Near Bolton test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 18 turns and 5 signalled junctions across 27 navigation steps.
This is an independent 55.1 km practice route near Bolton 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.
On this route you’ll practise roundabout approach & exit, dual-carriageway joins, 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, churches and stations, 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 Bolton 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 113-step drive on real, named roads (about 55.1 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive east.
129 m
Turn right.
22 m
Turn left onto Weston Street.
Weston Street638 m
Turn right onto Manchester Road/B6536.
Manchester Road232 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Manchester Road/B6536.
Manchester Road227 m
Turn left onto Weston Street.
Weston Street811 m
Turn left onto Rishton Lane.
Rishton Lane174 m
Turn right onto Settle Street.
Settle Street186 m
Turn left onto Rupert Street.
Rupert Street46 m
Turn left onto Alder Street.
Alder Street121 m
Turn left onto Back Rishton Lane.
Back Rishton Lane49 m
Turn left onto Settle Street.
Settle Street338 m
Turn left onto Langdale Street.
Langdale Street31 m
Turn right onto Back Settle Street.
Back Settle Street101 m
Turn right onto Monton Street.
Monton Street29 m
Turn right onto Settle Street.
Settle Street293 m
Turn right onto Rupert Street.
Rupert Street46 m
Turn left onto Alder Street.
Alder Street24 m
Turn right onto Back Rupert Street.
Back Rupert Street42 m
Turn left onto Beechwood Street.
Beechwood Street109 m
Turn left onto Rishton Lane.
Rishton Lane282 m
Move left onto Grecian Crescent.
Grecian Crescent354 m
Turn right onto Lever Street.
Lever Street241 m
Turn left onto Coe Street.
Coe Street92 m
Turn left onto St Mark's Street.
St Mark's Street238 m
Turn right onto Fletcher Street.
Fletcher Street169 m
Turn left onto Bridgeman Street.
Bridgeman Street526 m
Turn right onto High Street.
High Street61 m
Turn left onto Back High Street West.
Back High Street West28 m
Turn left onto Back High Street South.
Back High Street South46 m
Turn left onto Bridgeman Street.
Bridgeman Street386 m
Turn left onto Rothwell Street.
Rothwell Street42 m
Turn left onto Clarendon Street.
Clarendon Street110 m
Turn left onto Worsley Street.
Worsley Street41 m
Turn right onto Bridgeman Street.
Bridgeman Street435 m
Turn right onto Swan Lane.
Swan Lane245 m
Turn right onto Derby Street/A579. Continue on A579.
A579930 m
Turn left onto Moor Lane/A676.
Moor Lane138 m
Turn right to stay on Moor Lane/A676.
Moor Lane387 m
Turn left onto Spa Road/B6203.
Spa Road65 m
Move right onto White Lion Brow.
White Lion Brow119 m
Turn right onto St Helena Road.
St Helena Road232 m
Turn left onto Noel Street.
Noel Street78 m
Turn left onto St Georges Road/B6205. Continue on St Georges Road.
St Georges Road120 m
Turn left onto Marsden Road/A676.
Marsden Road625 m
Move right onto Moor Lane/A676. Continue on A676.
A6761.7 km
Turn left onto Hawthorne Road.
Hawthorne Road281 m
Turn right onto Willows Lane.
Willows Lane56 m
Turn left onto Ashton Street.
Ashton Street115 m
Turn right onto Paris Street.
Paris Street92 m
Turn left onto Back Deane Church Lane.
Back Deane Church Lane50 m
Turn right onto Hawthorne Road.
Hawthorne Road31 m
Turn right onto Deane Church Lane.
Deane Church Lane451 m
Turn right onto Wigan Road/A676.
Wigan Road271 m
Turn right onto Greenbank Road.
Greenbank Road100 m
Turn left onto Mount St Joseph's Road.
Mount St Joseph's Road98 m
Turn left onto Hawthorne Road.
Hawthorne Road94 m
Turn left onto Wigan Road/A676.
Wigan Road1.4 km
Turn right onto A58/Beaumont Road.
A581.1 km
Turn right.
50 m
Turn left onto Armadale Road.
Armadale Road178 m
Turn right onto Beaumont Drive.
Beaumont Drive152 m
Turn right onto Glenmore Close.
Glenmore Close108 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Glenmore Close.
Glenmore Close108 m
Turn left onto Beaumont Drive.
Beaumont Drive152 m
Turn left onto Armadale Road.
Armadale Road186 m
Turn right.
50 m
Turn right onto A58/Beaumont Road.
