Near Burton-on-Trent test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 12 roundabouts and 9 turns across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 29.6 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.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and independent driving. 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 73-step drive on real, named roads (about 29.6 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 4th exit onto Parkway.
79 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 1st exit onto Callister Way.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Callister Way.
Callister Way935 m
Turn left.
49 m
Make a sharp right.
51 m
Turn right onto Callister Way.
Callister Way947 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Parkway.
43 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 4th exit onto Parkway.
79 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 Road1.0 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 Road987 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/Lichfield.
56 m
Exit the roundabout towards A5121/Lichfield.
A51211.3 km
Make a right U-turn to stay on 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.
A511527 m
Turn right onto Shakespeare Road.
Shakespeare Road207 m
Turn right onto Eton Road.
Eton Road641 m
Turn left onto A5121/Derby Road.
A5121239 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.
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 4th exit onto Parkway.
93 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 8 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.
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 16.6 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, 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.
ATS
Start near ATS.
Burton Tyre Services
Continue to Burton Tyre Services.
Little Strawberries Nursery
Continue to Little Strawberries Nursery.
St Aidan's
Continue to St Aidan's.
Shobnall Boat Services
Continue to Shobnall Boat Services.
Burger King
Continue to Burger King.
de Ferrers Sixth Form Campus
Continue to de Ferrers Sixth Form Campus.
Saint Paul's
Continue to Saint Paul's.
Tiny Toez
Continue to Tiny Toez.
New Baptist Church
Continue to New Baptist Church.
Samuel Allsopp Primary and Nursery School (Lower Site)
Continue to Samuel Allsopp Primary and Nursery School (Lower Site).
Navigation Inn
Continue to Navigation Inn.
Victoria Inn
Continue to Victoria Inn.
Beech
Continue to Beech.
ORS UK
Continue to ORS UK.
Rustic Centre
Continue to Rustic Centre.
Stretton Day Nursery
Continue to Stretton Day Nursery.
Horninglow Linear Park
Continue to Horninglow Linear Park.
Busy Bees Childcare
Continue to Busy Bees Childcare.
Corner House
Finish back near Corner House, 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 29.6 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.