Near Ashfield test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts, 14 turns and 9 signalled junctions across 22 navigation steps.
This is an independent 40.6 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.
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, shops, stations 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 107-step drive on real, named roads (about 40.7 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southwest.
17 m
Turn right onto B6139.
B6139153 m
Turn left onto A38.
A3852 m
Make a sharp right to stay on A38.
A3843 m
Turn left onto Coxmoor Road.
Coxmoor Road398 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 Road982 m
Turn right onto Newark Road/B6022.
Newark Road471 m
Turn right onto Hamilton Road.
Hamilton Road417 m
Turn left.
42 m
Turn right.
11 m
Turn right onto B6139.
B6139252 m
Turn right onto Newark Road/B6022.
Newark Road570 m
Turn left onto Kirkby Folly Road/B6021.
Kirkby Folly Road228 m
Keep right to stay on B6021.
B60212.1 km
Turn left onto Sherwood Street.
Sherwood Street212 m
Turn left onto Marlborough Road.
Marlborough Road87 m
Turn left onto Gladstone Street.
Gladstone Street244 m
Turn right onto Lowmoor Road/B6021.
Lowmoor Road1.4 km
Turn left towards B6021.
Penny Emma Way86 m
Keep right to stay on Penny Emma Way/B6021.
Penny Emma Way767 m
Move left towards A38/Kings Mill Road East.
56 m
Turn right onto A38/Kings Mill Road East. Continue on A38.
A38207 m
Keep left to stay on A38.
A38128 m
Keep left to stay on A38.
A38280 m
Keep straight to stay on A38.
A38997 m
Keep right to stay on A38.
A38207 m
Move left to stay on A38.
A38450 m
Keep right to stay on A38.
A38124 m
Keep right to stay on A38.
A381.2 km
Keep right to stay on A617/Kings Mill Road East.
A617158 m
Make a right U-turn at B6014 to stay on A617/Kings Mill Road East.
A617625 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on A617/Kings Mill Road East.
A617361 m
Keep left to stay on A617/Kings Mill Road East.
A617101 m
Keep right to stay on A617/Kings Mill Road East.
A617158 m
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 Lane884 m
Keep right to stay on Skegby Lane/B6014.
Skegby Lane835 m
Turn left onto Dalestorth Road.
Dalestorth Road695 m
Turn left to stay on Dalestorth Road.
Dalestorth Road56 m
Turn left onto Skegby Road.
Skegby Road273 m
Turn left onto Mansfield Road/B6023.
Mansfield Road1.0 km
Turn left towards A617/Kings Mill Road East.
A617810 m
Keep left to stay on A617/Kings Mill Road East.
A617101 m
Keep right to stay on A617/Kings Mill Road East.
A617151 m
Turn left onto Mansfield Road/B6014.
Mansfield Road319 m
Turn left onto Bingham Avenue.
Bingham Avenue268 m
Move right.
18 m
Make a right U-turn.
18 m
Turn left onto Bingham Avenue.
Bingham Avenue268 m
Turn right onto Mansfield Road/B6014.
Mansfield Road259 m
Turn right onto Dalestorth Road.
Dalestorth Road679 m
Turn left to stay on Dalestorth Road.
Dalestorth Road56 m
Turn left onto Skegby Road.
Skegby Road273 m
Turn left onto Mansfield Road/B6023.
Mansfield Road971 m
Take the A38 exit on the right.
113 m
Turn right onto A617.
A61729 m
Move right onto A38.
A38190 m
Keep left to stay on A38.
A38702 m
Keep left to stay on A38.
A38136 m
Keep right to stay on A38.
A38843 m
Keep left to stay on A38.
A38153 m
Keep right to stay on A38.
A38469 m
Keep left to take A38/Kings Mill Road East.
A38204 m
Keep left to stay on A38/Kings Mill Road East.
A38572 m
Turn left towards B6018/Sutton Road.
Sutton Road1.5 km
Turn left onto Chapel Street/B6020. Continue on B6020.
B6020400 m
Turn right onto New Line Road.
New Line Road18 m
Keep left to stay on New Line Road.
New Line Road262 m
Turn right.
28 m
Make a right U-turn.
28 m
Turn left onto New Line Road.
New Line Road281 m
Turn left onto The Hill/B6020. Continue on B6020.
B6020399 m
Turn right onto Sutton Road/B6018.
Sutton Road2.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Spring Road.
16 m
Exit the roundabout onto Spring Road.
Spring Road418 m
Turn right onto Lammas Road/B6023.
Lammas Road388 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Priestsic Road.
6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Priestsic Road.
Priestsic Road741 m
Turn left onto Stoneyford Road/B6028.
Stoneyford Road963 m
Keep right to stay on Stoneyford Road/B6028.
Stoneyford Road113 m
Turn left onto Carsic Road.
Carsic Road942 m
Turn left onto Carsic Lane.
Carsic Lane469 m
Turn left onto Lammas Road/B6023.
Lammas Road65 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Priestsic Road.
6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Priestsic Road.
Priestsic Road423 m
Turn left onto Northern View.
Northern View111 m
Turn left onto Bishop Street.
Bishop Street111 m
Turn left onto Edwin Street.
Edwin Street105 m
Turn right onto Priestsic Road/B6023.
Priestsic Road68 m
Turn left onto Northern Bridge Road.
Northern Bridge Road247 m
Turn left onto Outram Street.
Outram Street325 m
Turn right onto Stoney Street.
Stoney Street47 m
Turn right onto Bowne Street.
Bowne Street214 m
Turn right onto Penn Street.
Penn Street71 m
Turn left onto Outram Street.
Outram Street78 m
Turn left to stay on Outram Street.
Outram Street200 m
Move left onto Forest Street.
Forest Street162 m
Move left onto Station Road.
Station Road662 m
Turn left onto A38.
A38900 m
Turn left towards Coxmoor Road.
Coxmoor Road364 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Ashfield · Route 16 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.
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 9.3 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.
Kam Servicing
Continue to Kam Servicing.
storagefirst.com
Continue to storagefirst.com.
County Battery
Continue to County Battery.
Sutton Parkway
Continue to Sutton Parkway.
Vision West Notts College Engineering Innovation Centre
Continue to Vision West Notts College Engineering Innovation Centre.
Fox and Crown
Continue to Fox and Crown.
Blue Bell
Continue to Blue Bell.
Speed The Plough
Continue to Speed The Plough.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Hill Methodist Church
Continue to Hill Methodist Church.
Ashfield Fire Station
Continue to Ashfield Fire Station.
Lammas School
Continue to Lammas School.
Staff of Life
Continue to Staff of Life.
Tina's Hair and Beauty
Continue to Tina's Hair and Beauty.
Firerock
Continue to Firerock.
Wrinkly Dog
Continue to Wrinkly Dog.
St Joseph the Worker
Continue to St Joseph the Worker.
Sutton Christian Fellowship
Finish back near Sutton Christian Fellowship, 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 40.6 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.