Near Ashfield test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts, 16 turns and 9 signalled junctions across 27 navigation steps.
This is an independent 36.9 km practice route near Ashfield test centre, taking roughly 40 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 Ladybrook Lane. 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 multiple roundabouts, 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 71-step drive on real, named roads (about 36.8 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 Road982 m
Turn right onto Newark Road/B6022.
Newark Road285 m
Turn left onto Searby Road.
Searby Road18 m
Turn right onto Newark Road.
Newark Road650 m
Make a right U-turn onto Kirkby Folly Road.
Kirkby Folly Road178 m
Make a left U-turn at Farndon Road onto Kirkby Folly Road/B6021.
Kirkby Folly Road621 m
Turn right onto Penny Emma Way/B6021.
Penny Emma Way881 m
Turn right onto A38/Kings Mill Road East. Continue on A38.
A381.8 km
Turn right onto B6139.
B6139745 m
Turn right onto Newark Road/B6022. Continue on B6022.
B60221.3 km
Turn left onto A38.
A384.7 km
Take the B6406 exit.
233 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Berristow Lane/B6406.
64 m
Exit the roundabout onto Berristow Lane/B6406.
Berristow Lane86 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit.
131 m
Exit the roundabout onto A38/Alfreton Road.
A381.9 km
Turn left towards B6023/Alfreton Road.
Alfreton Road969 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Alfreton Road/B6023.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Alfreton Road/B6023.
Alfreton Road714 m
Turn left onto Lammas Road/B6023.
Lammas Road675 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Priestsic Road.
6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Priestsic Road.
Priestsic Road741 m
Turn right onto Downing Street.
Downing Street186 m
Turn right onto Outram Street.
Outram Street328 m
Turn left onto Penn Street.
Penn Street71 m
Turn left onto Bowne Street.
Bowne Street214 m
Turn left onto Stoney Street.
Stoney Street47 m
Turn right onto Outram Street.
Outram Street724 m
Turn right onto Dalestorth Road.
Dalestorth Road171 m
Turn right onto Dalestorth Close.
Dalestorth Close123 m
Turn right to stay on Dalestorth Close.
Dalestorth Close18 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Dalestorth Close.
Dalestorth Close18 m
Turn left to stay on Dalestorth Close.
Dalestorth Close123 m
Turn right onto Dalestorth Road.
Dalestorth Road508 m
Turn right onto Mansfield Road/B6014. Continue on B6014.
B60141.1 km
Turn left onto Ladybrook Lane.
Ladybrook Lane108 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Ladybrook Lane.
131 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ladybrook Lane.
Ladybrook Lane108 m
Turn right onto Skegby Lane/B6014. Continue on B6014.
B60141.1 km
Turn left onto Dalestorth Road.
Dalestorth Road695 m
Turn left to stay on Dalestorth Road.
Dalestorth Road56 m
Turn left onto Skegby Road.
Skegby Road194 m
Turn left onto Hill Crescent.
Hill Crescent802 m
Turn right onto Mansfield Road/B6023.
Mansfield Road504 m
Turn left onto Eastfield Side.
Eastfield Side487 m
Move left onto Coxmoor Road.
Coxmoor Road77 m
Turn left onto Unwin Road.
Unwin Road263 m
Turn left onto Mason Street.
Mason Street280 m
Turn right onto Mansfield Road/B6023.
Mansfield Road374 m
Keep right to take Unwin Road.
Unwin Road52 m
Turn right to stay on Unwin Road.
Unwin Road637 m
Turn left onto Coxmoor Road.
Coxmoor Road480 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 Road1.5 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. Continue on B6021.
B60212.2 km
Turn right onto Newark Road/B6022.
Newark Road99 m
Turn left onto Hamilton Road.
Hamilton Road418 m
Turn left.
42 m
Turn right.
11 m
Turn left onto B6139.
B6139805 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Ashfield · Route 17 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.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 9.9 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 (20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 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 School
Start near Hillocks Primary School.
Premier
Continue to Premier.
Sutton Parkway
Continue to Sutton Parkway.
Lion Motor Group
Continue to Lion Motor Group.
Scruffy Dog
Continue to Scruffy Dog.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Duke of Sussex
Continue to Duke of Sussex.
Lammas School
Continue to Lammas School.
New Cross Community Church (St Michael)
Continue to New Cross Community Church (St Michael).
Salvation Army - Sutton-in-Ashfield
Continue to Salvation Army - Sutton-in-Ashfield.
Wet Pets
Continue to Wet Pets.
Ladybrook Lane
Continue to Ladybrook Lane, taking the junction with good observation.
Fox and Crown
Continue to Fox and Crown.
Select And Save
Continue to Select And Save.
Speed The Plough
Continue to Speed The Plough.
Hillocks Primary Academy
Continue to Hillocks Primary Academy.
India
Continue to India.
Golden Stars
Continue to Golden Stars.
Ron Currie and Sons
Finish back near Ron Currie and Sons, 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 36.9 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Ashfield test centre, not an official DVSA route.