The Florence Park route, nine roundabouts and one junction that fails people
This circuit starts in the residential streets around Florence Park, drops down through Rose Hill to Heyford Hill, loops out towards the Kassam on two slip roads with a 40 to 20 speed change, then comes back along the ring road through the Cowley junction roundabouts.
The examiner decides the route on the day. You will not be told in advance, and every circuit from Cowley starts on Hollow Way.
The route at a glance
- Starts and ends
- James Wolfe Road, OX4 2PY
- Areas covered
- Cowley, Florence Park, Rose Hill, Kassam
- Roundabouts
- Nine, two of them mini
- Serious fault risk
- Blocking the Oxford Road junction
- Speed limits
- 20, 30, 40 and the ring road
- Heyford Hill
- Third exit, from the middle lane
Nine roundabouts, five stages
The circuit at area level. Nine roundabouts sounds like a lot until you see that they arrive in three clusters rather than one long chain.
Schematic. Distances, angles and junction shapes are not to scale.
Cowley test centre
Left onto Hollow Way, then right at the Oxford Road traffic lights. That junction is the one that fails people.
Florence Park
Between Towns Road, then Rymers Lane, Campbell Road and Florence Park Road. Narrow streets with meeting situations.
Rose Hill
Right onto Church Cowley Road, a busy junction with restricted visibility, then a sharp left onto Rose Hill and a drop to 20 mph.
Heyford Hill and Kassam
Third exit at Heyford Hill, then two slip roads, the Brick Kiln Lane roundabout and the Henley Road mini roundabout.
Cowley junction
Back onto the ring road, the A4142, then the B480 and Garsington Road roundabouts and home.
Where the faults come from on this route
One junction on this route can end the test on its own. The other five are ordinary faults that add up if you have not driven the roads before.
The Oxford Road traffic lights
You may only turn right when your exit road is clear. Moving into a blocked junction and having to stop in the middle is recorded as a serious fault.
A serious fault is an automatic fail. The correct approach is to wait at the stop line until the exit road clears, even when the light is green.
What the examiner sees: whether you looked at the exit road or only at the light.Heyford Hill roundabout
Third exit on this route. Do not cut across from the middle lane without checking the outer lane first.
Heyford Hill has no painted lane markings at all, so the line you take through it is the whole of the evidence the examiner has on your lane discipline.
What the examiner sees: drifting across mid roundabout.Church Cowley Road
A busy junction that requires patience. Parked vehicles may block your view of what is coming.
Inch forward until you can see properly. Emerging on a guess is what turns a slow junction into a dangerous one.
What the examiner sees: whether you saw it was clear, or assumed it.Rymers Lane and Campbell Road
Narrow residential streets where the road can drop to a single usable lane.
If a parked vehicle is on your side, give way to oncoming traffic. If it is on the opposite side you have priority, but still pass with care.
What the examiner sees: how early you read the gap.Brick Kiln Lane, 40 down to 20
After the Brick Kiln Lane roundabout the limit drops from 40 mph to 20 mph.
Learners are concentrating on exiting the roundabout correctly, so the signs pass quickly. The transition is fast and reducing speed promptly matters.
What the examiner sees: how long it took you to notice.The priority lane after the A4142 exit
Coming off the Eastern Bypass roundabout towards the A4142 you exit on the right side of a two lane road, because of the way the exit is angled.
The left lane there is a priority lane with its own merging traffic. Build speed in the right lane first, then mirror, signal and move left into a safe gap. Do not move left as you exit.
What the examiner sees: whether you understood the layout or followed the car ahead.The two junctions worth a lesson of their own
One of these can fail the test on its own. The other is where most of the driving faults on this circuit are recorded. Neither is difficult once you have done it a few times with someone watching.
Turning right at the Oxford Road lights
green does not mean go
- Look at the road you are turning into, not only at the light.
- If the exit road is blocked, wait at the stop line. A green light is permission, not an instruction.
- Moving in and then stopping in the middle of the junction is a serious fault and an automatic fail.
- Once the exit clears, complete the turn without hesitating.
Heyford Hill roundabout, third exit
no painted lane markings
- Choose your position on the approach, not once you are on the roundabout.
- There are no painted markings, so your line through the roundabout is the evidence.
- Do not cut across from the middle lane without checking the outer lane first.
- Left mirror and left signal before you leave, then exit cleanly onto the A4074.
Every junction, in order
Seven legs, in driving order. Read it once before a lesson and once after, and it starts to feel like a route rather than a list.
Out of the test centre
- Leave James Wolfe Road and turn left onto Hollow Way. The limit is 30 mph.
- Turn right at the Oxford Road traffic lights.
- Only turn when your exit road is clear.
Between Towns Road
- Turn left onto Between Towns Road.
- At the Between Towns Road mini roundabout, take the second exit.
The Florence Park streets
- Right into Rymers Lane.
- Left into Campbell Road.
- Left into Florence Park Road.
Church Cowley Road and Rose Hill
- Right onto Church Cowley Road. Take your time here.
- Parked vehicles may block your view, so inch forward until you can see properly.
- Left onto Rose Hill. A sharp left, and the limit drops to 20 mph shortly after.
