Near Ashfield test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 3 roundabouts, 12 turns and 10 signalled junctions across 19 navigation steps.
This is an independent 34.9 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 multiple roundabouts, 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 churches, schools, pubs and shops, 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 60-step drive on real, named roads (about 34.9 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.
B6139709 m
Move right onto Eastfield Side.
Eastfield Side487 m
Turn right onto Mansfield Road/B6023.
Mansfield Road504 m
Turn left onto Hill Crescent.
Hill Crescent59 m
Turn right onto Lawrence Crescent.
Lawrence Crescent195 m
Turn left onto Roosevelt Road.
Roosevelt Road48 m
Turn left onto Hill Crescent.
Hill Crescent155 m
Turn right onto Mansfield Road/B6023.
Mansfield Road851 m
Move left onto Outram Street.
Outram Street577 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.
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.
A381.4 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.
A383.3 km
Turn left towards B6018/Sutton Road.
Sutton Road539 m
Turn left onto Wentworth Road.
Wentworth Road398 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Wentworth Road.
48 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wentworth Road.
Wentworth Road397 m
Turn right onto Sutton Road/B6018.
Sutton Road476 m
Turn right onto A38/Kings Mill Road East. Continue on A38.
A382.5 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.
A382.6 km
Keep right to take A38/Stockwell Gate.
A3837 m
Turn right onto A6009/Rosemary Street.
A6009399 m
Move left to stay on A6009.
A6009669 m
Turn right onto Ratcliffe Gate/A6191.
Ratcliffe Gate355 m
Turn right onto Broxtowe Drive.
Broxtowe Drive351 m
Turn left 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.
A601.6 km
Take the A617 exit on the right.
100 m
Turn right onto A617/Sherwood Way South.
A6173.5 km
Take the A38 exit.
A38268 m
Turn right onto Coxmoor Road.
Coxmoor Road455 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 Road472 m
Turn right onto Farndon Road.
Farndon Road20 m
Turn right onto Kirkby Folly Road/B6021.
Kirkby Folly Road238 m
Turn left onto Station Road/B6022. Continue on Station Road.
Station Road1.3 km
Turn left.
36 m
Make a sharp left.
51 m
Turn right onto Station Road.
Station Road563 m
Turn left onto A38.
A38901 m
Turn left towards Coxmoor Road.
Coxmoor Road364 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Ashfield · Route 5 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.
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 20.4 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.
Bridge Baptist Church
Start near Bridge Baptist Church.
Hillocks Primary Academy
Continue to Hillocks Primary Academy.
St Joseph the Worker
Continue to St Joseph the Worker.
Sutton Christian Fellowship
Continue to Sutton Christian Fellowship.
Nell Gwyn
Continue to Nell Gwyn.
Sutton Road News
Continue to Sutton Road News.
Sutton Road Caravans
Continue to Sutton Road Caravans.
Ashfield Fire Station
Continue to Ashfield Fire Station.
Red
Continue to Red.
William IV
Continue to William IV.
Brown Cow
Continue to Brown Cow.
Kings Arms
Continue to Kings Arms.
Rushley
Continue to Rushley.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Fair Price
Continue to Fair Price.
Rumble Tums
Continue to Rumble Tums.
Ron Currie and Sons
Continue to Ron Currie and Sons.
Scruffy Dog
Continue to Scruffy Dog.
A. W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service Ltd.
Continue to A. W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service Ltd..
Lidl
Finish back near Lidl, 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 34.9 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.