Near Cannock St test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 14 roundabouts and 16 turns across 34 navigation steps.
This is an independent 17.8 km practice loop near Cannock St test centre, taking roughly 22 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 Barkby Thorpe Lane. 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 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 14 catalogued landmarks, including shops, named junctions, pubs and parks, 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 34-step drive on real, named roads (about 17.8 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 Way419 m
Turn left onto A563/Thurmaston Lane.
A563381 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A563/Hamilton Way.
75 m
Exit the roundabout onto A563/Hamilton Way.
A563939 m
Stay straight to take the ramp.
58 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Hamilton Way.
112 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hamilton Way.
Hamilton Way1.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A563/Thurmaston Lane.
59 m
Exit the roundabout onto A563/Thurmaston Lane.
A563743 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A563/Troon Way.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto A563/Troon Way. Continue on Troon Way.
Troon Way1.4 km
Turn right onto A607/Melton Road.
A607421 m
Keep left to stay on A607.
A6071.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Barkby Thorpe Lane.
147 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barkby Thorpe Lane.
Barkby Thorpe Lane222 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 6th exit onto Barkby Thorpe Lane.
108 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barkby Thorpe Lane.
Barkby Thorpe Lane670 m
Turn left to stay on Barkby Thorpe Lane.
Barkby Thorpe Lane19 m
Turn left to stay on Barkby Thorpe Lane.
Barkby Thorpe Lane416 m
Turn right onto Barkby Lane.
Barkby Lane1.5 km
Turn left onto Queniborough Road.
Queniborough Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Barkby Road.
Barkby Road513 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Barkby Road.
56 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barkby Road.
Barkby Road513 m
Turn right onto Queniborough Road.
Queniborough Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Main Street.
Main Street52 m
Turn right to stay on Main Street.
Main Street203 m
Turn right onto Thorpe Lane.
Thorpe Lane421 m
Turn left onto Barkby Thorpe Lane.
Barkby Thorpe Lane2.2 km
Turn left onto Cannock Street.
Cannock Street321 m
Turn left.
253 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Cannock St · Roundabout 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.
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.
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 14 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.
Humber Stone
Continue to Humber Stone.
Porsche
Continue to Porsche.
Lotus House
Continue to Lotus House.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Raleigh Shop
Continue to Raleigh Shop.
Supreme Pizza
Continue to Supreme Pizza.
Thurmaston Liquor Co.
Continue to Thurmaston Liquor Co..
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Barkby Thorpe Lane
Continue to Barkby Thorpe Lane, taking the junction with good observation.
claire's
Continue to claire's.
Malt Shovel
Continue to Malt Shovel.
Shrub Rose Garden
Finish back near Shrub Rose Garden, completing the loop.
18 roundabouts · 22 turns
14 roundabouts · 12 turns
6 roundabouts · 17 turns
16 roundabouts · 20 turns
This route is 17.8 km and takes about 22 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Cannock St test centre, not an official DVSA route.