Near Ashfield test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 11 turns and 9 signalled junctions across 22 navigation steps.
This is an independent 44.4 km practice route near Ashfield test centre, taking roughly 35 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 schools, shops, 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 70-step drive on real, named roads (about 44.4 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 Road282 m
Turn left onto A38.
A38170 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 South3.5 km
Turn left onto A60/Nottingham Road.
A601.7 km
Turn right onto Forest Road/B6030.
Forest Road790 m
Turn left onto Littleworth.
Littleworth145 m
Turn right onto Cavendish Street.
Cavendish Street175 m
Turn right onto Derby Street.
Derby Street213 m
Turn right onto Fisher Lane.
Fisher Lane211 m
Turn left onto Littleworth.
Littleworth64 m
Turn right onto Forest Road/B6030.
Forest Road791 m
Turn left onto A60/Nottingham Road.
A601.2 km
Turn right onto Derby Road/A611.
Derby Road5.5 km
Turn right onto Shoulder of Mutton Hill/B6021. Continue on B6021.
B60211.6 km
Turn left onto Station Street/B6020.
Station Street251 m
Turn right onto Portland Street.
Portland Street135 m
Turn right onto Pond Street.
Pond Street180 m
Turn left onto Lowmoor Road/B6021. Continue on B6021.
B60212.2 km
Turn right onto Farndon Road.
Farndon Road20 m
Turn right onto Kirkby Folly Road.
Kirkby Folly Road178 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Kirkby Folly Road.
Kirkby Folly Road178 m
Turn left onto Farndon Road.
Farndon Road20 m
Turn left onto Kirkby Folly Road/B6021. Continue on B6021.
B60212.3 km
Turn left onto Station Street/B6020. Continue on B6020.
B60201.1 km
Turn right.
17 m
Turn left.
114 m
Turn left.
17 m
Turn left onto Diamond Avenue/B6020. Continue on B6020.
B60201.4 km
Turn right onto Portland Street.
Portland Street135 m
Turn right onto Pond Street.
Pond Street180 m
Turn left onto Lowmoor Road/B6021.
Lowmoor Road1.5 km
Turn left towards B6021.
Penny Emma Way901 m
Turn right onto A38/Kings Mill Road East. Continue on A38.
A381.8 km
Move left to stay on A38.
A38748 m
Take the A38 exit on the right towards Mansfield Road.
113 m
Turn right onto A38/Mansfield Road. Continue on A38.
A381.4 km
Make a right U-turn at B6014 to stay on A38.
A381.4 km
Take the A38 exit.
48 m
Move left onto A38.
A381.7 km
Turn left towards B6022/Station Road.
Station Road206 m
Turn left onto Pepper Street.
Pepper Street350 m
Turn right onto Sheepwash Lane.
Sheepwash Lane287 m
Turn right onto Station Road/B6022.
Station Road373 m
Turn right onto A38.
A38901 m
Move left to stay on A38.
A38748 m
Take the A38 exit on the right towards Mansfield Road.
113 m
Turn right onto A38/Mansfield Road. Continue on A38.
A381.2 km
Turn right onto Hermitage Lane.
Hermitage Lane950 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 Road685 m
Turn left onto B6139.
B6139202 m
Turn right onto Newark Road/B6022.
Newark Road285 m
Turn left onto Searby Road.
Searby Road18 m
Turn right onto Newark Road.
Newark Road472 m
Turn right onto Farndon Road.
Farndon Road20 m
Turn right onto Kirkby Folly Road/B6021.
Kirkby Folly Road238 m
Turn right onto Newark Road/B6022.
Newark Road569 m
Turn left onto B6139.
B61391.1 km
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Ashfield · Route 3 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 17.8 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.
Hillocks Primary Academy
Start near Hillocks Primary Academy.
Hillocks Primary School
Continue to Hillocks Primary School.
Parkway Specialist Cars
Continue to Parkway Specialist Cars.
Rushley
Continue to Rushley.
Hollinwell Trade Centre Cars Bought For Cash
Continue to Hollinwell Trade Centre Cars Bought For Cash.
Kirkby Community Church
Continue to Kirkby Community Church.
Saint Thomas
Continue to Saint Thomas.
storagefirst.com
Continue to storagefirst.com.
Taste Cafe
Continue to Taste Cafe.
Doghouse
Continue to Doghouse.
Regent
Continue to Regent.
Diamond Stores
Continue to Diamond Stores.
Owenson's
Continue to Owenson's.
Sutton Parkway
Continue to Sutton Parkway.
Vision West Notts College Engineering Innovation Centre
Continue to Vision West Notts College Engineering Innovation Centre.
Nell Gwyn
Continue to Nell Gwyn.
Sir John Cockle
Continue to Sir John Cockle.
A. W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service Ltd.
Continue to A. W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service Ltd..
Hamilton Road
Continue to Hamilton Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Kam Servicing
Finish back near Kam Servicing, 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 · 12 turns · 10 sets of lights
This route is 44.4 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Ashfield test centre, not an official DVSA route.