Near Ashfield test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts, 12 turns and 11 signalled junctions across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 55.5 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.
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 shops, churches, stations and schools, 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 105-step drive on real, named roads (about 55.5 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.
A38952 m
Make a right U-turn at Station Road/B6022 to stay on A38.
A38917 m
Move left to stay on A38.
A38221 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
Make a right U-turn onto A617/Sherwood Way South.
A6172.8 km
Turn left onto Hamilton Road.
Hamilton Road589 m
Turn left onto B6139.
B6139202 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 left onto B6139.
B6139850 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
Turn left 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 Road1.4 km
Move right onto Forest Street.
Forest Street130 m
Turn left onto Parliament Street.
Parliament Street104 m
Turn right.
17 m
Turn left.
21 m
Turn right.
15 m
Make a right U-turn.
15 m
Turn left.
21 m
Turn right.
17 m
Turn left onto Parliament Street.
Parliament Street104 m
Turn right onto Forest Street.
Forest Street130 m
Move left 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.
Lowmoor Road900 m
Turn right 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 right onto Southwell Lane.
Southwell Lane325 m
Turn left onto Lowmoor Road/B6021.
Lowmoor Road854 m
Turn left towards B6021.
Penny Emma Way901 m
Turn right onto A38/Kings Mill Road East. Continue on A38.
A381.8 km
Turn left towards Coxmoor Road.
Coxmoor Road474 m
Turn right onto Unwin Road.
Unwin Road94 m
Turn left onto Tom Stimpson Way.
Tom Stimpson Way138 m
Turn right.
40 m
Make a right U-turn.
40 m
Turn left onto Tom Stimpson Way.
Tom Stimpson Way138 m
Turn right onto Unwin Road.
Unwin Road94 m
Turn left onto Coxmoor Road.
Coxmoor Road480 m
Turn right onto A38.
A382.5 km
Turn left towards B6018/Sutton Road.
Sutton Road1.5 km
Turn left onto Chapel Street/B6020. Continue on B6020.
B6020560 m
Turn right onto Wheatley Avenue.
Wheatley Avenue219 m
Turn left onto Chestnut Avenue.
Chestnut Avenue314 m
Turn left onto Regent Street.
Regent Street186 m
Turn left onto Victoria Road/B6020. Continue on B6020.
B6020940 m
Turn right onto Sutton Road/B6018.
Sutton Road1.5 km
Turn right onto A38/Kings Mill Road East. Continue on A38.
A382.5 km
Turn left towards Coxmoor Road.
Coxmoor Road474 m
Turn right onto Unwin Road.
Unwin Road94 m
Turn left onto Tom Stimpson Way.
Tom Stimpson Way138 m
Turn right.
40 m
Make a right U-turn.
40 m
Turn left onto Tom Stimpson Way.
Tom Stimpson Way138 m
Turn left onto Unwin Road.
Unwin Road540 m
Turn right onto Mansfield Road/B6023.
Mansfield Road1.6 km
Make a right U-turn at B6014 onto A38.
A381.4 km
Take the A38 exit.
48 m
Move left onto A38.
A386.4 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 Road1.7 km
Turn right onto Mason Street.
Mason Street280 m
Turn right onto Unwin Road.
Unwin Road263 m
Turn right onto Coxmoor Road.
Coxmoor Road77 m
Move right onto Eastfield Side.
Eastfield Side313 m
Turn left onto Potter Street.
Potter Street100 m
Turn left onto Herne Street.
Herne Street146 m
Turn right onto Eastfield Side.
Eastfield Side159 m
Move left onto Coxmoor Road.
Coxmoor Road186 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Ashfield · Route 7 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.
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 27.1 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, 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.
Fair Price
Start near Fair Price.
Ron Currie and Sons
Continue to Ron Currie and Sons.
St Joseph the Worker
Continue to St Joseph the Worker.
Sutton Christian Fellowship
Continue to Sutton Christian Fellowship.
All Occasions
Continue to All Occasions.
Sutton Parkway
Continue to Sutton Parkway.
Vision West Notts College Engineering Innovation Centre
Continue to Vision West Notts College Engineering Innovation Centre.
Hillocks Primary Academy
Continue to Hillocks Primary Academy.
Hillocks Primary School
Continue to Hillocks Primary School.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Mr Chans
Continue to Mr Chans.
Hill Methodist Church
Continue to Hill Methodist Church.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Nell Gwyn
Continue to Nell Gwyn.
Sutton Road Caravans
Continue to Sutton Road Caravans.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Duke of Sussex
Continue to Duke of Sussex.
Lammas School
Continue to Lammas School.
Bridge Baptist Church
Continue to Bridge Baptist Church.
Junction 28 Remaps
Finish back near Junction 28 Remaps, completing the loop.
4 roundabouts · 10 turns · 11 sets of lights
10 roundabouts · 12 turns · 8 sets of lights
5 roundabouts · 11 turns · 9 sets of lights
5 roundabouts · 12 turns · 10 sets of lights
This route is 55.5 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.