Near Crewe test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 12 turns and 1 signalled junction across 20 navigation steps.
This is an independent 23.2 km practice loop near Crewe test centre, taking roughly 30 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 Alvaston Roundabout. 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 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 pubs, shops, parks 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 Crewe 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 91-step drive on real, named roads (about 23.2 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west on Nile Street.
Nile Street130 m
Turn right onto Walthall Street.
Walthall Street611 m
Turn left onto Wistaston Road.
Wistaston Road2.0 km
Turn left onto West Street/A532.
West Street230 m
Turn right onto Sunnybank Road.
Sunnybank Road51 m
Turn left onto Coppenhall Lane.
Coppenhall Lane75 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Coppenhall Lane.
Coppenhall Lane75 m
Turn left onto Sunnybank Road.
Sunnybank Road168 m
Keep left to stay on Sunnybank Road.
Sunnybank Road101 m
Keep left to stay on Sunnybank Road.
Sunnybank Road47 m
Turn left onto Halton Drive.
Halton Drive185 m
Turn left onto Marshfield Avenue.
Marshfield Avenue151 m
Turn left onto Acton Road.
Acton Road138 m
Turn right onto Deva Road.
Deva Road122 m
Turn right onto Malbank Road.
Malbank Road58 m
Turn left onto Barthomley Crescent.
Barthomley Crescent108 m
Turn right onto Marshfield Avenue.
Marshfield Avenue277 m
Turn right onto Acton Road.
Acton Road41 m
Keep right to stay on Acton Road.
Acton Road186 m
Turn right onto Sunnybank Road.
Sunnybank Road119 m
Turn right onto Coppenhall Lane.
Coppenhall Lane74 m
Turn right onto Sunnybank Road.
Sunnybank Road51 m
Turn right onto West Street/A532.
West Street625 m
Keep right to stay on West Street/A532.
West Street73 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A530/Middlewich Road.
11 m
Exit the roundabout onto A530/Middlewich Road.
A5302.6 km
Enter Alvaston Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Middlewich Road/B5334.
Alvaston Roundabout39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Middlewich Road/B5334.
Middlewich Road170 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Middlewich Road/B5334.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Middlewich Road/B5334.
Middlewich Road26 m
Keep left to stay on Middlewich Road/B5334.
Middlewich Road146 m
Turn left to stay on Middlewich Road.
Middlewich Road23 m
Turn right to stay on Middlewich Road.
Middlewich Road143 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Middlewich Road.
Middlewich Road105 m
Keep right to stay on Middlewich Road.
Middlewich Road37 m
Turn left to stay on Middlewich Road.
Middlewich Road23 m
Turn right onto Middlewich Road/B5334.
Middlewich Road173 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Middlewich Road/B5334.
49 m
Exit the roundabout onto Middlewich Road/B5334.
Middlewich Road159 m
Enter Alvaston Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A530/Middlewich Road.
Alvaston Roundabout65 m
Exit the roundabout onto A530/Middlewich Road.
A53031 m
Keep right to stay on A530/Middlewich Road.
A5302.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A530/Middlewich Road.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto A530/Middlewich Road.
A530522 m
Keep left to stay on A530/Middlewich Road.
A530848 m
Keep left to stay on A530/Middlewich Road.
A530208 m
Move left to stay on A530/Middlewich Road.
A53024 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A530/Middlewich Road.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto A530/Middlewich Road.
A530156 m
Keep left to stay on A530/Middlewich Road.
A530476 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A530/Middlewich Road.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto A530/Middlewich Road.
A53091 m
Turn right onto Smithy Lane.
Smithy Lane21 m
Keep right to stay on Smithy Lane.
Smithy Lane262 m
Turn right.
46 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Tottys Hall Way.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tottys Hall Way.
Tottys Hall Way75 m
Keep left to stay on Tottys Hall Way.
Tottys Hall Way599 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Tottys Hall Way.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tottys Hall Way.
Tottys Hall Way240 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Minshull New Road.
63 m
Exit the roundabout onto Minshull New Road.
Minshull New Road385 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Badger Avenue.
2 m
Exit the roundabout onto Badger Avenue.
Badger Avenue892 m
Keep left to stay on Badger Avenue.
Badger Avenue612 m
Keep left to stay on Badger Avenue.
Badger Avenue380 m
Turn right onto Vernon Way/B5076. Continue on Vernon Way.
Vernon Way483 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Vernon Way/A532.
81 m
Exit the roundabout onto Vernon Way/A532.
Vernon Way502 m
Turn left.
57 m
Turn left onto Badger Avenue.
Badger Avenue50 m
Turn right onto Vernon Way/B5076. Continue on Vernon Way.
Vernon Way483 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Earle Street/A532.
6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Earle Street/A532.
Earle Street304 m
Enter Earle Street Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Earle Street/A532.
Earle Street Roundabout108 m
Exit the roundabout onto Earle Street/A532.
Earle Street300 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Earle Street.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Earle Street.
Earle Street93 m
Turn left onto Prince Albert Street.
Prince Albert Street138 m
Turn right onto Chester Street.
Chester Street302 m
Turn right onto Lawrence Street.
Lawrence Street38 m
Turn right onto Delamere Street.
Delamere Street232 m
Turn right onto Market Street.
Market Street316 m
Keep left to take Edleston Road/A5078.
Edleston Road728 m
Turn right onto Nantwich Road/A534.
Nantwich Road407 m
Turn right onto Ruskin Road.
Ruskin Road261 m
Turn right onto Owen Street.
Owen Street69 m
Turn left onto Walthall Street.
Walthall Street25 m
Turn right onto Nile Street.
Nile Street59 m
Turn left onto Westminster Street.
Westminster Street71 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Crewe · Route 1 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Alvaston Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 7.7 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 (20, 30, 40, 50, 60 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.
Earl of Chester
Start near Earl of Chester.
Hop Pole
Continue to Hop Pole.
Morrisons Daily
Continue to Morrisons Daily.
Victoria Gardens
Continue to Victoria Gardens.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
Corner Store
Continue to Corner Store.
Rising Sun
Continue to Rising Sun.
Alvaston Roundabout
Continue to Alvaston Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Topps Tiles
Continue to Topps Tiles.
TG Builders Merchants
Continue to TG Builders Merchants.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
South Cheshire Magistrates Court
Continue to South Cheshire Magistrates Court.
Kings Arms
Continue to Kings Arms.
Rising Sun Vaults
Continue to Rising Sun Vaults.
Crewe Bus Station
Continue to Crewe Bus Station.
Salvation Army Worship Centre
Continue to Salvation Army Worship Centre.
Ebenezer's
Continue to Ebenezer's.
Nantwich Road Social Club
Continue to Nantwich Road Social Club.
Bridal Revival
Continue to Bridal Revival.
Sunrise Local Laundry Services
Finish back near Sunrise Local Laundry Services, completing the loop.
7 roundabouts · 11 turns · 3 sets of lights
1 roundabout · 17 turns · 1 set of lights
3 roundabouts · 15 turns · 3 sets of lights
5 roundabouts · 15 turns · 5 sets of lights
This route is 23.2 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Crewe test centre, not an official DVSA route.