Near Chesterfield test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 10 roundabouts, 13 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 39.5 km practice loop near Chesterfield 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.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, 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 20 catalogued landmarks, including pubs, stations, shops and schools, 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 Chesterfield 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 71-step drive on real, named roads (about 39.5 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive east.
74 m
Turn right onto Sheffield Road/B6057.
Sheffield Road247 m
Turn left onto Wharf Lane.
Wharf Lane150 m
Turn left onto Hardwick Street.
Hardwick Street119 m
Turn right onto Sheffield Road/B6057.
Sheffield Road864 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Lockoford Lane.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lockoford Lane.
Lockoford Lane354 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Lockoford Lane.
72 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lockoford Lane.
Lockoford Lane274 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Lockoford Lane.
Lockoford Lane275 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto A61.
186 m
Exit the roundabout onto A61.
A611.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A61.
86 m
Exit the roundabout onto A61.
A617.9 km
Enter Bowshaw and take the 1st exit onto A61/Chesterfield Road South.
Bowshaw56 m
Exit the roundabout onto A61/Chesterfield Road South.
A611.1 km
Enter Meadowhead Roundabout and take the 4th exit towards Chesterfield.
Meadowhead Roundabout188 m
Exit the roundabout towards Chesterfield.
A611.1 km
Enter Bowshaw and take the 3rd exit onto A61/Unstone-Dronfield By-Pass.
Bowshaw161 m
Exit the roundabout onto A61/Unstone-Dronfield By-Pass.
A615.7 km
Take the exit.
A61518 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Sheffield Road/B6057.
76 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sheffield Road/B6057.
B6057128 m
Move left onto Sheepbridge Lane.
Sheepbridge Lane787 m
Make a sharp left onto Dunston Road/B6050.
Dunston Road701 m
Turn left onto Dunston Court.
Dunston Court32 m
Turn right to stay on Dunston Court.
Dunston Court31 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Dunston Court.
Dunston Court31 m
Turn left to stay on Dunston Court.
Dunston Court32 m
Turn left onto Dunston Road/B6050.
Dunston Road160 m
Turn right onto Racecourse Road/B6150.
Racecourse Road431 m
Turn right onto St. John's Road/B6150.
St. John's Road200 m
Turn left onto Stand Road.
Stand Road244 m
Turn left onto Racecourse Road.
Racecourse Road449 m
Turn right onto Mountcastle Street.
Mountcastle Street171 m
Turn right onto St. John's Road.
St. John's Road671 m
Turn right onto Levens Way.
Levens Way275 m
Turn right onto Kendal Road.
Kendal Road91 m
Turn right onto Lancaster Road.
Lancaster Road414 m
Turn right onto St. John's Road/B6150. Continue on B6150.
B61501.2 km
Turn left onto Newbold Road/B6051.
Newbold Road403 m
Turn left onto Newbold Drive.
Newbold Drive117 m
Turn left onto Newbold Avenue.
Newbold Avenue180 m
Turn left onto Highfield Lane.
Highfield Lane141 m
Turn right onto Newbold Road/B6051.
Newbold Road391 m
Turn left onto Loundsley Green Road/B6150.
Loundsley Green Road938 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Loundsley Green Road/B6150.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Loundsley Green Road/B6150.
Loundsley Green Road867 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Ashgate Road.
96 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ashgate Road.
Ashgate Road610 m
Turn right onto Linacre Road.
Linacre Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Wardgate Way.
Wardgate Way588 m
Turn right onto Linacre Road.
Linacre Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Loundsley Green Road/B6150.
87 m
Exit the roundabout onto Loundsley Green Road/B6150.
Loundsley Green Road867 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Ashgate Road.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ashgate Road.
Ashgate Road1.4 km
Turn right onto Chester Street.
Chester Street558 m
Turn left onto A619/Chatsworth Road. Continue on A619.
A619182 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto West Bars.
54 m
Exit the roundabout onto West Bars.
West Bars646 m
Turn right onto South Place.
South Place103 m
Turn right onto A619/Markham Road.
A619611 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto West Bars.
168 m
Exit the roundabout onto West Bars.
West Bars19 m
Turn left onto Rutland Road.
Rutland Road282 m
Turn right onto Saltergate.
Saltergate562 m
Move left onto B6543.
B654386 m
Move left onto Holywell Street/B6057.
Holywell Street92 m
Turn right onto Sheffield Road/B6057.
Sheffield Road457 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Chesterfield · Route 12 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.
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.
Dual-carriageway join
About 17.3 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 (30, 40, 60, 70 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.
Crown and Anchor
Start near Crown and Anchor.
Stagecoach Bus Depot
Continue to Stagecoach Bus Depot.
Tech CPR
Continue to Tech CPR.
Chesterfield Road South/Sports Ground
Continue to Chesterfield Road South/Sports Ground.
Batemoor Road/Chesterfield Road South
Continue to Batemoor Road/Chesterfield Road South.
Chesterfield Road South/Bochum Parkway
Continue to Chesterfield Road South/Bochum Parkway.
Howdens Joinery
Continue to Howdens Joinery.
Thomas Irving Equestrian Supplies
Continue to Thomas Irving Equestrian Supplies.
Cavendish Junior School
Continue to Cavendish Junior School.
St John's Church
Continue to St John's Church.
Newbold Community Association
Continue to Newbold Community Association.
Plymouth Brethren Christian Church
Continue to Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.
Holme Hall Inn
Continue to Holme Hall Inn.
Woodside Inn
Continue to Woodside Inn.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Chesterfield Coach Station
Continue to Chesterfield Coach Station.
Salvation Army - Chesterfield
Continue to Salvation Army - Chesterfield.
Ragged School Evangelical Church
Continue to Ragged School Evangelical Church.
Chesterfield Central Methodist Church
Continue to Chesterfield Central Methodist Church.
Christadelphian Hall
Finish back near Christadelphian Hall, completing the loop.
9 roundabouts · 16 turns
10 roundabouts · 11 turns · 1 set of lights
8 roundabouts · 14 turns · 1 set of lights
11 roundabouts · 8 turns
This route is 39.5 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Chesterfield test centre, not an official DVSA route.