Near Derby test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 33 roundabouts and 11 turns across 61 navigation steps.
This is an independent 34.6 km practice loop near Derby test centre, taking roughly 29 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 Park, Thulston Island, Bonnie Prince Roundabout, Crown Way and Spondon 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 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 shops, named junctions 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 61-step drive on real, named roads (about 34.6 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 right onto Quintin Road.
Quintin Road83 m
Turn right.
117 m
Turn right onto Belmore Way.
Belmore Way473 m
Enter Raynesway Park and take the 1st exit onto A5111/Raynesway.
Raynesway Park1 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5111/Raynesway.
A511143 m
Keep right to stay on A5111/Raynesway.
A5111375 m
Enter Raynesway Park and take the 2nd exit onto A6/Alvaston Bypass.
Raynesway Park102 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6/Alvaston Bypass.
A62.4 km
Enter Thulston Island and take the 2nd exit onto A6.
Thulston Island109 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6.
A61.1 km
Take the Aston Interchange exit on the right onto A50.
A504.0 km
Take exit 3.
384 m
Enter Bonnie Prince Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Infinity Park Way.
Bonnie Prince Roundabout302 m
Exit the roundabout onto Infinity Park Way.
Infinity Park Way140 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Infinity Park Way.
26 m
Exit the roundabout onto Infinity Park Way.
Infinity Park Way128 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Crown Way.
76 m
Exit the roundabout onto Crown Way.
Crown Way212 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Crown Way.
52 m
Exit the roundabout onto Crown Way.
Crown Way211 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Infinity Park Way.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Infinity Park Way.
Infinity Park Way130 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Infinity Park Way.
53 m
Exit the roundabout onto Infinity Park Way.
Infinity Park Way149 m
Enter Bonnie Prince Roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
Bonnie Prince Roundabout65 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 right to take Raynesway/A6005.
Raynesway608 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Derby Road/A6005.
72 m
Exit the roundabout onto Derby Road/A6005.
Derby Road568 m
Enter Spondon Roundabout and take the 5th exit.
Spondon Roundabout333 m
Exit the roundabout onto A52/Brian Clough Way.
A523.4 km
Enter The Pentagon and take the 2nd exit onto Eastgate/A52.
The Pentagon154 m
Exit the roundabout onto Eastgate/A52.
Eastgate236 m
Take exit 2.
A601488 m
Keep right to stay on A601.
A601145 m
Turn right onto Morledge.
Morledge337 m
Enter Corporation Street and take the 3rd exit onto Morledge.
Corporation Street74 m
Exit the roundabout onto Morledge.
Morledge305 m
Move left to stay on Morledge.
Morledge25 m
Move left onto Traffic Street/A601. Continue on A601.
A601439 m
Take exit 2 onto A52 towards A38/M1/A61/Mansfield.
Darwin Place109 m
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 · Roundabout 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.
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, Spondon 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.
SGS Engineering
Start near SGS Engineering.
Raynesway Park
Continue to Raynesway Park, taking the junction with good observation.
Thulston Island
Continue to Thulston Island, taking the junction with good observation.
Bonnie Prince Roundabout
Continue to Bonnie Prince Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Crown Way
Continue to Crown Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Bank
Continue to Bank.
Cyclo Monster
Continue to Cyclo Monster.
Spondon Roundabout
Continue to Spondon Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
M&S Food
Continue to M&S Food.
Browns Builders Merchants
Continue to Browns Builders Merchants.
Kwik Fit plus
Continue to Kwik Fit plus.
Ron Brooks Suzuki
Continue to Ron Brooks Suzuki.
J. J. Lloyds
Continue to J. J. Lloyds.
Spirit Run
Continue to Spirit Run.
James Convenience
Continue to James Convenience.
Lolly's Rolls
Continue to Lolly's Rolls.
Exeter Arms
Continue to Exeter Arms.
Howarth Timber
Continue to Howarth Timber.
Raynesway Tile Warehouse
Finish back near Raynesway Tile Warehouse, completing the loop.
18 roundabouts · 8 turns
28 roundabouts · 19 turns
18 roundabouts · 21 turns
28 roundabouts · 25 turns
This route is 34.6 km and takes about 29 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Derby test centre, not an official DVSA route.