Near Cannock St test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 16 roundabouts and 20 turns across 54 navigation steps.
This is an independent 11.0 km practice loop near Cannock St test centre, taking roughly 17 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 Sandhills Avenue. 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 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 9 catalogued landmarks, including shops, named junctions, schools 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 Cannock St 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:
The full 54-step drive on real, named roads (about 13.1 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northwest.
253 m
Turn right onto Cannock Street.
Cannock Street88 m
Turn left onto Wenlock Way.
Wenlock Way418 m
Turn left onto A563/Thurmaston Lane.
A563381 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Sandhills Avenue.
44 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sandhills Avenue.
Sandhills Avenue132 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Sandhills Avenue.
48 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sandhills Avenue.
Sandhills Avenue208 m
Keep left to stay on Sandhills Avenue.
Sandhills Avenue108 m
Keep right to stay on Sandhills Avenue.
Sandhills Avenue18 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Sandhills Avenue.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sandhills Avenue.
Sandhills Avenue327 m
Turn left onto Thornborough Way.
Thornborough Way126 m
Turn right onto Brompton Road.
Brompton Road259 m
Turn left onto Thornborough Way.
Thornborough Way126 m
Turn right onto Sandhills Avenue.
Sandhills Avenue322 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Sandhills Avenue.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sandhills Avenue.
Sandhills Avenue332 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Sandhills Avenue.
51 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sandhills Avenue.
Sandhills Avenue122 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A563/Hamilton Way.
6 m
Exit the roundabout onto A563/Hamilton Way.
A563939 m
Stay straight to take the ramp.
58 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Lower Keyham Lane.
81 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lower Keyham Lane.
Lower Keyham Lane1.0 km
Turn left onto Greenland Drive.
Greenland Drive195 m
Turn left onto Tennis Court Drive.
Tennis Court Drive406 m
Turn left onto Main Street.
Main Street142 m
Turn left onto Humberstone Drive.
Humberstone Drive409 m
Turn left onto Greenland Drive.
Greenland Drive195 m
Turn left onto Tennis Court Drive.
Tennis Court Drive406 m
Turn left onto Main Street.
Main Street142 m
Turn left onto Humberstone Drive.
Humberstone Drive258 m
Make a sharp right.
52 m
Make a sharp right onto Herongate Road.
Herongate Road40 m
Turn left onto Humberstone Drive.
Humberstone Drive61 m
Turn left onto Thurmaston Lane.
Thurmaston Lane152 m
Turn left onto Gipsy Lane.
Gipsy Lane22 m
Keep right to stay on Gipsy Lane.
Gipsy Lane1.5 km
Turn right onto Oliver Road.
Oliver Road213 m
Turn right onto Barkby Road.
Barkby Road48 m
Turn left to stay on Barkby Road.
Barkby Road24 m
Turn left onto Wyvern Avenue.
Wyvern Avenue7 m
Turn right onto Roseneath Avenue.
Roseneath Avenue481 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Roseneath Avenue.
Roseneath Avenue481 m
Turn left onto Wyvern Avenue.
Wyvern Avenue32 m
Turn left onto Barkby Road.
Barkby Road58 m
Turn left to stay on Barkby Road.
Barkby Road1.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit.
63 m
Exit the roundabout onto A563/Thurmaston Lane.
A563362 m
Turn left onto Wenlock Way.
Wenlock Way418 m
Turn right onto Cannock Street.
Cannock Street88 m
Turn left.
253 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Cannock St · Residential practice loop 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.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
Navigate by these 9 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
KFC
Start near KFC.
Morrisons Daily
Continue to Morrisons Daily.
Porsche
Continue to Porsche.
Humber Stone
Continue to Humber Stone.
Sandhills Avenue
Continue to Sandhills Avenue, taking the junction with good observation.
Sainsbury's Local
Continue to Sainsbury's Local.
Darul Arqam
Continue to Darul Arqam.
Darul Arqam
Continue to Darul Arqam.
Northfields Education Centre
Finish back near Northfields Education Centre, completing the loop.
14 roundabouts · 16 turns
18 roundabouts · 22 turns
14 roundabouts · 12 turns
6 roundabouts · 17 turns
This route is 11.0 km and takes about 17 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Cannock St test centre, not an official DVSA route.