Near Chesterfield test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts, 14 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 35.4 km practice route 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.
Along the way you'll meet Meltham 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 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 churches, stations, pubs 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 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 72-step drive on real, named roads (about 35.4 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 Road656 m
Turn left onto Gloucester Road.
Gloucester Road610 m
Turn left onto Gloucester Avenue.
Gloucester Avenue79 m
Turn left onto Tapton View Road.
Tapton View Road225 m
Turn left onto Highfield View Road.
Highfield View Road403 m
Turn right onto Chantrey Avenue.
Chantrey Avenue80 m
Turn right onto Outram Road.
Outram Road201 m
Turn right onto Chantrey Avenue.
Chantrey Avenue75 m
Turn right onto Malson Way.
Malson Way256 m
Turn right onto Chantrey Avenue.
Chantrey Avenue80 m
Turn right onto Outram Road.
Outram Road201 m
Turn right onto Chantrey Avenue.
Chantrey Avenue75 m
Turn left onto Malson Way.
Malson Way74 m
Turn right onto Gloucester Road.
Gloucester Road225 m
Turn left onto Gloucester Avenue.
Gloucester Avenue79 m
Turn right onto Tapton View Road.
Tapton View Road82 m
Turn left onto Highfield Road.
Highfield Road254 m
Turn left onto Highbury Road.
Highbury Road159 m
Turn left onto Highfield View Road.
Highfield View Road98 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Highfield View Road.
Highfield View Road98 m
Turn right onto Highbury Road.
Highbury Road159 m
Turn right onto Highfield Road.
Highfield Road254 m
Turn right onto Tapton View Road.
Tapton View Road307 m
Turn left onto Highfield View Road.
Highfield View Road73 m
Turn left onto Gloucester Road.
Gloucester Road225 m
Turn left onto Gloucester Avenue.
Gloucester Avenue79 m
Turn right onto Tapton View Road.
Tapton View Road354 m
Turn left onto Edinburgh Road.
Edinburgh Road359 m
Turn left onto Highfield Road.
Highfield Road479 m
Turn left onto Gloucester Road.
Gloucester Road57 m
Move right onto Lucas Road.
Lucas Road246 m
Turn right onto Highfield Avenue.
Highfield Avenue136 m
Turn left onto Newbold Drive.
Newbold Drive207 m
Turn left onto Newbold Road/B6051.
Newbold Road1.7 km
Move right onto Holywell Street/B6057. Continue on Holywell Street.
Holywell Street167 m
Move left onto Holywell Street/B6543.
B6543557 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 8th exit onto A617.
265 m
Exit the roundabout onto A617.
A617245 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A617.
54 m
Exit the roundabout onto A617.
A6177.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 6th exit onto A617.
682 m
Exit the roundabout onto A617.
A6173.6 km
Take the exit.
321 m
Turn right onto Hassocky Lane/B6425.
Hassocky Lane2.8 km
Turn left onto Chesterfield Road/A632. Continue on A632.
A6321.1 km
Turn right onto Blacksmith Lane.
Blacksmith Lane829 m
Turn right onto Manor Road.
Manor Road1.7 km
Turn left onto Cotterhill Lane.
Cotterhill Lane258 m
Move left onto A619/Hall Road.
A61978 m
Turn left onto A619/Chesterfield Road.
A6191.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A619/Rother Way.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto A619/Rother Way.
A619445 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A61.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto A61.
A612.0 km
Take the A632 exit towards Chesterfield.
261 m
Turn left onto Hollis Lane/A632.
Hollis Lane138 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Lordsmill Street.
128 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lordsmill Street.
Lordsmill Street136 m
Turn right onto Hollis Lane.
Hollis Lane105 m
Turn right onto Dixon's Road.
Dixon's Road39 m
Turn right to stay on Dixon's Road.
Dixon's Road17 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Dixon's Road.
Dixon's Road17 m
Turn left to stay on Dixon's Road.
Dixon's Road39 m
Turn left onto Hollis Lane.
Hollis Lane105 m
Turn right onto St Mary's Gate/B6543. Continue on B6543.
B6543500 m
Turn right to stay on B6543.
B6543153 m
Turn right onto Holywell Street/B6543.
Holywell Street133 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Chesterfield · Route 13 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.
Dual-carriageway join
About 16.9 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, 50, 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.
Christadelphian Hall
Start near Christadelphian Hall.
Stagecoach Bus Depot
Continue to Stagecoach Bus Depot.
Highfield
Continue to Highfield.
St Andrews Church
Continue to St Andrews Church.
Chesterfield Muslim Association
Continue to Chesterfield Muslim Association.
Parish Church of St Mary and All Saints
Continue to Parish Church of St Mary and All Saints.
Empire
Continue to Empire.
Spa Lane Vaults
Continue to Spa Lane Vaults.
Asda Express
Continue to Asda Express.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Anvil
Continue to Anvil.
White Hart
Continue to White Hart.
Brimington Common Methodist Chirch
Continue to Brimington Common Methodist Chirch.
Brimington Manor Infant and Nursery School
Continue to Brimington Manor Infant and Nursery School.
East Block 1
Continue to East Block 1.
Meltham Lane
Continue to Meltham Lane, taking the junction with good observation.
Bridge Inn
Continue to Bridge Inn.
Chandlers Bar
Continue to Chandlers Bar.
Blue Bell
Continue to Blue Bell.
Rectory
Finish back near Rectory, 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 35.4 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.