Near Burton-on-Trent test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts and 16 turns across 26 navigation steps.
This is an independent 26.2 km practice loop near Burton-on-Trent 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.
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, 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, pubs and churches, 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 80-step drive on real, named roads (about 26.2 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 3rd exit towards B5017/B5234/Abbots Bromley.
44 m
Exit the roundabout towards B5017/B5234/Abbots Bromley.
Shobnall Road1.1 km
Turn left.
101 m
Turn left onto Reeve Close.
Reeve Close53 m
Turn left onto Union Way.
Union Way107 m
Turn right onto Shobnall Road/B5017.
Shobnall Road833 m
Turn left onto Shobnall Street.
Shobnall Street1.1 km
Turn left onto Dallow Street.
Dallow Street207 m
Move right onto Belvedere Road.
Belvedere Road408 m
Move left.
72 m
Make a sharp right onto Belvedere Road.
Belvedere Road682 m
Turn right onto Shobnall Street.
Shobnall Street1.1 km
Turn left onto Shobnall Road/B5017.
Shobnall Road152 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards B5017/A511/Town Centre/Leicester.
8 m
Exit the roundabout towards B5017/A511/Town Centre/Leicester.
Shobnall Road152 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards A5121/A38/Lichfield.
56 m
Exit the roundabout towards A5121/A38/Lichfield.
A51211.7 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards A38/A5121/Lichfield/Derby.
38 m
Exit the roundabout towards A38/A5121/Lichfield/Derby.
A5121945 m
Enter Branston Interchange and take the 2nd exit towards Tatenhill.
Branston Interchange172 m
Exit the roundabout towards Tatenhill.
Branston Road346 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit.
4 m
Exit the roundabout.
75 m
Move right onto Branston Road.
Branston Road175 m
Turn right onto Monk Road.
Monk Road86 m
Turn right to stay on Monk Road.
Monk Road32 m
Turn left onto Barley Road.
Barley Road178 m
Turn right.
34 m
Turn right.
237 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards A38/Burton-upon-Trent.
25 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.
A5121929 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Abbots Bromley.
36 m
Exit the roundabout towards Abbots Bromley.
Parkway239 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Parkway.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Parkway.
Parkway539 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Parkway.
44 m
Exit the roundabout onto Parkway.
Parkway198 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Parkway.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Parkway.
Parkway591 m
Move left.
48 m
Turn left towards B5017/B5234/Abbots Bromley.
Shobnall Road132 m
Turn right onto Shobnall Street.
Shobnall Street1.1 km
Turn left onto Dallow Street.
Dallow Street207 m
Move right onto Belvedere Road.
Belvedere Road442 m
Move right onto Calais Road.
Calais Road261 m
Turn right onto Addie Road.
Addie Road98 m
Turn right onto Mona Road.
Mona Road291 m
Turn right onto Belvedere Road.
Belvedere Road124 m
Move right onto Calais Road.
Calais Road256 m
Turn left onto Ibstock Street.
Ibstock Street114 m
Turn left onto Swannington Street.
Swannington Street246 m
Turn left onto Belvedere Road.
Belvedere Road83 m
Turn left onto Calais Road.
Calais Road364 m
Turn left 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 left onto Wyggeston Street.
Wyggeston Street711 m
Turn right onto A511/Horninglow Road.
A511754 m
Turn right onto Dallow Street.
Dallow Street325 m
Turn left onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road139 m
Turn left onto Victoria Street.
Victoria Street189 m
Move right onto Dallow Street.
Dallow Street90 m
Turn left onto A511/Horninglow Road.
A511307 m
Turn left onto Victoria Crescent.
Victoria Crescent425 m
Turn left onto Dallow Street.
Dallow Street386 m
Turn right onto A5121/Derby Street. Continue on A5121.
A5121641 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 5 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
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 6.1 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.
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.
ATS
Start near ATS.
Little Strawberries Nursery
Continue to Little Strawberries Nursery.
Albion
Continue to Albion.
St Aidan's
Continue to St Aidan's.
Shobnall Boat Services
Continue to Shobnall Boat Services.
Our Monkey Club
Continue to Our Monkey Club.
Shobnall Stores
Continue to Shobnall Stores.
Burger King
Continue to Burger King.
Busy Bees Childcare
Continue to Busy Bees Childcare.
Branston Interchange
Continue to Branston Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Corner House
Continue to Corner House.
Subway
Continue to Subway.
St. Thomas's
Continue to St. Thomas's.
Wyggeston
Continue to Wyggeston.
Lee Kitchen
Continue to Lee Kitchen.
Navigation Inn
Continue to Navigation Inn.
Sainsbury's Local
Continue to Sainsbury's Local.
Samuel Allsopp Primary and Nursery School (Lower Site)
Continue to Samuel Allsopp Primary and Nursery School (Lower Site).
New Baptist Church
Continue to New Baptist Church.
My Uniform
Finish back near My Uniform, 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 26.2 km and takes about 35 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.