Heyford Hill and the A4074
- Join the Eastern Bypass and take the third exit at Heyford Hill roundabout.
- Left onto the A4074 slip road towards Reading.
- Cancel your left signal once you are on the slip road.
The Kassam loop
- Left onto the Kassam slip road. The limit is 40 mph.
- At the Brick Kiln Lane roundabout, take the second exit and keep right. The limit drops to 20 mph.
- At the Henley Road mini roundabout, take the first exit.
- Left onto the A4074 to rejoin the ring road.
Cowley junction and the return
- At the Eastern Bypass roundabout, take the second exit towards the A4142. Build speed in the right lane before moving left.
- At the A4142 roundabout, take the second exit from the middle lane.
- Left slip road to the Cowley junction roundabout.
- First exit at the B480 roundabout, second exit at the Garsington Road roundabout.
- Right into Hollow Way, where the limit drops to 20 mph, then right into James Wolfe Road.
The Oxford Road junction is worth getting boring
The Oxford Road junction is the one worth practising until it is boring. After that, this route is nine roundabouts and a set of speed changes, all of which stop being memorable once you have driven them a few times.
Or call 01865 763458. Monday to Friday 7am to 9pm, Saturday 9am to 6pm.- Turning right at the Oxford Road traffic lights
- Handling a stationary bus on Hollow Way
- The Between Towns Road mini roundabout
- Meeting situations on Rymers Lane and Campbell Road
- Emerging from Church Cowley Road with a blocked view
- Heyford Hill, third exit, no lane markings
- The 40 to 20 change at Brick Kiln Lane
- The priority lane on the A4142 exit
Not sure what the rest of the day involves? Everything you need to know about the Oxford (Cowley) driving test centre covers where it is, the DVSA fees, what to take and what the examiner is looking for.
Florence Park questions, answered
The questions that come up before a test at Cowley, and the honest answers.
Is the Florence Park route used often at Cowley test centre?
Test routes are chosen by the examiner on the day and are not announced in advance. The Florence Park route is one of several routes used from Cowley test centre. The best preparation is to be comfortable with all the roads the test centre uses, not to focus on any single route.
What happens if I block a junction at the Oxford Road traffic lights?
If you move into a junction when the exit road is blocked and then have to stop in the middle, this is recorded as a serious fault. A serious fault means an automatic test failure. The correct approach is to wait at the stop line until the exit road clears, even if the traffic light is green.
What is a meeting situation and how should I handle it?
A meeting situation occurs when the road narrows to the point where only one vehicle can pass at a time. You assess who has priority based on which side the obstruction falls. If a parked vehicle is on your side of the road, you give way to oncoming traffic. If it is on the opposite side, you have priority but should still pass with care.
Why do learners miss the 20 mph speed limit at Brick Kiln Lane?
After the Brick Kiln Lane roundabout, the speed drops from 40 mph to 20 mph. Because learners are concentrating on exiting the roundabout correctly, the speed limit signs can pass quickly. The transition is fast, and reducing speed promptly matters.
What does it mean when the left lane is a priority lane after the Eastern Bypass roundabout?
When you exit the Eastern Bypass roundabout toward the A4142, you come off on the right side of a two lane road because of the way the exit is angled. The left lane at that point is marked as a priority lane with its own merging traffic. You should build your speed in the right lane first, then check your mirrors and signal before moving to the left when there is a safe gap. Do not attempt to move left immediately as you exit.
How do I handle a stationary bus on Hollow Way?
If a bus is stopped at a bus stop and blocking your path, slow down and assess the situation. Creep forward to create a better angle if needed. If the road ahead is clear of oncoming traffic and there is enough space, overtake the bus at a safe speed. The examiner expects you to make progress rather than waiting an unnecessarily long time, but only go when it is genuinely safe.
How many faults will fail the test?
Fifteen driving faults are allowed. One serious or dangerous fault ends the test immediately, which is why blocking the Oxford Road junction matters far more than an untidy gear change.
At a glance
The Florence Park route is one of several driving test routes used from the Oxford (Cowley) driving test centre at James Wolfe Road, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 2PY. It leaves on Hollow Way, turns right at the Oxford Road traffic lights, then covers Between Towns Road, Rymers Lane, Campbell Road and Florence Park Road. It continues onto Church Cowley Road and Rose Hill, joins the Eastern Bypass and takes the third exit at Heyford Hill roundabout, then loops towards the Kassam area using the A4074 and Kassam slip roads, the Brick Kiln Lane roundabout and the Henley Road mini roundabout. It returns along the ring road via the A4142, the Cowley junction, the B480 roundabout and the Garsington Road roundabout before rejoining Hollow Way. There are nine roundabouts on the circuit and speed limits ranging from 20 mph to the ring road limit. 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.
Eight circuits run from Cowley. You get one of them.
We teach across Oxford in manual and automatic cars. If the Oxford Road junction is the part that worries you, say so when you book and that is where the first lesson starts.
Other circuits from Cowley: Littlemore and Grenoble Marsh Lane Cowley Junction and Sandy Lane West Sandhills to Risinghurst
