Near Chesterfield test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 9 roundabouts, 17 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 29 navigation steps.
This is an independent 22.9 km practice route 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.
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 stations, pubs, shops and named junctions, 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 64-step drive on real, named roads (about 22.8 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 9th exit onto A61.
312 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 left onto St Mary's Gate/B6543.
St Mary's Gate138 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 3rd exit onto A61/Derby Road.
111 m
Exit the roundabout onto A61/Derby Road. Continue on A61.
A612.7 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A61/Derby Road.
71 m
Exit the roundabout onto A61/Derby Road.
A611.8 km
Turn left onto St Augustines Road.
St Augustines Road372 m
Turn right onto St Augustines Mount.
St Augustines Mount308 m
Turn left onto St Augustines Drive.
St Augustines Drive93 m
Turn left onto Clarkson Avenue.
Clarkson Avenue251 m
Turn right onto Boythorpe Road.
Boythorpe Road554 m
Turn left onto Hunloke Avenue.
Hunloke Avenue600 m
Move right onto Sycamore Avenue.
Sycamore Avenue62 m
Turn right onto Walton Drive.
Walton Drive310 m
Turn left onto Central Avenue.
Central Avenue300 m
Turn left onto Goytside Road.
Goytside Road351 m
Turn right onto Factory Street.
Factory Street161 m
Turn left onto A619/Chatsworth Road.
A619126 m
Turn right onto Old Road.
Old Road291 m
Turn right onto Old Hall Road.
Old Hall Road760 m
Turn left onto Ashgate Road.
Ashgate Road351 m
Turn right onto Cuttholme Road.
Cuttholme Road385 m
Turn left onto Chiltern Close.
Chiltern Close1 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Chiltern Close.
Chiltern Close1 m
Turn right onto Cuttholme Road.
Cuttholme Road49 m
Turn left onto Wenlock Crescent.
Wenlock Crescent360 m
Turn right onto Cuttholme Road.
Cuttholme Road145 m
Turn right onto Wenlock Crescent.
Wenlock Crescent165 m
Turn left onto Purbeck Avenue.
Purbeck Avenue392 m
Turn right onto Brockwell Lane.
Brockwell Lane838 m
Make a sharp right onto Ashgate Road.
Ashgate Road884 m
Turn left onto Churston Road.
Churston Road267 m
Turn left onto Manor Drive.
Manor Drive131 m
Turn left onto Old Hall Road.
Old Hall Road245 m
Turn right onto Ashgate Road.
Ashgate Road882 m
Turn left onto Compton Street.
Compton Street249 m
Turn right onto Cross Street.
Cross Street285 m
Turn left onto Queen Street.
Queen Street203 m
Turn left onto Newbold Road/B6051.
Newbold Road1.3 km
Turn right onto Newbold Drive.
Newbold Drive99 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Chesterfield · Route 7 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 7.8 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, 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.
Donkey Derby
Continue to Donkey Derby.
Euro Car Parts
Continue to Euro Car Parts.
Meltham Lane
Continue to Meltham Lane, taking the junction with good observation.
East Block 1
Continue to East Block 1.
Bridge Inn
Continue to Bridge Inn.
Brand Runner
Continue to Brand Runner.
Derby Road Methodist Church
Continue to Derby Road Methodist Church.
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
Continue to Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Parish Church of Saint Augustine
Continue to Parish Church of Saint Augustine.
Walton Stores
Continue to Walton Stores.
Park Road
Continue to Park Road.
Rumbling Tums
Continue to Rumbling Tums.
Rose and Crown
Continue to Rose and Crown.
Avalon
Continue to Avalon.
Ashgate Road Co-op
Continue to Ashgate Road Co-op.
Badger
Continue to Badger.
Friends' Meeting House
Continue to Friends' Meeting House.
Central Pentecostal Church
Continue to Central Pentecostal Church.
St Andrews Church
Finish back near St Andrews Church, 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 22.9 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.