Near Bolton test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 17 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 21 navigation steps.
This is an independent 23.5 km practice route near Bolton test centre, taking roughly 25 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 Redgate Way and Thynne Street. 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 multiple roundabouts, 20 mph zones, 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 named junctions, 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 79-step drive on real, named roads (about 23.5 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 right onto Back Rishton Lane.
Back Rishton Lane46 m
Turn left onto Beechwood Street.
Beechwood Street38 m
Turn right onto Rishton Lane.
Rishton Lane154 m
Turn left onto Walker Avenue.
Walker Avenue306 m
Turn right onto Royland Avenue.
Royland Avenue109 m
Turn left onto Green Lane.
Green Lane189 m
Turn left onto Bradford Road.
Bradford Road420 m
Turn left onto Parkfield Road.
Parkfield Road167 m
Turn left onto Newport Road.
Newport Road54 m
Turn left onto Smedley Avenue.
Smedley Avenue159 m
Turn right onto Bradford Road.
Bradford Road860 m
Turn right onto Minerva Road.
Minerva Road72 m
Turn left onto Broadway.
Broadway35 m
Turn right onto Kingsland Road.
Kingsland Road329 m
Turn left onto Silverdale Road.
Silverdale Road182 m
Turn left onto Bradford Road.
Bradford Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Parkfield Road.
Parkfield Road167 m
Turn left onto Newport Road.
Newport Road54 m
Turn left onto Smedley Avenue.
Smedley Avenue159 m
Turn right onto Bradford Road.
Bradford Road1.5 km
Turn right onto Plodder Lane/B6199.
Plodder Lane593 m
Turn right onto Redgate Way.
Redgate Way460 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Redgate Way.
18 m
Exit the roundabout onto Redgate Way.
Redgate Way673 m
Turn left onto Bradford Road.
Bradford Road1.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Thynne Street.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Thynne Street.
Thynne Street188 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Thynne Street.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Thynne Street.
Thynne Street116 m
Turn left onto Trinity Street/A579.
Trinity Street440 m
Turn right onto Moor Lane/A676.
Moor Lane148 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.
Moor Lane77 m
Turn left to stay on Moor Lane/A676.
Moor Lane122 m
Turn left onto Trinity Street/A579.
Trinity Street443 m
Turn right onto Thynne Street.
Thynne Street151 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Thynne Street.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Thynne Street.
Thynne Street189 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Thynne Street.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Thynne Street.
Thynne Street735 m
Move right onto Bradford Road.
Bradford Road680 m
Turn left onto Green Lane.
Green Lane312 m
Turn right onto Bishops Road.
Bishops Road82 m
Turn right onto Lakeside Avenue.
Lakeside Avenue131 m
Turn right onto Lowther Street.
Lowther Street73 m
Turn left onto Green Lane.
Green Lane833 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 Lane1.1 km
Turn right onto Aldersyde Street.
Aldersyde Street186 m
Turn right onto Chelsea Road.
Chelsea Road315 m
Turn right onto Auberson Road.
Auberson Road131 m
Turn left onto Lever Edge Lane.
Lever Edge Lane689 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 Lane876 m
Turn left onto Leverhulme Avenue.
Leverhulme Avenue253 m
Turn left onto Westbourne Avenue.
Westbourne Avenue242 m
Turn right onto Bradford Road.
Bradford Road552 m
Turn right onto Weston Street.
Weston Street125 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Bolton · Route 4 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.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
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.
Fiat
Continue to Fiat.
Newsmart Off Licence
Continue to Newsmart Off Licence.
Valentino's
Continue to Valentino's.
Lord's School
Continue to Lord's School.
Southfields
Continue to Southfields.
La Petite Salon
Continue to La Petite Salon.
Redgate Way
Continue to Redgate Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Mistry's Bakery
Continue to Mistry's Bakery.
Sweet Green Tavern
Continue to Sweet Green Tavern.
Thynne Street
Continue to Thynne Street, taking the junction with good observation.
Bolton Sixth Form College - Town Centre Campus
Continue to Bolton Sixth Form College - Town Centre Campus.
Salvation Army Bolton Citadel
Continue to Salvation Army Bolton Citadel.
St. Edmunds Catholic Church
Continue to St. Edmunds Catholic Church.
AA
Continue to AA.
Bolton
Continue to Bolton.
Fraser's
Continue to Fraser's.
St. William of York Roman Catholic Church
Continue to St. William of York Roman Catholic Church.
J. Maher
Continue to J. Maher.
Rose Hill United Reformed Church
Finish back near Rose Hill United Reformed Church, 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 23.5 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Bolton test centre, not an official DVSA route.