exit the roundabout onto Woodford New Road/A104.
Woodford New Road108 m
Move right onto Forest Road/A503.
Forest Road795 m
Turn right onto Hale End Road.
Hale End Road901 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Wadham Road.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wadham Road.
Wadham Road118 m
Stay straight to take the A406 ramp.
A4061.9 km
Take the A113 exit towards Chelmsford/Romford.
A406858 m
Enter Charlie Brown's Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Chigwell Road/A113.
Charlie Brown's Roundabout188 m
Exit the roundabout onto Chigwell Road/A113. Continue on A113.
A1131.8 km
Turn left onto Wellesley Road.
Wellesley Road5 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Wanstead · Roundabout 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.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Bush Road / Green Man Roundabout, Charlie Brown's 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.
High Street / Hermon Hill
Start near High Street / Hermon Hill.
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.
Wat Buddharam
Continue to Wat Buddharam.
Wanstead Station / George Green
Continue to Wanstead Station / George Green.
Redbridge
Continue to Redbridge.
Christian Science Church
Continue to Christian Science Church.
Gants Hill
Continue to Gants Hill.
King George V
Continue to King George V.
St Augustine's Catholic Church
Continue to St Augustine's Catholic Church.
Barkingside Magistrates Court
Continue to Barkingside Magistrates Court.
Barkingside Methodist Church
Continue to Barkingside Methodist Church.
Woodford Avenue
Continue to Woodford Avenue, taking the junction with good observation.
Woodford / Roding Lane North
Continue to Woodford / Roding Lane North.
Grove Hill Evangelical Church
Continue to Grove Hill Evangelical Church.
Charlie Brown's Roundabout
Continue to Charlie Brown's Roundabout.
George Lane / Chigwell Road
Continue to George Lane / Chigwell Road.
Sukkat Shalom Reform Synagogue
Continue to Sukkat Shalom Reform Synagogue.
Hermon Hill Methodist Church
Finish back near Hermon Hill Methodist Church, completing the loop.
8 roundabouts · 18 turns
12 roundabouts · 20 turns
8 roundabouts · 5 turns
10 roundabouts · 19 turns
This route is 25.9 km and takes about 33 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Wanstead test centre, not an official DVSA route.