Near Grantham test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts and 18 turns across 63 navigation steps.
This is an independent 14.9 km practice loop near Grantham test centre, taking roughly 19 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 Somerby 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 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 Grantham 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 63-step drive on real, named roads (about 17.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north.
7 m
Turn left.
15 m
Turn right onto Cold Harbour.
Cold Harbour151 m
Turn left to stay on Cold Harbour.
Cold Harbour20 m
Turn left onto A52/Bridge End Road.
A5218 m
Keep right to stay on A52.
A52676 m
Keep left to take A52/High Dike.
A52162 m
Enter Somerby Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto B1176.
Somerby Roundabout15 m
Exit the roundabout onto B1176.
B117669 m
Keep right to stay on B1176.
B1176266 m
Keep left to stay on B1176.
B1176322 m
Keep left to stay on B1176.
B1176377 m
Keep left to stay on B1176.
B1176133 m
Turn left onto School Lane.
School Lane139 m
Keep straight to stay on School Lane.
School Lane139 m
Turn right onto B1176.
B1176358 m
Keep right to stay on B1176.
B1176108 m
Keep left to stay on B1176.
B1176134 m
Keep left to stay on B1176.
B1176274 m
Keep left to stay on B1176.
B1176290 m
Enter Somerby Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A52/Somerby Hill.
Somerby Roundabout110 m
Exit the roundabout onto A52/Somerby Hill.
A522.0 km
Keep right to stay on A52.
A52958 m
Keep left to take A52/Bridge End Road.
A52217 m
Keep right to take Springfield Road/A607.
Springfield Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Buckminster Gardens.
Buckminster Gardens28 m
Turn left to stay on Buckminster Gardens.
Buckminster Gardens30 m
Turn right onto Springfield Road/A607.
Springfield Road650 m
Turn right onto Walton Gardens.
Walton Gardens131 m
Turn right to stay on Walton Gardens.
Walton Gardens114 m
Turn left onto Springfield Road/A607.
Springfield Road105 m
Keep left to stay on Springfield Road/A607.
Springfield Road476 m
Move right to stay on Springfield Road/A607.
Springfield Road9 m
Turn right onto Harlaxton Road/A607.
Harlaxton Road254 m
Turn left.
38 m
Turn left.
65 m
Turn left.
39 m
Turn right onto Harlaxton Road/A607.
Harlaxton Road197 m
Turn left onto Springfield Road/A607.
Springfield Road731 m
Turn right onto Walton Gardens.
Walton Gardens131 m
Turn right to stay on Walton Gardens.
Walton Gardens114 m
Turn right onto Springfield Road/A607.
Springfield Road772 m
Keep left to take A52/Bridge End Road.
A52103 m
Keep right to stay on A52.
A52207 m
Keep left to take A52/Somerby Hill.
A52596 m
Keep left to stay on A52/Somerby Hill.
A52676 m
Keep right to stay on A52/Somerby Hill.
A5253 m
Turn left.
312 m
Turn left onto Wulfram Drive.
Wulfram Drive109 m
Turn right to stay on Wulfram Drive.
Wulfram Drive102 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Wulfram Drive.
Wulfram Drive102 m
Turn left to stay on Wulfram Drive.
Wulfram Drive109 m
Turn right onto A52.
A52316 m
Turn left onto A52/Somerby Hill.
A521.3 km
Enter Somerby Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A52/High Dike.
Somerby Roundabout25 m
Exit the roundabout onto A52/High Dike.
A52157 m
Keep right to stay on A52/High Dike.
A52405 m
Keep straight to stay on A52.
A52297 m
Turn right onto Cold Harbour.
Cold Harbour20 m
Turn right to stay on Cold Harbour.
Cold Harbour151 m
Turn left.
15 m
Turn right.
7 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Grantham · Residential + A-road 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 Somerby 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.
Somerby Roundabout
Start near Somerby Roundabout.
Art of Hair
Continue to Art of Hair.
Beauty Retreat
Continue to Beauty Retreat.
Biltong Farm
Continue to Biltong Farm.
Grantham Funeralcare
Continue to Grantham Funeralcare.
Indre Shop
Continue to Indre Shop.
Nail Boutique
Continue to Nail Boutique.
Taco Bell
Continue to Taco Bell.
White Lion
Continue to White Lion.
Yani's Tyre & Oil
Continue to Yani's Tyre & Oil.
Early Birdy
Continue to Early Birdy.
Springfield Road Convenience Store
Continue to Springfield Road Convenience Store.
Lincolnshire Co-op
Continue to Lincolnshire Co-op.
Springfield Arms
Continue to Springfield Arms.
Wellies
Continue to Wellies.
Burger King
Continue to Burger King.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
Screwfix
Continue to Screwfix.
Domino's
Continue to Domino's.
Asia Noodle Bar
Finish back near Asia Noodle Bar, completing the loop.
4 roundabouts · 16 turns
10 roundabouts · 25 turns
4 roundabouts · 18 turns
4 roundabouts · 10 turns
This route is 14.9 km and takes about 19 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Grantham test centre, not an official DVSA route.