A58765 m
Keep left to stay on A58/Beaumont Road.
A58374 m
Turn right onto A673/Chorley New Road.
A6733.2 km
Move right onto St Georges Road/A673.
St Georges Road326 m
Turn right onto Marsden Road/A676.
Marsden Road634 m
Move right onto Moor Lane/A676.
Moor Lane77 m
Turn left to stay on Moor Lane/A676.
Moor Lane162 m
Turn right onto Trinity Street/A579. Continue on A579.
A579823 m
Turn left onto High Street.
High Street298 m
Turn right onto Bridgeman Street.
Bridgeman Street60 m
Turn right onto Pike Road.
Pike Road108 m
Turn left onto Bowness Road.
Bowness Road107 m
Turn left onto Swan Lane.
Swan Lane101 m
Turn left onto Bridgeman Street.
Bridgeman Street718 m
Move left onto Fletcher Street.
Fletcher Street456 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Thynne Street.
6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Thynne Street.
Thynne Street144 m
Turn right onto Trinity Street/A579. Continue on A579.
A579486 m
Stay straight to take the A666 ramp.
A666848 m
Make a sharp left onto Kay Street/B6206.
B62061.0 km
Turn right onto Trinity Street/A579. Continue on A579.
A5797.9 km
Move right onto A577/Mealhouse Lane.
A577510 m
Turn left onto A577/Bag Lane. Continue on A577.
A577158 m
Move left onto Leigh Road/B5215. Continue on B5215.
B52153.5 km
Turn left onto Lord Street/B5255. Continue on B5255.
B5255502 m
Turn left onto Princess Street.
Princess Street69 m
Turn right onto East Bond Street.
East Bond Street656 m
Turn left onto Holden Road.
Holden Road814 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Hope Street.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hope Street.
Hope Street60 m
Turn left onto Irvine Street.
Irvine Street155 m
Turn right onto Leigh Road/B5215. Continue on B5215.
B52153.0 km
Turn left onto A577/Wigan Road.
A57786 m
Turn right onto A577/Mealhouse Lane.
A577590 m
Keep left to stay on A577/Mealhouse Lane.
A5776.5 km
Turn right onto High Street.
High Street298 m
Turn left onto Bridgeman Street.
Bridgeman Street526 m
Turn right onto Fletcher Street.
Fletcher Street168 m
Turn left onto St Mark's Street.
St Mark's Street324 m
Turn left onto Sidney Street.
Sidney Street75 m
Turn left onto Cochrane Street.
Cochrane Street172 m
Turn right onto Nile Street.
Nile Street178 m
Turn left onto Bridgeman Street.
Bridgeman Street166 m
Turn left onto Fletcher Street.
Fletcher Street613 m
Turn left onto Weston Street.
Weston Street661 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Bolton · Route 1 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.
Roundabout
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 11.1 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 (20, 30, 40, 50 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.
Bolton Islamic Girls School
Start near Bolton Islamic Girls School.
Makkah Masjid
Continue to Makkah Masjid.
Masjid Al-Jamia Darul Quran
Continue to Masjid Al-Jamia Darul Quran.
Claremont Church
Continue to Claremont Church.
Seventh Day Adventist Church
Continue to Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Al Jamiatul Islamiyyah
Continue to Al Jamiatul Islamiyyah.
Deane United Reformed Church
Continue to Deane United Reformed Church.
Unity Church
Continue to Unity Church.
AA
Continue to AA.
Bank Street Unitarian Chapel
Continue to Bank Street Unitarian Chapel.
Shree Kutch Satsang Swaminarayan Temple
Continue to Shree Kutch Satsang Swaminarayan Temple.
St Helens Road Methodist Church
Continue to St Helens Road Methodist Church.
Atherton
Continue to Atherton.
Central Methodist Church
Continue to Central Methodist Church.
St Michael & All Angels
Continue to St Michael & All Angels.
Leigh Spiritualist Temple
Continue to Leigh Spiritualist Temple.
Atherton Evangelical Church
Continue to Atherton Evangelical Church.
Atherton Salvation Army Church
Continue to Atherton Salvation Army Church.
St Andrew's Church Over Hulton
Continue to St Andrew's Church Over Hulton.
Markaz e Ahlebait
Finish back near Markaz e Ahlebait, completing the loop.
1 roundabout · 19 turns · 8 sets of lights
3 roundabouts · 22 turns · 5 sets of lights
3 roundabouts · 18 turns · 6 sets of lights
2 roundabouts · 20 turns · 5 sets of lights
This route is 55.1 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Bolton test centre, not an official DVSA route.