Near Chesterfield test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 9 roundabouts and 16 turns across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 88.5 km practice loop near Chesterfield test centre, taking roughly 40 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, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and independent driving. 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 stations, shops, churches and pubs, 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 26-step drive on real, named roads. An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
At roundabout, go ahead
Sheffield Rd
At roundabout, 3rd exit, turn right
Sheffield Rd
At roundabout, 1st exit, turn left
Lockoford Lane
At roundabout, 3rd exit, go ahead
A61 Sheffield
Take the 1st left
A61 Sheffield
At end of road, turn right
A61 Slip Rd
Take the 2nd right
Broombank Rd
Take the 1st left
Old Sheffield Rd
At end of road, turn left
Broomhill Rd
Take the 1st right
High St
Take the 3rd left
Station Lane
Take the 2nd left
Ashcroft Drive
Take the 2nd right
Oak Bank Avenue
At end of road, turn left
Ashcroft Drive
Go ahead
Station Lane
Take the 2nd left
Devonshire Rd North
At end of road, turn left
Devonshire Avenue North
Take the 1st right
Whittington Road
At end of road, turn left
Stone Lane
At roundabout, go ahead
Handley Rd/High St
Turn right
High St
Take the 1st right
Holland Rd
At roundabout, 2nd exit
Whittington Hill/High St
At roundabout, turn right
A61 Derby
At roundabout, 1st exit, turn left
Lockoford Lane
At roundabout, go ahead
Sheffield Rd
Directions for the Chesterfield · 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.
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 42.6 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.
Stagecoach Bus Depot
Start near Stagecoach Bus Depot.
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.
Stratstone
Continue to Stratstone.
St Andrews Church
Continue to St Andrews Church.
Chesterfield Central Methodist Church
Continue to Chesterfield Central Methodist Church.
Donkey Derby
Continue to Donkey Derby.
Lidl 1
Continue to Lidl 1.
Lidl 2
Continue to Lidl 2.
Bridge Inn
Continue to Bridge Inn.
Parish Church of St Mary and All Saints
Continue to Parish Church of St Mary and All Saints.
Brickyard
Continue to Brickyard.
Rosie O'Learys
Continue to Rosie O'Learys.
Gordon Lamb Landrover
Continue to Gordon Lamb Landrover.
Wellington
Continue to Wellington.
Grace Chapel
Continue to Grace Chapel.
Rose Hill United Reformed Church
Continue to Rose Hill United Reformed Church.
Poltronesofà at ScS
Continue to Poltronesofà at ScS.
CMC Electronics
Finish back near CMC Electronics, completing the loop.
10 roundabouts · 11 turns · 1 set of lights
8 roundabouts · 14 turns · 1 set of lights
11 roundabouts · 8 turns
8 roundabouts · 15 turns · 2 sets of lights
This route is 88.5 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Chesterfield test centre, not an official DVSA route.