Near Carlisle test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts, 18 turns and 1 signalled junction across 22 navigation steps.
This is an independent 15.5 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 Hardwicke Circus. 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, 20 mph zones, 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, shops and named junctions, 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 53-step drive on real, named roads (about 15.5 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 4th exit onto Wigton Road/A595.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wigton Road/A595.
Wigton Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Orton Road.
Orton Road140 m
Turn left onto Inglewood Road.
Inglewood Road91 m
Turn left onto Inglewood Crescent.
Inglewood Crescent145 m
Turn right onto Crosshill Drive.
Crosshill Drive151 m
Turn right onto Inglewood Crescent.
Inglewood Crescent133 m
Turn left onto Inglewood Road.
Inglewood Road91 m
Turn left onto Orton Road.
Orton Road207 m
Turn left onto Crosshill Drive.
Crosshill Drive645 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 Road123 m
Turn right onto Dalton Avenue.
Dalton Avenue277 m
Turn right onto Balfour Road.
Balfour Road223 m
Turn left onto Wigton Road/A595.
Wigton Road900 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Church Street/A595.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Church Street/A595. Continue on A595.
A595168 m
Keep right to stay on A595.
A595566 m
Take the West Tower Street exit.
West Tower Street99 m
Move left to stay on West Tower Street.
West Tower Street181 m
Turn left onto Peter Street.
Peter Street119 m
Turn right onto Corporation Road.
Corporation Road93 m
Turn right to stay on Corporation Road.
Corporation Road20 m
Move right onto Rickergate.
Rickergate170 m
Move right onto West Tower Street.
West Tower Street99 m
Turn left onto Castle Way/A595. Continue on A595.
A595807 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Wigton Road/A595.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wigton Road/A595.
Wigton Road1.6 km
Turn left onto Stonegarth.
Stonegarth364 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.
Stonegarth128 m
Turn right onto Langrigg Road.
Langrigg Road771 m
Turn left onto Dunmail Drive.
Dunmail Drive279 m
Turn right onto Borrowdale Road.
Borrowdale Road322 m
Turn right onto Ullswater Road.
Ullswater Road118 m
Turn left onto Greta Avenue.
Greta Avenue46 m
Turn right onto Scawfell Road.
Scawfell Road292 m
Turn left onto Dalston Road/B5299. Continue on B5299.
B5299901 m
Turn left onto John Street/B5299.
John Street114 m
Move left onto Church Street/A595.
Church Street140 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Caldcotes/B5307.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Caldcotes/B5307.
Caldcotes156 m
Turn right onto Port Road Business Park.
Port Road Business Park253 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Carlisle · 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.
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
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
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.
Jovial Sailor
Start near Jovial Sailor.
Wigton Road Methodist Church
Continue to Wigton Road Methodist Church.
Routledges
Continue to Routledges.
Walkers Funeral Directors
Continue to Walkers Funeral Directors.
Coral
Continue to Coral.
Renucci Fish & Chips
Continue to Renucci Fish & Chips.
Asda Express
Continue to Asda Express.
Morton Library
Continue to Morton Library.
B&M Bargains
Continue to B&M Bargains.
Holy Trinity Church
Continue to Holy Trinity Church.
Joiners Arms
Continue to Joiners Arms.
Friends' Meeting House
Continue to Friends' Meeting House.
Hardwicke Circus
Continue to Hardwicke Circus, taking the junction with good observation.
Golden Pheasant
Continue to Golden Pheasant.
Seventh Day Adventist Church
Continue to Seventh Day Adventist Church.
St Luke, Morton, Carlisle
Continue to St Luke, Morton, Carlisle.
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.
Ballyhoo Boutique Nursery
Continue to Ballyhoo Boutique Nursery.
Gate Garage
Finish back near Gate Garage, 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 15.5 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.