The Littlemore and Grenoble circuit, one of the Oxford test routes out of Cowley
This is the longest of the circuits that run from the Cowley test centre. It takes you south down the Eastern Bypass, through the residential streets of Littlemore, round Heyford Hill, then along the chain of roundabouts on Grenoble Road before bringing you back up Watlington Road. About forty minutes, door to door.
The examiner chooses the route on the day and you will not be told which one you are getting. Every circuit out of Cowley begins on Hollow Way.
The route at a glance
- Starts and ends
- James Wolfe Road, OX4 2PY
- Time on the road
- About 40 minutes
- Areas covered
- Littlemore, Heyford Hill, Blackbird Leys, Greater Leys
- Roundabouts in the chain
- Seven
- Littlemore roundabout
- Used twice, two different lanes
- Fastest road
- Eastern Bypass and A4074
One loop, five stages
Read this before the turn by turn list further down. If you know the shape of the circuit, the instructions stop feeling random and start feeling like a route you already know.
Schematic. Distances, angles and junction shapes are not to scale.
Cowley test centre
Out of the car park onto James Wolfe Road, left onto Hollow Way, left onto Garsington Road, then the B480 and the Eastern Bypass.
Littlemore
Off the bypass at Littlemore roundabout and straight into narrow residential streets with parked cars and blind junctions. Back out the same way.
Heyford Hill
Second exit onto the slip road signed for Reading, then south on the A4074. No painted lane markings on this roundabout at all.
Grenoble Road
The chain. Seven roundabouts through Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys at 40 mph, six of them second exit and the last one first exit.
Watlington Road back
North to the B480, under the bridge, back onto the Eastern Bypass, then Horspath Driftway and Hollow Way to the test centre.
The parts of this circuit people get wrong
Most of this route is straightforward driving. These five points are where the faults come from, and every one of them can be practised beforehand.
Eastern Bypass, southbound
You need the right lane on approach. Once you have passed the second exit, move across to the middle lane, then exit from the right lane at Littlemore roundabout on the third exit.
The right lane on the bypass eventually becomes turn right only, so a late decision leaves you in the wrong place with nowhere to go.
What the examiner sees: planning and position, not speed.Residential Littlemore
The moment you leave the roundabout the road becomes residential. Parked vehicles, blind junctions and pedestrians, all at once, straight after a fast dual carriageway.
Candidates who have only practised on the main roads around Cowley find this section hard. Candidates who have driven these streets in lessons do not.
What the examiner sees: how early you read a hazard.Heyford Hill roundabout
Second exit, onto the slip road signed for Reading. Stay left on approach, signal left, cancel it once you have taken the second exit, pass the first exit, then signal left and leave.
There are no painted lane markings here, so your position through the roundabout is the only thing the examiner has to judge your lane discipline.
What the examiner sees: drifting across mid roundabout.Grenoble Road, 40 mph
Build up to the limit once you have cleared the first roundabout. Sitting well below 40 on a clear road can attract a fault for undue hesitation.
This catches nervous drivers more than fast ones. Making proper progress is part of the test, not an optional extra.
What the examiner sees: undue hesitation, or speeding. Both are faults.The one that breaks the pattern
Six of the seven roundabouts on Grenoble Road are second exit. The satnav repeating the same instruction over and over makes candidates switch off.
The final Blackbird Leys roundabout is first exit, onto Watlington Road. That is the one that catches people who have stopped paying attention.
What the examiner sees: whether you are still driving, or just following.The B480 return, under the bridge
Choose the right lane on approach, marked for the ring road north. As you go under the bridge, shift to the middle lane and take the fourth exit onto the Eastern Bypass heading north.
You are tired by this point and the test is nearly over. It is not over. The examiner is still marking.
What the examiner sees: whether you drive the end as well as the start.Littlemore roundabout, twice, two different lanes
This is the single thing that separates this circuit from the others out of Cowley. Same roundabout, same exit number, different approach each time. Getting the first one right and then repeating it on the way back is exactly the wrong thing to do.
Outbound, third exit
Right lane on approach, signed Iffley
- Right lane on the approach. The signs point towards Iffley.
- Once you have passed the second exit, move to the middle lane and then the left lane.
- Check your left mirror and signal left before you exit. This is the bit most people drop.
- Leave on the third exit for Littlemore.
Return leg, third exit
Middle lane on approach, towards Heyford Hill
- Middle lane on the approach, coming off Oxford Road.
- Keep a steady pace. No lane change is needed this time.
- Signal as normal and exit cleanly on the third exit.
- You are now heading for Heyford Hill roundabout.
From the car park and back again
Six legs, in the order you will drive them. The roads do not change. What the examiner asks you to do at each one is what you have practised.
Out of the test centre
- Leave the car park and turn left onto James Wolfe Road.
- At the end, turn left onto Hollow Way.
- At the junction, turn left onto Garsington Road.
- Shortly after, the B480 roundabout. Take the second exit.
- That brings you to the Eastern Bypass roundabout. Take the fourth exit.
South down the Eastern Bypass
- Choose the right lane on the bypass.
- Once you pass the second exit, move across to the middle lane.
- Exit from the right lane at Littlemore roundabout, taking the third exit.
The residential loop in Littlemore
- Left onto Ashhurst Way.
- Right onto Spencer Crescent.
- Left onto Dashwood Road.
