Near Bolton test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts, 14 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 21 navigation steps.
This is an independent 64.6 km practice route near Bolton 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, 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 churches, schools, shops 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 97-step drive on real, named roads (about 64.6 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 Street464 m
Turn left onto Newport Road.
Newport Road79 m
Turn right onto Back Cecilia Street.
Back Cecilia Street27 m
Turn left onto Back Newport Road.
Back Newport Road38 m
Turn right onto Richelieu Street.
Richelieu Street47 m
Turn left onto Holmes Street.
Holmes Street146 m
Turn right onto Parkfield Road.
Parkfield Road47 m
Turn left onto Claymore Street.
Claymore Street26 m
Turn left onto Back Parkfield Road.
Back Parkfield Road103 m
Turn left onto Newport Road.
Newport Road28 m
Turn left onto Parkfield Road.
Parkfield Road347 m
Turn left onto Rishton Lane.
Rishton Lane29 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 right onto Back Rishton Lane.
Back Rishton Lane46 m
Turn left onto Beechwood Street.
Beechwood Street38 m
Turn right onto Rishton Lane.
Rishton Lane241 m
Turn right onto Lever Edge Lane.
Lever Edge Lane209 m
Turn right onto Milford Road.
Milford Road37 m
Turn right onto Back Lever Edge Lane.
Back Lever Edge Lane59 m
Turn right onto Calvert Road.
Calvert Road34 m
Turn right onto Lever Edge Lane.
Lever Edge Lane416 m
Turn left onto Halsall Drive.
Halsall Drive182 m
Turn left onto Netherfield Road.
Netherfield Road98 m
Turn left onto Linacre Avenue.
Linacre Avenue169 m
Turn left onto Garswood Road.
Garswood Road120 m
Turn left onto Ainsdale Road.
Ainsdale Road165 m
Turn right onto Halsall Drive.
Halsall Drive65 m
Turn right onto Lever Edge Lane.
Lever Edge Lane354 m
Turn left onto Milford Road.
Milford Road37 m
Turn right onto Back Lever Edge Lane.
Back Lever Edge Lane59 m
Turn right onto Calvert Road.
Calvert Road34 m
Turn left onto Lever Edge Lane.
Lever Edge Lane1.6 km
Turn right onto Manchester Road/B6536. Continue on Manchester Road.
Manchester Road663 m
Make a sharp right onto Manchester Road/A575.
Manchester Road273 m
Take the A666 exit on the right.
A6663.1 km
Turn left onto Topp Way/A673.
Topp Way407 m
Keep left to take Duke Street.
Duke Street231 m
Turn right onto Bark Street.
Bark Street73 m
Turn left.
25 m
Turn right onto St Helena Road.
St Helena Road108 m
Turn right onto Pool Street.
Pool Street124 m
Turn left onto St Georges Road.
St Georges Road38 m
Turn right onto Topp Way/A673.
Topp Way690 m
Turn right onto A666/St. Peter's Way.
A6665.2 km
Take the Kearsley Interchange exit towards Kearsley.
A666399 m
Enter Kearsley Interchange and take the 3rd exit onto Bolton Road/A6053.
Kearsley Interchange196 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bolton Road/A6053.
Bolton Road231 m
Move left onto Longcauseway/A5082. Continue on A5082.
A50821.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Cleggs Lane/A5082.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cleggs Lane/A5082. Continue on A5082.
A50823.2 km
Turn right onto Sale Lane/A577. Continue on A577.
A5772.2 km
Turn right onto Castle Street/A577. Continue on A577.
A5771.5 km
Turn right onto High Street.
High Street330 m
Turn right onto A579/Bolton Road. Continue on A579.
A5793.1 km
Turn left onto A6/Manchester Road.
A61.9 km
Enter Chequerbent Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A58/Snydale Way.
Chequerbent Roundabout224 m
Exit the roundabout onto A58/Snydale Way. Continue on A58.
A58640 m
Enter Hunger Hill Interchange and take the 2nd exit onto A58/Snydale Way.
Hunger Hill Interchange164 m
Exit the roundabout onto A58/Snydale Way.
A583.5 km
Turn left onto Board Street.
Board Street103 m
Turn left onto Gibraltar Street.
Gibraltar Street111 m
Turn left onto Gilnow Lane.
Gilnow Lane107 m
Turn right onto Deane Road/A676. Continue on A676.
A6761.3 km
Turn left onto Hulton Lane/A6145.
Hulton Lane1.2 km
Turn right onto St Helens Road/A579. Continue on A579.
A5794.5 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 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.
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 23.3 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.
St. William of York Roman Catholic Church
Start near St. William of York Roman Catholic Church.
Lord's School
Continue to Lord's School.
Williams BMW Mini
Continue to Williams BMW Mini.
Bethel Church
Continue to Bethel Church.
Madinah Masjid
Continue to Madinah Masjid.
New Jerusalem Church
Continue to New Jerusalem Church.
Wharton & Cleggs Lane Church
Continue to Wharton & Cleggs Lane Church.
Sacred Heart (closed)
Continue to Sacred Heart (closed).
Atherton
Continue to Atherton.
St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church
Continue to St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church.
Deane United Reformed Church
Continue to Deane United Reformed Church.
Al-huda Academy
Continue to Al-huda Academy.
Red Lion
Continue to Red Lion.
St Michael & All Angels
Continue to St Michael & All Angels.
St Mary the Virgin
Continue to St Mary the Virgin.
AG Motor Spares
Continue to AG Motor Spares.
Atherton Evangelical Church
Continue to Atherton Evangelical Church.
St Helens Road Methodist Church
Continue to St Helens Road Methodist Church.
Shree Kutch Satsang Swaminarayan Temple
Continue to Shree Kutch Satsang Swaminarayan Temple.
Makkah Masjid
Finish back near Makkah Masjid, 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 64.6 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Bolton test centre, not an official DVSA route.