Near Carlisle test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts, 17 turns and 1 signalled junction across 22 navigation steps.
This is an independent 21.0 km practice route near Carlisle 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 Moorhouse Road 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, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads 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 Carlisle 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 62-step drive on real, named roads (about 21.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast.
48 m
Turn left onto Port Road Business Park.
Port Road Business Park541 m
Turn left onto Caldcotes/B5307.
Caldcotes158 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Church Street/A595.
8 m
Exit the roundabout onto Church Street/A595. Continue on A595.
A595168 m
Keep right to stay on A595.
A595809 m
Enter Hardwicke Circus and take the 5th exit onto Castle Way/A595.
Hardwicke Circus266 m
Exit the roundabout onto Castle Way/A595. Continue on A595.
A595745 m
Turn left onto Shaddongate/B5299.
Shaddongate16 m
Move right onto Shaddongate/B5299. Continue on B5299.
B5299710 m
Turn left onto Nelson Street.
Nelson Street523 m
Turn left onto Denton Street.
Denton Street482 m
Turn right onto James Street.
James Street185 m
Turn right onto Hewson Street.
Hewson Street99 m
Turn left onto Lamplugh Street.
Lamplugh Street38 m
Turn left onto St Stephen's Street.
St Stephen's Street78 m
Turn left onto Currock Street.
Currock Street224 m
Turn left onto Victoria Viaduct.
Victoria Viaduct640 m
Turn right onto Norfolk Street.
Norfolk Street444 m
Move right onto Norfolk Road.
Norfolk Road283 m
Turn left onto Dalston Road/B5299.
Dalston Road331 m
Turn left onto Richardson Street.
Richardson Street522 m
Turn left to stay on Richardson Street.
Richardson Street46 m
Turn left onto Well Bank.
Well Bank173 m
Turn left onto Diggle Road.
Diggle Road200 m
Turn left onto Prescott Road.
Prescott Road161 m
Turn left onto Longsowerby Road.
Longsowerby Road57 m
Turn right onto Dalston Road/B5299. Continue on B5299.
B52991.1 km
Turn left onto Kendal Street.
Kendal Street163 m
Turn left onto York Street.
York Street45 m
Turn left onto Newcastle Street.
Newcastle Street160 m
Turn right onto Dalston Road/B5299.
Dalston Road1.3 km
Turn right onto Woodend Drive.
Woodend Drive189 m
Turn left onto Levens Drive.
Levens Drive191 m
Turn left onto Levens Park Road.
Levens Park Road127 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Levens Park Road.
Levens Park Road127 m
Turn right onto Levens Drive.
Levens Drive366 m
Turn right onto Langrigg Road.
Langrigg Road142 m
Turn left.
85 m
Turn left onto Park Road.
Park Road184 m
Turn right onto Langrigg Road.
Langrigg Road451 m
Turn left onto Stonegarth.
Stonegarth128 m
Turn right to stay on Stonegarth.
Stonegarth120 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Stonegarth.
Stonegarth120 m
Turn left to stay on Stonegarth.
Stonegarth365 m
Turn right onto Wigton Road/A595.
Wigton Road429 m
Turn left onto Orton Road.
Orton Road140 m
Turn left onto Inglewood Road.
Inglewood Road91 m
Turn left onto Inglewood Crescent.
Inglewood Crescent145 m
Turn left onto Crosshill Drive.
Crosshill Drive381 m
Turn right onto Queensway.
Queensway380 m
Turn left onto Hebden Avenue.
Hebden Avenue322 m
Turn right to stay on Hebden Avenue.
Hebden Avenue111 m
Turn right to stay on Hebden Avenue.
Hebden Avenue228 m
Turn right onto Queensway.
Queensway759 m
Turn left onto Wigton Road/A595.
Wigton Road584 m
Turn left onto Orton Road.
Orton Road1.6 km
Turn right onto Sandsfield Lane.
Sandsfield Lane1.6 km
Turn left onto Sandsfield Road.
Sandsfield Road13 m
Enter Moorhouse Road Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Moorhouse Road/B5307.
Moorhouse Road Roundabout159 m
Exit the roundabout onto Moorhouse Road/B5307.
Moorhouse Road776 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Carlisle · 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
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 Moorhouse Road Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
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.
Joiners Arms
Start near Joiners Arms.
Jovial Sailor
Continue to Jovial Sailor.
Friends' Meeting House
Continue to Friends' Meeting House.
Seventh Day Adventist Church
Continue to Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Ballyhoo Boutique Nursery
Continue to Ballyhoo Boutique Nursery.
Gate Garage
Continue to Gate Garage.
Coral
Continue to Coral.
Denton Holme Community Centre
Continue to Denton Holme Community Centre.
Crumbs of Denton Holme
Continue to Crumbs of Denton Holme.
Mace
Continue to Mace.
Prince Garden
Continue to Prince Garden.
St James Church
Continue to St James Church.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Continue to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Royal Scot Terminus
Continue to Royal Scot Terminus.
Morton Library
Continue to Morton Library.
Asda Express
Continue to Asda Express.
Renucci Fish & Chips
Continue to Renucci Fish & Chips.
Moorhouse Road Roundabout
Continue to Moorhouse Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Belle Vue Terminus
Continue to Belle Vue Terminus.
Museum Inn
Finish back near Museum Inn, completing the loop.
1 roundabout · 22 turns
4 roundabouts · 18 turns · 5 sets of lights
5 roundabouts · 12 turns · 4 sets of lights
1 roundabout · 23 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 21.0 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Carlisle test centre, not an official DVSA route.