Near Ashfield test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 3 roundabouts, 13 turns and 10 signalled junctions across 21 navigation steps.
This is an independent 39.2 km practice route near Ashfield test centre, taking roughly 30 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 Leamington Drive. 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, 20 mph zones, 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 schools, stations, shops and pubs, 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 66-step drive on real, named roads (about 39.2 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.
A381.8 km
Turn left towards B6021/Penny Emma Way.
Penny Emma Way890 m
Turn right onto Lowmoor Road/B6021.
Lowmoor Road1.4 km
Turn left onto Gladstone Street.
Gladstone Street244 m
Turn left onto Marlborough Road.
Marlborough Road95 m
Turn left onto Milton Street.
Milton Street281 m
Turn right onto Lowmoor Road/B6021.
Lowmoor Road400 m
Turn left onto Southwell Lane.
Southwell Lane325 m
Turn left onto Southwell Close.
Southwell Close160 m
Turn right to stay on Southwell Close.
Southwell Close35 m
Turn right.
7 m
Make a right U-turn.
7 m
Turn left onto Southwell Close.
Southwell Close35 m
Turn left to stay on Southwell Close.
Southwell Close159 m
Turn left onto Southwell Lane.
Southwell Lane1.1 km
Turn left onto The Hill/B6020. Continue on B6020.
B6020534 m
Turn right onto Regent Street.
Regent Street186 m
Turn right onto Chestnut Avenue.
Chestnut Avenue314 m
Turn right onto Wheatley Avenue.
Wheatley Avenue219 m
Turn left onto Victoria Road/B6020. Continue on B6020.
B6020561 m
Turn right onto Sutton Road/B6018.
Sutton Road1.6 km
Turn right onto Leamington Drive.
Leamington Drive223 m
Move left to stay on Leamington Drive.
Leamington Drive335 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Leamington Drive.
62 m
Exit the roundabout onto Leamington Drive.
Leamington Drive262 m
Move left onto Hardwick Lane.
Hardwick Lane469 m
Move right onto Hardwick Street.
Hardwick Street46 m
Turn left onto Station Street.
Station Street113 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Station Street.
Station Street113 m
Turn right onto Hardwick Street.
Hardwick Street46 m
Turn right onto Reform Street.
Reform Street187 m
Turn right onto The Twitchell.
The Twitchell34 m
Turn right onto High Pavement.
High Pavement262 m
Turn right onto Station Road.
Station Road678 m
Turn right onto A38.
A38855 m
Turn left towards B6021/Penny Emma Way.
Penny Emma Way890 m
Turn right onto Lowmoor Road/B6021. Continue on B6021.
B60211.7 km
Turn left onto Station Street/B6020. Continue on B6020.
B60201.4 km
Turn right onto Derby Road/A611.
Derby Road1.7 km
Turn right onto Shoulder of Mutton Hill/B6021. Continue on B6021.
B6021471 m
Turn right onto Balls Lane.
Balls Lane378 m
Turn left onto Derby Road/A611.
Derby Road2.6 km
Turn left onto B6139.
B61393.3 km
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 Road982 m
Turn right onto Newark Road/B6022.
Newark Road471 m
Turn right onto Hamilton Road.
Hamilton Road418 m
Turn left.
42 m
Turn right.
11 m
Turn right onto B6139.
B613950 m
Turn left onto Hamilton Road.
Hamilton Road499 m
Take the A617 exit on the right.
A6172.9 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 11 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
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 7.0 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 (20, 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.
Hillocks Primary Academy
Start near Hillocks Primary Academy.
Hillocks Primary School
Continue to Hillocks Primary School.
Sutton Parkway
Continue to Sutton Parkway.
Vision West Notts College Engineering Innovation Centre
Continue to Vision West Notts College Engineering Innovation Centre.
Chaggars
Continue to Chaggars.
Marmaris
Continue to Marmaris.
Dandy Cock Alehouse & Gin Parlour
Continue to Dandy Cock Alehouse & Gin Parlour.
Mr Chans
Continue to Mr Chans.
Hill Methodist Church
Continue to Hill Methodist Church.
Kirkby Turkish Barbers
Continue to Kirkby Turkish Barbers.
Leamington Drive
Continue to Leamington Drive, taking the junction with good observation.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Sutton Christian Fellowship
Continue to Sutton Christian Fellowship.
Sutton-in-Ashfield United Reformed Church
Continue to Sutton-in-Ashfield United Reformed Church.
Nags Head
Continue to Nags Head.
Regent
Continue to Regent.
Kingsway
Continue to Kingsway.
Hollinwell Trade Centre Cars Bought For Cash
Continue to Hollinwell Trade Centre Cars Bought For Cash.
Rumble Tums
Continue to Rumble Tums.
Safeway Car Sales
Finish back near Safeway Car Sales, 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 39.2 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Ashfield test centre, not an official DVSA route.