Near Yeovil test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 22 roundabouts and 6 turns across 47 navigation steps.
This is an independent 13.8 km practice loop near Yeovil test centre, taking roughly 16 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 Bunford Lane, Preston Road Roundabout, Quicksilver Roundabout and Kingston 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 churches, named junctions, shops 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 Yeovil 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 47-step drive on real, named roads (about 14.9 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive east.
9 m
Turn left.
52 m
Turn left.
83 m
Turn left onto Abbots Meade.
Abbots Meade101 m
Turn right onto Preston Road.
Preston Road545 m
Enter Preston Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Bunford Lane.
Preston Road Roundabout26 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bunford Lane.
Bunford Lane209 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bunford Lane.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bunford Lane.
Bunford Lane329 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A3088/Western Relief Road.
40 m
Exit the roundabout onto A3088/Western Relief Road.
A3088561 m
Keep right to stay on A3088.
A3088199 m
Move right to stay on A3088.
A308832 m
Turn right to stay on A3088.
A3088605 m
Move left onto Watercombe Lane.
Watercombe Lane34 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A30/West Coker Road.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto A30/West Coker Road.
A30143 m
Keep straight to stay on A30/West Coker Road.
A301.2 km
Enter Quicksilver Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A37/Dorchester Road.
Quicksilver Roundabout30 m
Exit the roundabout onto A37/Dorchester Road.
A37176 m
Keep left to stay on A37/Dorchester Road.
A37497 m
Keep left to stay on A37/Dorchester Road.
A37537 m
Enter Keyford Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A37/Dorchester Road.
Keyford Roundabout133 m
Exit the roundabout onto A37/Dorchester Road.
A37475 m
Keep right to stay on A37/Dorchester Road.
A37123 m
Keep right to stay on A37/Dorchester Road.
A37134 m
Keep left to stay on A37/Dorchester Road.
A37334 m
Keep left to stay on A37/Dorchester Road.
A37147 m
Enter Quicksilver Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A30/Hendford Hill.
Quicksilver Roundabout32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A30/Hendford Hill.
A3060 m
Keep right to stay on A30/Hendford Hill.
A30305 m
Keep right to stay on A30/Hendford Hill.
A30343 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A30/Queensway.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto A30/Queensway.
A30857 m
Enter Kingston Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Reckleford/A30.
Kingston Roundabout40 m
Exit the roundabout onto Reckleford/A30.
Reckleford27 m
Keep left to stay on A30.
A302.0 km
Enter Babylon Hill Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A30.
Babylon Hill Roundabout87 m
Exit the roundabout onto A30.
A301.0 km
Keep right to stay on A30.
A301.0 km
Enter Kingston Roundabout and take the 3rd exit.
Kingston Roundabout72 m
Exit the roundabout onto A37/Kingston.
A37293 m
Enter Fiveways Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Preston Road.
Fiveways Roundabout17 m
Exit the roundabout onto Preston Road.
Preston Road1.7 km
Turn right.
68 m
Turn left.
9 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Yeovil · Dual-carriageway 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.
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
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Preston Road Roundabout, Quicksilver Roundabout, Kingston 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.
St James
Start near St James.
Bunford Lane
Continue to Bunford Lane, taking the junction with good observation.
Preston Road Roundabout
Continue to Preston Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Wickes
Continue to Wickes.
Purple Hire Solutions
Continue to Purple Hire Solutions.
Quicksilver Mail
Continue to Quicksilver Mail.
Red House
Continue to Red House.
Quicksilver Roundabout
Continue to Quicksilver Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Railway Hotel
Continue to Railway Hotel.
Kingston Roundabout
Continue to Kingston Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
St Gildas Catholic Primary School
Continue to St Gildas Catholic Primary School.
Salvation Army - Yeovil
Continue to Salvation Army - Yeovil.
Yeovil Islamic Centre
Continue to Yeovil Islamic Centre.
GWRSA Club
Continue to GWRSA Club.
Pen Mill Hotel
Continue to Pen Mill Hotel.
National Tyres
Continue to National Tyres.
St Margaret's Hospice Furniture
Continue to St Margaret's Hospice Furniture.
Park School Sixth Form
Continue to Park School Sixth Form.
Mace
Continue to Mace.
Bell Inn
Finish back near Bell Inn, completing the loop.
22 roundabouts · 16 turns
30 roundabouts · 24 turns
38 roundabouts · 14 turns
12 roundabouts · 14 turns
This route is 13.8 km and takes about 16 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Yeovil test centre, not an official DVSA route.