Car
Oxford’s testing venue is located within Watlington House on Watlington Road, around 5.5km south-east of the city centre. The M40 motorway provides easy access to those travelling to Oxford from the east, with the A40 facilitating journeys from the west. The A34 can be used for those located to the north or south of the city.
Parking
Unfortunately, finding appropriate parking will be a challenge. There are limited spaces on-site, but this certainly does not guarantee availability of parking on your chosen test day. The nearest facility is Templar’s Square Shopping Centre, which is located around a 1.75 km away. If heading on foot, this journey will take approximately twenty-five minutes, and involves a long, south-easterly walk along the B480 (Garsington Road and Watlington Road). Alternatively, the 11 City (Watlington) bus service can take you from Templers Square bus stop, situated around 100m north of the car park, to LIDL supermarket, which is positioned next door to Watlington House. Opting for bus travel will reduce journey time by almost twenty minutes.
There are other, similar, parking options available. Please visit the relevant Parkopedia page to learn more.
Bus
Despite the relative remoteness of the test centre location, there are plenty of bus routes that pass close to Watlington House. If using this mode of transport, please aim to arrive at one of the following bus stops, which are all within a four-minute walking distance of the venue:
LIDL, Bullnose Morris, and Car Factory Gate.
To plan your personal journey, please click the following link, and scroll down to the ‘bus lines’ section.
Train
Oxford Train Station is based in the north-western outskirts of the city centre, and therefore the onwards journey to Watlington House from the station is lengthy. Given that the walking route would take almost an hour and a half to navigate, we would recommend taking advantage of Oxford’s local bus network.
The journey to Watlington Road requires taking two services. Firstly, catch the 280 Sapphire (Aylesbury) bus from directly outside the station, and exit at Speedwell Street. Head east until you reach the end of the road, and then turn south to progress down St. Aldates (A420). After around 50m, you’ll see the Police Station bus stop located on your left-hand side. From here, take the 11X City (Crowley) service to Car Factory Gate. Advance south-east on Watlington Road (B480) until the venue emerges on your left-hand side. This full journey should take around 26 minutes to conduct.
Given the inconvenience encountered in the route from station to venue, we would encourage you to avoid train travel, and head directly to the testing venue by bus.
For live departure & arrival times, station facilities, and accessibility information, please visit the Great Western Railway website.