Near Ashfield test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 11 turns and 10 signalled junctions across 17 navigation steps.
This is an independent 32.4 km practice route near Ashfield test centre, taking roughly 25 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 Hamilton Road. 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, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads 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 shops, schools, pubs and churches, 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 Ashfield 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:
Road mix
The full 51-step drive on real, named roads (about 32.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast.
4 m
Turn right.
17 m
Turn right onto B6139.
B6139568 m
Turn left onto Lucknow Drive.
Lucknow Drive92 m
Turn left onto Sandown Road.
Sandown Road105 m
Turn left onto Fairfield Road.
Fairfield Road65 m
Turn right onto Coxmoor Road.
Coxmoor Road296 m
Turn right onto A38.
A38952 m
Make a right U-turn at Station Road/B6022 to stay on A38.
A38917 m
Move left to stay on A38.
A381.9 km
Turn right onto Skegby Lane/B6014.
Skegby Lane1.2 km
Turn right onto Rannoch Drive.
Rannoch Drive303 m
Turn left to stay on Rannoch Drive.
Rannoch Drive507 m
Turn left onto Skegby Mount.
Skegby Mount76 m
Turn left onto Skegby Lane/B6014.
Skegby Lane1.7 km
Turn left onto A617/Kings Mill Road East.
A6171.0 km
Take the A38 exit towards Mansfield Road.
A381.4 km
Make a right U-turn at B6014 to stay on A38.
A382.8 km
Move left onto Outram Street.
Outram Street577 m
Turn left to stay on Outram Street.
Outram Street155 m
Turn left onto Portland Street.
Portland Street195 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Portland Street.
Portland Street195 m
Turn left onto Outram Street.
Outram Street45 m
Move left onto Forest Street.
Forest Street162 m
Move left onto Station Road.
Station Road662 m
Turn left onto A38.
A38901 m
Move left to stay on A38.
A38221 m
Take the A617 exit on the right towards Sherwood Way South.
113 m
Keep right to take A617 towards Sherwood Way South.
12 m
Continue towards A617/Newark/Nottingham.
Sherwood Way South677 m
Turn left onto Hamilton Road.
Hamilton Road221 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Hamilton Road.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hamilton Road.
Hamilton Road138 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hamilton Way.
42 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hamilton Way.
Hamilton Way2.0 km
Turn left onto A60/Portland Street. Continue on A60.
A60143 m
Keep left to take A60/Portland Street.
A60352 m
Move left onto A6009/Rosemary Street.
A600990 m
Move left onto A38/Stockwell Gate. Continue on A38.
A381.3 km
Move left onto Hermitage Lane.
Hermitage Lane976 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hamilton Road.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hamilton Road.
Hamilton Road131 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hamilton Road.
49 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hamilton Road.
Hamilton Road137 m
Move left to stay on Hamilton Road.
Hamilton Road79 m
Turn left onto A617/Sherwood Way South. Continue on A617.
A6172.8 km
Make a right U-turn onto A617/Sherwood Way South.
A6173.5 km
Take the A38 exit.
A381.3 km
Make a right U-turn at Station Road/B6022 to stay on A38.
A38917 m
Turn left towards Coxmoor Road.
Coxmoor Road364 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Ashfield · Route 10 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
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 19.9 km of this loop is dual carriageway. Build your speed on the slip road, take an effective rearward observation, and merge without forcing other traffic to brake.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (30, 40, 50, 60 mph). Watch for repeater signs and adjust early, examiners mark you down for carrying the wrong speed into a new limit.
Residential streets
Narrow residential roads mean parked cars, pedestrians and reduced visibility. Cover the brake, keep your speed down and be ready to give way.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Fair Price
Start near Fair Price.
Hillocks Primary Academy
Continue to Hillocks Primary Academy.
Hillocks Primary School
Continue to Hillocks Primary School.
Fox and Crown
Continue to Fox and Crown.
Nell Gwyn
Continue to Nell Gwyn.
Oakham Garage
Continue to Oakham Garage.
Sir John Cockle
Continue to Sir John Cockle.
Sutton Road Caravans
Continue to Sutton Road Caravans.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Bridge Baptist Church
Continue to Bridge Baptist Church.
Resurrection Mixed Martial Arts Academy
Continue to Resurrection Mixed Martial Arts Academy.
St Joseph the Worker
Continue to St Joseph the Worker.
Lidl
Continue to Lidl.
Sutton Christian Fellowship
Continue to Sutton Christian Fellowship.
Stoneley's Garage Services
Continue to Stoneley's Garage Services.
Red
Continue to Red.
St Mark's Church Mansfield
Continue to St Mark's Church Mansfield.
William IV
Continue to William IV.
Bold Forester
Continue to Bold Forester.
Hamilton Road
Finish back near Hamilton Road, completing the loop.
4 roundabouts · 10 turns · 11 sets of lights
10 roundabouts · 12 turns · 8 sets of lights
8 roundabouts · 12 turns · 11 sets of lights
5 roundabouts · 11 turns · 9 sets of lights
This route is 32.4 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Ashfield test centre, not an official DVSA route.