Near Burton-on-Trent test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts, 13 turns and 1 signalled junction across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 28.0 km practice loop near Burton-on-Trent 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.
Along the way you'll meet Branston Interchange and Evershed Roundabout. 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, 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 pubs, churches, schools and shops, 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 68-step drive on real, named roads (about 28.0 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 2nd exit towards A5121/A50/Uttoxeter/Derby.
27 m
Exit the roundabout towards A5121/A50/Uttoxeter/Derby.
A5121539 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.
A5121447 m
Turn left onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road244 m
Turn right onto Dallow Street.
Dallow Street324 m
Turn left onto A511/Horninglow Road.
A511753 m
Turn left onto Wyggeston Street.
Wyggeston Street989 m
Turn right onto Charnwood Road.
Charnwood Road447 m
Turn right onto Calais Road.
Calais Road359 m
Turn left onto Wyggeston Street.
Wyggeston Street71 m
Turn left onto Carlton Street.
Carlton Street262 m
Turn left onto Dover Road.
Dover Road77 m
Turn right onto Calais Road.
Calais Road258 m
Turn left onto A511/Tutbury Road.
A511750 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A511/Tutbury Road.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto A511/Tutbury Road.
A511885 m
Turn right onto Anslow Lane.
Anslow Lane1.0 km
Turn right onto Knowles Hill.
Knowles Hill603 m
Move right onto Rolleston Road.
Rolleston Road911 m
Turn right onto Harehedge Lane.
Harehedge Lane490 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Beamhill Road.
26 m
Exit the roundabout onto Beamhill Road.
Beamhill Road2.8 km
Move right.
295 m
Turn left onto Hopley Road.
Hopley Road2.5 km
Move left onto Main Street.
Main Street1.1 km
Turn left onto Branston Road.
Branston Road1.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Branston Road.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Branston Road.
Branston Road330 m
Move left.
44 m
Move left.
30 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards A38/Burton-upon-Trent.
49 m
Exit the roundabout towards A38/Burton-upon-Trent.
Branston Road335 m
Enter Branston Interchange and take the 2nd exit towards A5121/Burton-upon-Trent.
Branston Interchange143 m
Exit the roundabout towards A5121/Burton-upon-Trent.
A5121154 m
Turn right onto Main Street/B5018.
Main Street226 m
Turn right to stay on Main Street.
Main Street138 m
Turn left onto Acacia Lane.
Acacia Lane144 m
Turn right onto Mulberry Way.
Mulberry Way185 m
Turn left onto Hornbeam Way.
Hornbeam Way57 m
Turn left onto Acacia Lane.
Acacia Lane312 m
Turn right onto Main Street.
Main Street138 m
Turn right onto Main Street/B5018. Continue on B5018.
B50181.2 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/A38/Lichfield/Derby.
A5189700 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards A5189/A38/Lichfield/Derby.
34 m
Exit the roundabout towards A5189/A38/Lichfield/Derby.
A5189391 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards B5017/B5234/Abbots Bromley.
27 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 1st exit towards A5121/A511/Burton/Leicester.
4 m
Exit the roundabout towards A5121/A511/Burton/Leicester.
A5121455 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Burton-on-Trent · Route 3 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.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Evershed Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 7.7 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 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.
Oak & Ivy
Start near Oak & Ivy.
New Baptist Church
Continue to New Baptist Church.
Saint Paul's
Continue to Saint Paul's.
Samuel Allsopp Primary and Nursery School (Lower Site)
Continue to Samuel Allsopp Primary and Nursery School (Lower Site).
Victoria Inn
Continue to Victoria Inn.
Royal Oak
Continue to Royal Oak.
Wyggeston
Continue to Wyggeston.
Gents Club Barbershop
Continue to Gents Club Barbershop.
Co-operative Food
Continue to Co-operative Food.
Beacon Hotel
Continue to Beacon Hotel.
Bell Inn
Continue to Bell Inn.
Mosley Academy
Continue to Mosley Academy.
Acorn Inn
Continue to Acorn Inn.
St Michael and All Angels
Continue to St Michael and All Angels.
Branston Interchange
Continue to Branston Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Blacksmiths Arms
Continue to Blacksmiths Arms.
Saint Saviour's Church
Continue to Saint Saviour's Church.
All Saints
Continue to All Saints.
Evershed Roundabout
Continue to Evershed Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Toyota
Finish back near Toyota, completing the loop.
6 roundabouts · 14 turns
13 roundabouts · 8 turns
5 roundabouts · 17 turns
8 roundabouts · 14 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 28.0 km and takes about 30 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.