Start your journey by heading north from London on the A1(M). Exit at Junction 9, then follow signs for Letchworth Garden City via the A505. As you approach, the town’s broad boulevards and tree-lined streets are hard to miss and give a clear sense of arriving somewhere different from a typical Hertfordshire market town.
Anyone preferring public transport can take a train from London King’s Cross; the journey takes about 35 minutes, and the station is centrally located, making it convenient to explore upon arrival. Drivers should make sure they have a full tank before setting out, since fuel stops are limited on some stretches of the A1(M) approach.
Parking in Letchworth is generally straightforward, with several car parks near the town centre rather than a scramble for roadside spaces. If biking is your preference, Route 12 of the National Cycle Network passes through town, offering a pleasant, low-traffic ride in for anyone based locally.
Tests from Jackmans Place Garage follow the standard format: eyesight check, safety questions, general driving, a manoeuvre, and independent driving, with routes generally mixing the town’s wide garden-city boulevards with the faster A505 corridor. Because Letchworth’s road layout is unusually orderly for an English town, having been purpose-designed rather than grown organically, examiners can and do test roundabout use and lane discipline more consistently here than in towns with a more haphazard street pattern. Independent driving frequently sends candidates out towards the edge of town along the A505, where dual-carriageway sections test speed judgement in a way the calmer residential streets nearer the centre do not.
Candidates travelling from Hitchin or Stevenage typically use the A505 or A602 for most of the journey, while those coming from Baldock and Royston tend to approach along the old A1 corridor before joining local roads. Learners from Biggleswade are more likely to use the A1(M) itself, leaving at Junction 9 in the same way as drivers coming from London.
If there is time before or after a test, Standalone Farm and the Broadway Gardens both offer a quiet spot nearby, though most candidates will be focused on the test itself rather than sightseeing. It is still worth checking the local weather forecast before setting out, since conditions can affect journey times on the more exposed stretches of the A1(M).
Page reviewed and updated 17 July 2026.