- Right onto Fiennes Road.
- Right onto Ashhurst Way again.
- Right onto Oxford Road, which returns you to Littlemore roundabout.
Littlemore again, Heyford Hill and the A4074
- At Littlemore roundabout for the second time, take the third exit again, this time from the middle lane.
- Back onto the Eastern Bypass heading south.
- Heyford Hill roundabout, second exit, via the slip road signed for Reading.
- South on the A4074, watching for the Cowley exit.
- Take that exit, then the first exit onto Grenoble Road.
The Grenoble Road chain
- Grenoble Road roundabout, second exit.
- Littlemore roundabout on Grenoble Road, second exit.
- Grenoble Road roundabout, second exit.
- Blackbird Leys roundabout, second exit, keep left.
- Grenoble Road roundabout, second exit.
- Greater Leys roundabout, second exit.
- Blackbird Leys roundabout, first exit, onto Watlington Road.
The return to the test centre
- From Watlington Road, reach the B480 roundabout. Choose the right lane on approach.
- As you go under the bridge, shift to the middle lane and take the fourth exit onto the Eastern Bypass heading north.
- Turn left at Headington Hospitals onto Horspath Driftway. Signal left as you approach the slip road, watch for the give way sign, and cancel your signal once you are on the slip road so you do not mislead drivers behind you.
- At the mini roundabout, take the first exit.
- Pick up Hollow Way and count three lefts. The third is James Wolfe Road, which brings you back into the test centre car park.
Drive this circuit before the examiner picks it
Reading a route is useful. Driving it with someone who has taken hundreds of learners round it is what actually changes the result. We cover this circuit as part of normal lessons, in a car you already know, at the times of day the test is likely to happen.
Or call 01865 763458. Monday to Friday 7am to 9pm, Saturday 9am to 6pm.- Garsington Road and the B480 roundabout
- The Eastern Bypass, southbound lane choice
- Littlemore roundabout in both directions
- The residential streets off Ashhurst Way
- Heyford Hill with no lane markings to lean on
- The full Grenoble Road chain
- The B480 return and Horspath Driftway
The roundabout chain is only one part of the drive. The manoeuvre, the independent driving section and the examiner's marking all come into it too, and they are covered in our Oxford (Cowley) driving test centre guide.
About this route and the test
The questions learners ask us most about this circuit, and about the test itself.
How long does the Littlemore and Grenoble test route take?
About 40 minutes door to door on our own timings. The DVSA says a standard car test lasts around 35 minutes, and the extra time on this circuit is the distance it covers rather than anything unusual about the test itself.
Why does Littlemore roundabout appear twice on this route?
The circuit goes out through Littlemore and comes back the same way. Outbound you take the third exit towards Iffley from the right lane. On the return you take the third exit towards Heyford Hill roundabout from the middle lane. Same exit number, different approach, which is what catches people out.
What speed should I be doing on Grenoble Road?
Grenoble Road is 40 mph on the main sections. Build up to the limit once you have cleared the first roundabout. Sitting well below 40 on a clear road can attract a fault for undue hesitation.
Which roundabout in the Grenoble Road chain do people get wrong?
The last one. Six of the seven are second exit, and the satnav repeating the same instruction makes candidates switch off. The final Blackbird Leys roundabout is first exit onto Watlington Road, and that is the one that breaks the pattern.
What lane do I need at Heyford Hill roundabout?
You take the second exit onto the slip road signed for Reading. There are no painted lane markings on Heyford Hill, so your position through the roundabout is the only thing the examiner has to judge your lane discipline. Drifting across mid roundabout is the most common fault there.
Can I choose which Oxford test route I get?
No. The examiner decides on the day and you will not be told in advance. Every route out of Cowley starts on Hollow Way, and the test itself is the same wherever you are sent. That is why we cover several circuits in lessons rather than drilling one.
How many faults am I allowed on the driving test?
Up to 15 driving faults. One serious or dangerous fault ends the test as a fail. The limit is the same on this circuit as on every other route out of Cowley.
At a glance
The Littlemore and Grenoble circuit is one of several driving test routes used from the Oxford (Cowley) driving test centre at James Wolfe Road, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 2PY. It runs south on the Eastern Bypass to Littlemore, through the residential streets off Ashhurst Way, round Heyford Hill onto the A4074, along the seven roundabout chain on Grenoble Road through Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys, then north on Watlington Road and back via Horspath Driftway and Hollow Way. It takes about 40 minutes door to door. Examiners choose the route on the day and candidates are not told in advance. The DVSA practical test fee is 62 pounds on a weekday and 75 pounds in the evening, at the weekend or on a bank holiday, with tests from 4:30pm counting as evening. The theory test fee is 23 pounds. Up to 15 driving faults are allowed and one serious or dangerous fault is a fail. The earliest retest after a fail is 10 working days. Oxon Driving Tuitions teaches this route and the other circuits out of Cowley in manual and automatic cars, with lessons bookable online or on 01865 763458.
You will not know which route you are getting. Be ready for all of them.
We teach across Oxford in manual and automatic cars, and the circuits out of Cowley are part of the normal lesson programme rather than an add on. Book a first lesson and we will start with the roads you are weakest on.
Other circuits from Cowley: Marsh Lane Florence Park Sandhills to Risinghurst Cowley Junction and Sandy Lane West
