Near Carlisle test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 12 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 27 navigation steps.
This is an independent 33.6 km practice route near Carlisle 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.
Along the way you'll meet Kingmoor Bridge West, Kingmoor South Roundabout and Burgh 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, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, 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, schools, churches 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 78-step drive on real, named roads (about 33.6 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 1st exit onto Bridgewater Road/A7.
Hardwicke Circus32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bridgewater Road/A7. Continue on A7.
A7799 m
Turn right onto Mulcaster Crescent.
Mulcaster Crescent133 m
Turn right onto Knowe Terrace.
Knowe Terrace67 m
Turn left onto Kell's Place.
Kell's Place71 m
Move right onto Well Lane.
Well Lane150 m
Turn left onto Brampton Road/B6264.
Brampton Road468 m
Turn right onto Croft Road.
Croft Road496 m
Turn left onto Longlands Road.
Longlands Road102 m
Turn left onto Brampton Road/B6264.
Brampton Road1.8 km
Enter Hardwicke Circus and take the 3rd exit onto Georgian Way/A7.
Hardwicke Circus98 m
Exit the roundabout onto Georgian Way/A7. Continue on A7.
A7632 m
Turn right onto Warwick Road/A7.
Warwick Road204 m
Turn right onto Lowther Street/A7.
Lowther Street305 m
Turn right onto Victoria Place/A7.
Victoria Place164 m
Turn left onto Georgian Way/A7.
Georgian Way399 m
Enter Hardwicke Circus and take the 2nd exit onto Bridgewater Road/A7.
Hardwicke Circus111 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bridgewater Road/A7. Continue on A7.
A71.2 km
Turn right onto Knowefield Avenue.
Knowefield Avenue235 m
Turn left onto Beech Grove.
Beech Grove144 m
Turn left onto Beechwood Avenue.
Beechwood Avenue172 m
Turn left onto Lansdowne Crescent.
Lansdowne Crescent150 m
Turn left onto Knowefield Avenue.
Knowefield Avenue141 m
Turn left onto Beech Grove.
Beech Grove144 m
Turn left onto Beechwood Avenue.
Beechwood Avenue257 m
Turn right onto Scotland Road/A7. Continue on A7.
A71.5 km
Turn left onto Kingstown Broadway.
Kingstown Broadway205 m
Make a right U-turn at Millbrook Road to stay on Kingstown Broadway.
Kingstown Broadway227 m
Turn right onto Kingstown Road/A7.
Kingstown Road419 m
Turn right onto Lowry Hill Road.
Lowry Hill Road767 m
Move right to stay on Lowry Hill Road.
Lowry Hill Road793 m
Turn left onto Esk Road.
Esk Road888 m
Turn left onto Kingstown Road/A7.
Kingstown Road683 m
Turn left onto Kingstown Broadway.
Kingstown Broadway659 m
Turn left onto Brunthill Road.
Brunthill Road473 m
Move left.
37 m
Enter Kingmoor South Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A689.
Kingmoor South Roundabout63 m
Exit the roundabout onto A689.
A689558 m
Enter Kingmoor Bridge East and take the 2nd exit onto A689.
Kingmoor Bridge East97 m
Exit the roundabout onto A689.
A689267 m
Enter Kingmoor Bridge West and take the 2nd exit onto A689.
Kingmoor Bridge West38 m
Exit the roundabout onto A689.
A6892.1 km
Enter Burgh Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Burgh Road.
Burgh Road Roundabout15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Burgh Road.
Burgh Road1.1 km
Move left onto Newtown Road/B5307. Continue on B5307.
B53071.5 km
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 4th exit onto Georgian Way/A7.
Hardwicke Circus182 m
Exit the roundabout onto Georgian Way/A7.
Georgian Way353 m
Turn left onto Victoria Place/A69.
Victoria Place394 m
Turn right onto Lismore Place.
Lismore Place372 m
Turn right onto Broad Street.
Broad Street35 m
Turn right onto Hart Street.
Hart Street453 m
Turn left onto Victoria Place/A69.
Victoria Place221 m
Turn right onto Georgian Way/A7.
Georgian Way399 m
Enter Hardwicke Circus and take the 2nd exit onto Bridgewater Road/A7.
Hardwicke Circus111 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bridgewater Road/A7.
A71.3 km
Turn right onto Croft Road.
Croft Road496 m
Turn left onto Longlands Road.
Longlands Road102 m
Turn left onto Brampton Road/B6264.
Brampton Road1.8 km
Enter Hardwicke Circus and take the 4th exit onto Castle Way/A595.
Hardwicke Circus182 m
Exit the roundabout onto Castle Way/A595. Continue on A595.
A595978 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Church Street/A595.
50 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.
A595978 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 6 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.
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
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Kingmoor South Roundabout, Burgh Road Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 3.2 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, 60 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.
Joiners Arms
Start near Joiners Arms.
Jovial Sailor
Continue to Jovial Sailor.
Dance Studios
Continue to Dance Studios.
Homeacres
Continue to Homeacres.
St. Paul's Church
Continue to St. Paul's Church.
Uma Kadampa Meditation Centre
Continue to Uma Kadampa Meditation Centre.
Sainsbury's Local
Continue to Sainsbury's Local.
Kengas Living Flame Centre
Continue to Kengas Living Flame Centre.
Coach And Horses
Continue to Coach And Horses.
Lowery Hill Swinburn Drive
Continue to Lowery Hill Swinburn Drive.
City Plumbing
Continue to City Plumbing.
Kingmoor Bridge West
Continue to Kingmoor Bridge West, taking the junction with good observation.
Kingmoor South Roundabout
Continue to Kingmoor South Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Burgh Road Roundabout
Continue to Burgh Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Lucky Chop Suey House
Continue to Lucky Chop Suey House.
Chatsworth Garden
Continue to Chatsworth Garden.
Our Lady and St. Joseph
Continue to Our Lady and St. Joseph.
Friends' Meeting House
Continue to Friends' Meeting House.
Seventh Day Adventist Church
Continue to Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Golden Pheasant
Finish back near Golden Pheasant, completing the loop.
1 roundabout · 22 turns
4 roundabouts · 18 turns · 5 sets of lights
1 roundabout · 23 turns · 1 set of lights
3 roundabouts · 19 turns · 5 sets of lights
This route is 33.6 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Carlisle test centre, not an official DVSA route.