Near Chesterfield test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 9 roundabouts, 7 turns and 1 signalled junction across 18 navigation steps.
This is an independent 15.7 km practice loop near Chesterfield test centre, taking roughly 25 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 Sheffield Road. 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, 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 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 40-step drive on real, named roads (about 15.7 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 Road620 m
Turn right onto Newbold Road/B6051.
Newbold Road1.7 km
Turn right onto Newbold Drive.
Newbold Drive207 m
Turn right onto Highfield Avenue.
Highfield Avenue328 m
Turn left onto Newbold Road/B6051.
Newbold Road594 m
Turn right onto Cromwell Road.
Cromwell Road235 m
Turn right onto Hawksley Avenue.
Hawksley Avenue311 m
Turn left onto Newbold Back Lane.
Newbold Back Lane717 m
Turn left onto Brockwell Lane.
Brockwell Lane841 m
Turn left onto Clubmill Terrace.
Clubmill Terrace104 m
Turn left onto Prospect Terrace.
Prospect Terrace83 m
Turn left to stay on Prospect Terrace.
Prospect Terrace127 m
Turn left onto Newbold Back Lane.
Newbold Back Lane681 m
Turn left onto Brockwell Lane.
Brockwell Lane37 m
Turn right onto Pennine Way.
Pennine Way984 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Loundsley Green Road/B6150.
13 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 Road2.0 km
Turn right onto Foljambe Road.
Foljambe Road301 m
Enter West Bars and take the 2nd exit onto A619/Markham Road.
West Bars81 m
Exit the roundabout onto A619/Markham Road.
A619859 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Lordsmill Street.
19 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 left onto St Mary's Gate/B6543.
St Mary's Gate138 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hollis Lane/A632.
18 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hollis Lane/A632.
Hollis Lane60 m
Take the A61 exit towards Sheffield.
A612.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Lockoford Lane.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lockoford Lane.
Lockoford Lane346 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Sheffield Road/B6057.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sheffield Road/B6057.
Sheffield Road877 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Chesterfield · 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.
Dual-carriageway join
About 2.7 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, 50, 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.
Badger
Continue to Badger.
Brockwell Service Station
Continue to Brockwell Service Station.
Loundsley Green Church
Continue to Loundsley Green Church.
Mayflower
Continue to Mayflower.
Woodside Inn
Continue to Woodside Inn.
Ashgate Road Co-op
Continue to Ashgate Road Co-op.
Friends' Meeting House
Continue to Friends' Meeting House.
Salvation Army - Chesterfield
Continue to Salvation Army - Chesterfield.
Chandlers Bar
Continue to Chandlers Bar.
Ragged School Evangelical Church
Continue to Ragged School Evangelical Church.
Armisteads
Continue to Armisteads.
Brickyard
Continue to Brickyard.
East Block 2
Continue to East Block 2.
Donkey Derby
Continue to Donkey Derby.
Sheffield Road
Continue to Sheffield Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Crown and Anchor
Finish back near Crown and Anchor, 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 15.7 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Chesterfield test centre, not an official DVSA route.