Near Derby test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 18 roundabouts and 8 turns across 41 navigation steps.
This is an independent 29.0 km practice loop near Derby test centre, taking roughly 27 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 Raynesway Island, Bonnie Prince Roundabout, Thulston Island and Raynesway Park. 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 roundabout approach & exit, 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, named junctions, shops 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 Derby 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:
The full 41-step drive on real, named roads (about 29.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast.
63 m
Turn left.
218 m
Turn left onto Quintin Road.
Quintin Road186 m
Turn left onto Curzon Lane.
Curzon Lane203 m
Turn left onto London Road/A6.
London Road514 m
Enter Raynesway Island and take the 3rd exit onto A5111/Shardlow Road.
Raynesway Island39 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5111/Shardlow Road.
A5111146 m
Enter Blue Peter Island and take the 3rd exit onto A5111/Harvey Road.
Blue Peter Island53 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5111/Harvey Road.
A51111.1 km
Keep left to stay on A5111/Harvey Road.
A5111665 m
Enter Mitre Island/Spider Island and take the 1st exit onto Osmaston Road/A514.
Mitre Island3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Osmaston Road/A514. Continue on A514.
A5142.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Derby Road/A514.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Derby Road/A514. Continue on A514.
A5141.1 km
Enter Bonnie Prince Roundabout and take the 1st exit.
Bonnie Prince Roundabout6 m
Exit the roundabout onto A50.
A502.7 km
Take exit 2 onto A6 towards Derby.
A61.9 km
Enter Thulston Island and take the 2nd exit onto A6/Alvaston Bypass.
Thulston Island103 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6/Alvaston Bypass.
A62.2 km
Keep right at the fork.
599 m
Move right onto A5111/Raynesway.
A51111.3 km
Keep left to stay on A5111.
A511188 m
Take the exit.
A522.8 km
Enter The Pentagon and take the 2nd exit onto Eastgate/A52.
The Pentagon154 m
Exit the roundabout onto Eastgate/A52.
A52934 m
Keep right to take Saint Alkmund's Way/A601 towards A52/A516/A38/Inner ring road.
Saint Alkmund's Way391 m
Keep right to stay on A601.
A601402 m
Make a right U-turn at Friar Gate to stay on A601.
A6011.1 km
Keep left to take A52.
A523.4 km
Take the Spondon Roundabout exit.
195 m
Keep left to take A5111/Raynesway.
A51112.1 km
Keep left to stay on A5111/Raynesway.
A5111389 m
Enter Raynesway Park and take the 2nd exit onto A5111/Raynesway.
Raynesway Park25 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5111/Raynesway.
A5111423 m
Enter Raynesway Park and take the 2nd exit onto Belmore Way.
Raynesway Park60 m
Exit the roundabout onto Belmore Way.
Belmore Way486 m
Turn left.
117 m
Turn left onto Quintin Road.
Quintin Road83 m
Turn left.
218 m
Turn right.
63 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Derby · Dual-carriageway practice loop 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.
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.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Bonnie Prince Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Alvaston Methodist Church
Start near Alvaston Methodist Church.
Raynesway Island
Continue to Raynesway Island, taking the junction with good observation.
Fishermania
Continue to Fishermania.
Masala King
Continue to Masala King.
King Bazar
Continue to King Bazar.
Salvation Army Derby South
Continue to Salvation Army Derby South.
New Bridge Inn
Continue to New Bridge Inn.
Anna's Dog Grooming
Continue to Anna's Dog Grooming.
New Pin
Continue to New Pin.
Bonnie Prince Roundabout
Continue to Bonnie Prince Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Thulston Island
Continue to Thulston Island, taking the junction with good observation.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Browns Builders Merchants
Continue to Browns Builders Merchants.
Kwik Fit plus
Continue to Kwik Fit plus.
Derby Law School
Continue to Derby Law School.
Saint Mary's Church
Continue to Saint Mary's Church.
Peacock
Continue to Peacock.
Howarth Timber
Continue to Howarth Timber.
Raynesway Tile Warehouse
Continue to Raynesway Tile Warehouse.
Raynesway Park
Finish back near Raynesway Park, completing the loop.
33 roundabouts · 11 turns
28 roundabouts · 19 turns
18 roundabouts · 21 turns
28 roundabouts · 25 turns
This route is 29.0 km and takes about 27 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Derby test centre, not an official DVSA route.