Near Derby test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 18 roundabouts and 21 turns across 53 navigation steps.
This is an independent 20.9 km practice loop near Derby test centre, taking roughly 22 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 Blue Peter Island, Spondon Roundabout 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 schools, 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 53-step drive on real, named roads (about 20.9 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 2nd exit onto A5111/Osmaston Park Road.
Mitre Island32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5111/Osmaston Park Road.
A5111808 m
Turn right onto Nightingale Road.
Nightingale Road184 m
Turn right onto Addison Road.
Addison Road59 m
Turn left.
52 m
Turn left.
23 m
Make a right U-turn.
23 m
Turn right.
52 m
Turn right onto Addison Road.
Addison Road59 m
Turn left onto Nightingale Road.
Nightingale Road184 m
Turn left onto A5111/Osmaston Park Road.
A5111804 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.
A51111.2 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 2nd exit onto A5111/Raynesway.
Raynesway Park30 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5111/Raynesway.
A511143 m
Keep left to stay on A5111/Raynesway towards Ring Road.
A51111.7 km
Keep left to stay on A5111.
A511188 m
Take the exit on the right.
A523.4 km
Take the exit towards Ockbrook/ Borrowash/ Elvaston/ Elvaston Castle Country Park.
Victoria Avenue70 m
Move left to stay on Victoria Avenue.
Victoria Avenue83 m
Turn right to stay on Victoria Avenue.
Victoria Avenue525 m
Turn left.
104 m
Make a right U-turn.
104 m
Turn right onto Victoria Avenue.
Victoria Avenue223 m
Turn left to stay on Victoria Avenue.
Victoria Avenue142 m
Move left to stay on Victoria Avenue.
Victoria Avenue43 m
Move left onto A52/Brian Clough Way.
A522.7 km
Take the Spondon Interchange exit.
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 · School-zone 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.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at 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.
Alvaston Methodist Church
Start near Alvaston Methodist Church.
English Martyrs Church
Continue to English Martyrs Church.
Blue Peter Island
Continue to Blue Peter Island, taking the junction with good observation.
Fishermania
Continue to Fishermania.
DD Cycles
Continue to DD Cycles.
Embers Heating Studio
Continue to Embers Heating Studio.
A. W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service Ltd.
Continue to A. W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service Ltd..
R and R Convenience Store
Continue to R and R Convenience Store.
Morrisons Daily
Continue to Morrisons Daily.
Manns Mini Market
Continue to Manns Mini Market.
Alvaston United Reformed Church
Continue to Alvaston United Reformed Church.
Betfred
Continue to Betfred.
Lidl
Continue to Lidl.
Spondon Roundabout
Continue to Spondon Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Spondon Methodist Church
Continue to Spondon Methodist Church.
War Memorial
Continue to War Memorial.
Ashbrook Infant and Nursey School
Continue to Ashbrook Infant and Nursey School.
Raynesway Tile Warehouse
Continue to Raynesway Tile Warehouse.
Raynesway Park
Continue to Raynesway Park, taking the junction with good observation.
SGS Engineering
Finish back near SGS Engineering, completing the loop.
33 roundabouts · 11 turns
18 roundabouts · 8 turns
28 roundabouts · 19 turns
28 roundabouts · 25 turns
This route is 20.9 km and takes about 22 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Derby test centre, not an official DVSA route.