Near Yeovil test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 22 roundabouts and 16 turns across 42 navigation steps.
This is an independent 14.2 km practice loop near Yeovil test centre, taking roughly 18 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 Kingston Roundabout and Fiveways 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, pubs, 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 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 42-step drive on real, named roads (about 14.2 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 right.
68 m
Turn right onto Preston Road.
Preston Road601 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 3rd exit onto Bluebell Road.
70 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bluebell Road.
Bluebell Road327 m
Turn right onto Poppy Close.
Poppy Close112 m
Turn left to stay on Poppy Close.
Poppy Close43 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Poppy Close.
Poppy Close43 m
Turn right to stay on Poppy Close.
Poppy Close112 m
Turn left onto Bluebell Road.
Bluebell Road327 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Bunford Lane.
64 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.
A30882.7 km
Turn left onto A30/Queensway.
A30889 m
Enter Kingston Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Reckleford/A30.
Kingston Roundabout40 m
Exit the roundabout onto Reckleford/A30. Continue on A30.
A301.3 km
Make a right U-turn onto Lyde Road.
Lyde Road19 m
Move right onto Sherborne Road/A30. Continue on A30.
A301.3 km
Enter Kingston Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A37/Kingston.
Kingston Roundabout72 m
Exit the roundabout onto A37/Kingston.
A37293 m
Enter Fiveways Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A37/Ilchester Road.
Fiveways Roundabout60 m
Exit the roundabout onto A37/Ilchester Road.
A371.2 km
Move left onto Tintinhull Road.
Tintinhull Road347 m
Turn left onto Thorne Lane.
Thorne Lane1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Higher Eastern Hill.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Higher Eastern Hill.
Higher Eastern Hill54 m
Turn left onto Hutchings Way.
Hutchings Way201 m
Turn left onto Southfield Drive.
Southfield Drive137 m
Turn left to stay on Southfield Drive.
Southfield Drive39 m
Turn right onto Thorne Lane.
Thorne Lane128 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Western Avenue.
7 m
Exit the roundabout onto Western Avenue.
Western Avenue953 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Western Avenue.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Western Avenue.
Western Avenue166 m
Enter Preston Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Preston Road.
Preston Road Roundabout34 m
Exit the roundabout onto Preston Road.
Preston Road601 m
Turn left.
68 m
Turn left.
9 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Yeovil · 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.
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.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Kingston Roundabout, Fiveways 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.
Airfield Tavern
Continue to Airfield Tavern.
Wickes
Continue to Wickes.
Purple Hire Solutions
Continue to Purple Hire Solutions.
Magnet
Continue to Magnet.
Mortimers
Continue to Mortimers.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Continue to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Morrisons Daily
Continue to Morrisons Daily.
B&M
Continue to B&M.
Kingston Roundabout
Continue to Kingston Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
St Gildas Catholic Primary School
Continue to St Gildas Catholic Primary School.
South Somerset Partnership School
Continue to South Somerset Partnership School.
Salvation Army - Yeovil
Continue to Salvation Army - Yeovil.
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.
Fiveways Roundabout
Continue to Fiveways Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Audi Yeovil
Continue to Audi Yeovil.
KFC
Finish back near KFC, completing the loop.
22 roundabouts · 6 turns
30 roundabouts · 24 turns
38 roundabouts · 14 turns
12 roundabouts · 14 turns
This route is 14.2 km and takes about 18 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Yeovil test centre, not an official DVSA route.