Near Derby test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 28 roundabouts and 25 turns across 68 navigation steps.
This is an independent 17.2 km practice loop near Derby test centre, taking roughly 23 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 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 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 shops, churches 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 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 68-step drive on real, named roads (about 17.1 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.
41 m
Turn right.
102 m
Turn right.
73 m
Turn left onto Quintin Road.
Quintin Road186 m
Turn left onto Curzon Lane.
Curzon Lane140 m
Keep right to stay on Curzon Lane.
Curzon Lane62 m
Turn right onto London Road/A6.
London Road125 m
Turn left onto Warren Street.
Warren Street458 m
Turn left onto Thorndike Avenue.
Thorndike Avenue240 m
Turn right onto Robson Close.
Robson Close59 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Robson Close.
Robson Close59 m
Turn right onto Thorndike Avenue.
Thorndike Avenue82 m
Turn right onto Garrick Street.
Garrick Street115 m
Turn left onto Siddons Street.
Siddons Street114 m
Turn left onto A5111/Harvey Road.
A5111490 m
Enter Blue Peter Island and take the 1st exit onto A5111/Shardlow Road.
Blue Peter Island8 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5111/Shardlow Road.
A5111146 m
Enter Raynesway Island and take the 3rd exit onto A5111/Raynesway.
Raynesway Island35 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5111/Raynesway.
A5111335 m
Enter Raynesway Park and take the 2nd exit onto A5111/Raynesway.
Raynesway Park30 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5111/Raynesway.
A511124 m
Keep left to stay on A5111/Raynesway.
A511118 m
Keep left to stay on A5111/Raynesway towards Ring Road.
A51111.7 km
Keep right to take Raynesway/A6005.
Raynesway607 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Derby Road.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Derby Road.
Derby Road160 m
Turn right onto Oregon Way.
Oregon Way101 m
Turn right onto Enoch Stone Drive.
Enoch Stone Drive54 m
Turn right onto Pine Close.
Pine Close65 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Pine Close.
Pine Close65 m
Turn left onto Enoch Stone Drive.
Enoch Stone Drive54 m
Turn left onto Oregon Way.
Oregon Way101 m
Turn left onto Derby Road.
Derby Road158 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Raynesway/A6005.
56 m
Exit the roundabout onto Raynesway/A6005. Continue on Raynesway.
Raynesway1.9 km
Keep right to stay on A5111/Raynesway.
A5111107 m
Keep right to stay on A5111/Raynesway.
A511196 m
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 1st exit onto A5111/Raynesway.
Raynesway Park13 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5111/Raynesway.
A5111364 m
Enter Raynesway Island and take the 2nd exit onto A5111/Shardlow Road.
Raynesway Island12 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5111/Shardlow Road.
A5111145 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.
A5111664 m
Enter Mitre Island/Spider Island and take the 3rd exit onto Osmaston Road/A514.
Mitre Island66 m
Exit the roundabout onto Osmaston Road/A514.
Osmaston Road254 m
Keep left to stay on Osmaston Road/A514.
Osmaston Road740 m
Turn left onto Nightingale Road.
Nightingale Road589 m
Turn left onto A5111/Osmaston Park Road.
A511131 m
Keep straight to stay on A5111/Osmaston Park Road.
A5111772 m
Enter Mitre Island/Spider Island and take the 2nd exit onto A5111/Harvey Road.
Mitre Island36 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5111/Harvey Road.
A5111536 m
Keep left to stay on A5111/Harvey Road.
A5111166 m
Keep right to stay on A5111/Harvey Road.
A51111.1 km
Enter Blue Peter Island and take the 1st exit onto A5111/Shardlow Road.
Blue Peter Island8 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5111/Shardlow Road.
A5111146 m
Enter Raynesway Island and take the 3rd exit onto A5111/Raynesway.
Raynesway Island35 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5111/Raynesway.
A5111335 m
Enter Raynesway Park and take the 1st exit onto Belmore Way.
Raynesway Park2 m
Exit the roundabout onto Belmore Way.
Belmore Way486 m
Turn left onto Quintin Road.
Quintin Road200 m
Turn left.
217 m
Turn right.
63 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Derby · Residential 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Sangra Stores
Start near Sangra Stores.
Speedy Wheels and Tyres
Continue to Speedy Wheels and Tyres.
Alvaston United Reformed Church
Continue to Alvaston United Reformed Church.
Raynesway Island
Continue to Raynesway Island, taking the junction with good observation.
Lidl
Continue to Lidl.
Raynesway Blinds
Continue to Raynesway Blinds.
Raynesway Tile Warehouse
Continue to Raynesway Tile Warehouse.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Raynesway Park
Continue to Raynesway Park, taking the junction with good observation.
Bright Beauty
Continue to Bright Beauty.
Horus One Convenience Store
Continue to Horus One Convenience Store.
Grayz
Continue to Grayz.
Allenton Balti House
Continue to Allenton Balti House.
Ascot Fish Bar
Continue to Ascot Fish Bar.
Pizza Hut Delivery
Continue to Pizza Hut Delivery.
Shut your cob
Continue to Shut your cob.
Monique Hair & Beauty
Continue to Monique Hair & Beauty.
A. W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service Ltd.
Continue to A. W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service Ltd..
Morrisons Daily
Continue to Morrisons Daily.
Manns Mini Market
Finish back near Manns Mini Market, completing the loop.
33 roundabouts · 11 turns
18 roundabouts · 8 turns
28 roundabouts · 19 turns
18 roundabouts · 21 turns
This route is 17.2 km and takes about 23 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Derby test centre, not an official DVSA route.