Near Burton-on-Trent test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts and 17 turns across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 48.5 km practice loop near Burton-on-Trent 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.
Along the way you'll meet Branston Interchange. 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, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, independent driving 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, schools, churches and pubs, 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 Burton-on-Trent 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 101-step drive on real, named roads (about 48.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northwest on Wellington Park.
Wellington Park187 m
Turn right onto A5121/Wellington Road.
A51211.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards B5017/B5234/Abbots Bromley.
7 m
Exit the roundabout towards B5017/B5234/Abbots Bromley.
Shobnall Road145 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards A38/Lichfield/Derby.
21 m
Exit the roundabout towards A38/Lichfield/Derby.
Parkway634 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Parkway.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Parkway.
Parkway198 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Parkway.
49 m
Exit the roundabout onto Parkway.
Parkway539 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Parkway.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Parkway.
Parkway238 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards A38/A5121/Lichfield/Derby.
76 m
Exit the roundabout towards A38/A5121/Lichfield/Derby.
A5121780 m
Turn left onto Main Street/B5018. Continue on B5018.
B50181.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Burton Road/B5018.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Burton Road/B5018. Continue on B5018.
B50181.6 km
Turn left.
46 m
Move left towards A5189/Lichfield/Derby.
A518954 m
Move right to stay on A5189.
A518970 m
Enter Evershed Roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards B5018/Town Centre.
Evershed Roundabout34 m
Exit the roundabout towards B5018/Town Centre.
B50181.0 km
Turn left onto A511/Horninglow Street.
A511706 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A5121/Derby Road.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5121/Derby Road.
A5121996 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A5121/Derby Road.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5121/Derby Road.
A5121995 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A5121/Derby Road.
49 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5121/Derby Road. Continue on A5121.
A5121985 m
Take the A38 exit.
A386.8 km
Take the Branston Interchange exit onto A5121 towards Burton-upon-Trent (South).
A38282 m
Enter Branston Interchange and take the 1st exit towards A5121/Burton-upon-Trent.
Branston Interchange9 m
Exit the roundabout towards A5121/Burton-upon-Trent.
A5121154 m
Turn right onto Main Street/B5018. Continue on B5018.
B50181.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Burton Road/B5018.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Burton Road/B5018. Continue on B5018.
B50181.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards A5189/M42/Leicester/Nuneaton.
49 m
Exit the roundabout towards A5189/M42/Leicester/Nuneaton.
A5189916 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards A444/Nuneaton.
30 m
Exit the roundabout towards A444/Nuneaton.
A444504 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Violet Way.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Violet Way.
Violet Way1.1 km
Turn right onto Tutbury Drive.
Tutbury Drive85 m
Turn left onto Claymills Close.
Claymills Close94 m
Turn right.
1 m
Make a right U-turn.
1 m
Turn left onto Claymills Close.
Claymills Close94 m
Turn right onto Tutbury Drive.
Tutbury Drive85 m
Turn left onto Grafton Road.
Grafton Road89 m
Turn right onto Beaufort Road.
Beaufort Road594 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Beaufort Road.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Beaufort Road.
Beaufort Road770 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A511/Ashby Road.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto A511/Ashby Road. Continue on A511.
A5113.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A5121/Derby Road.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5121/Derby Road.
A5121996 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A5121/Derby Road.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5121/Derby Road.
A5121995 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto James Brindley Way.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto James Brindley Way.
James Brindley Way453 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Hillfield Lane.
98 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hillfield Lane.
Hillfield Lane499 m
Turn right onto Church Road.
Church Road10 m
Turn left onto Bridge Street.
Bridge Street1.4 km
Turn left onto Rolleston Road.
Rolleston Road932 m
Turn left onto A511/Horninglow Road North. Continue on A511.
A5111.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto A511/Horninglow Road.
75 m
Exit the roundabout onto A511/Horninglow Road. Continue on A511.
A5111.3 km
Turn left onto Dover Road.
Dover Road367 m
Turn left onto Calais Road.
Calais Road189 m
Turn right onto Foston Avenue.
Foston Avenue277 m
Turn right onto Charnwood Road.
Charnwood Road372 m
Turn right onto Bosworth Drive.
Bosworth Drive392 m
Turn right onto Charnwood Road.
Charnwood Road358 m
Turn right onto Calais Road.
Calais Road359 m
Turn right onto Foston Avenue.
Foston Avenue277 m
Turn left onto Norton Road.
Norton Road142 m
Turn left onto Harbury Street.
Harbury Street168 m
Turn left onto Swannington Street.
Swannington Street141 m
Turn right onto Foston Avenue.
Foston Avenue820 m
Turn right onto A511/Horninglow Road.
A511754 m
Turn right onto Dallow Street.
Dallow Street90 m
Move left onto Victoria Street.
Victoria Street189 m
Turn left onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road105 m
Turn right onto A5121/Derby Street. Continue on A5121.
A5121641 m
Turn right to stay on A5121.
A512185 m
Turn right to stay on A5121.
A5121144 m
Keep left to take Waterloo Street.
Waterloo Street20 m
Turn left onto Byrkley Street.
Byrkley Street131 m
Turn left onto Rangemore Street.
Rangemore Street167 m
Turn left onto King Edward Place.
King Edward Place122 m
Turn left onto A5121/Wellington Street. Continue on A5121.
A5121274 m
Turn left onto A5121/Derby Street.
A5121675 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto A5121/Derby Street.
87 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5121/Derby Street. Continue on A5121.
A5121869 m
Turn right to stay on A5121.
A512199 m
Turn left onto A5121/Wellington Street.
A5121395 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards A5121/Lichfield.
28 m
Exit the roundabout towards A5121/Lichfield.
A51211.3 km
Make a right U-turn to stay on A5121/Wellington Road.
A512153 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Burton-on-Trent · Route 16 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.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
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 24.5 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, 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.
Burton Tyre Services
Start near Burton Tyre Services.
Busy Bees Childcare
Continue to Busy Bees Childcare.
Saint Saviour's Church
Continue to Saint Saviour's Church.
All Saints
Continue to All Saints.
Inn Uendo's Bar
Continue to Inn Uendo's Bar.
Stretton Day Nursery
Continue to Stretton Day Nursery.
Horninglow Linear Park
Continue to Horninglow Linear Park.
Branston Interchange
Continue to Branston Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Johnsons
Continue to Johnsons.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Burton Bridge Inn
Continue to Burton Bridge Inn.
Mill House
Continue to Mill House.
Fountains High School
Continue to Fountains High School.
St John the Divine
Continue to St John the Divine.
Victoria Inn
Continue to Victoria Inn.
Wyggeston
Continue to Wyggeston.
Kangs Convenience Store
Continue to Kangs Convenience Store.
New Baptist Church
Continue to New Baptist Church.
Saint Paul's
Continue to Saint Paul's.
Oak & Ivy
Finish back near Oak & Ivy, completing the loop.
6 roundabouts · 14 turns
13 roundabouts · 8 turns
8 roundabouts · 14 turns · 1 set of lights
6 roundabouts · 15 turns
This route is 48.5 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Burton-on-Trent test centre, not an official DVSA route.