Near Hinckley test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 11 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 19 navigation steps.
This is an independent 27.2 km practice loop near Hinckley test centre, taking roughly 25 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.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, 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, pubs, churches and parks, 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 Hinckley 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:
Road mix
The full 70-step drive on real, named roads (about 27.2 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southwest.
31 m
Turn left onto Brookside.
Brookside795 m
Turn right onto Far Lash.
Far Lash519 m
Turn right onto Forresters Road.
Forresters Road255 m
Turn right onto Higham Way.
Higham Way240 m
Turn right onto Sharpless Road.
Sharpless Road259 m
Turn left onto Far Lash.
Far Lash120 m
Turn right onto Duport Road.
Duport Road415 m
Turn right onto Hillrise.
Hillrise398 m
Turn right onto The Fairway.
The Fairway308 m
Turn right onto The Meadway.
The Meadway138 m
Turn right onto Hillrise.
Hillrise295 m
Turn left onto The Fairway.
The Fairway67 m
Turn right onto Hinckley Road/B578. Continue on B578.
B578734 m
Move right onto The Green.
The Green53 m
Turn right onto New Road.
New Road96 m
Turn right onto Grove Road.
Grove Road94 m
Turn left onto Church Street/B578. Continue on B578.
B578336 m
Turn left onto Forresters Road.
Forresters Road558 m
Turn left onto Forresters Close.
Forresters Close80 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Forresters Close.
Forresters Close80 m
Turn right onto Forresters Road.
Forresters Road558 m
Turn right onto Hinckley Road/B578. Continue on B578.
B578754 m
Turn right onto Windsor Street.
Windsor Street1.3 km
Turn right onto Rugby Road/B4109.
Rugby Road1.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Rugby Road/B4109.
228 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rugby Road/B4109.
Rugby Road1.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Three Pots Road.
57 m
Exit the roundabout onto Three Pots Road.
Three Pots Road110 m
Move left onto Wolvey Road.
Wolvey Road418 m
Turn right onto A5/Watling Street. Continue on A5.
A51.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Sketchley Meadows.
103 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sketchley Meadows.
Sketchley Meadows402 m
Turn right onto Watling Drive.
Watling Drive148 m
Turn left onto Watling Close.
Watling Close77 m
Turn right to stay on Watling Close.
Watling Close21 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Watling Close.
Watling Close21 m
Turn left to stay on Watling Close.
Watling Close77 m
Turn right onto Watling Drive.
Watling Drive148 m
Turn left onto Sketchley Meadows.
Sketchley Meadows395 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A5/Watling Street.
64 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5/Watling Street. Continue on A5.
A5735 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A5/Watling Street.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5/Watling Street.
A51.2 km
Enter Dodwells Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Dodwells Road/A47.
Dodwells Roundabout93 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dodwells Road/A47.
Dodwells Road1.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Roston Drive.
97 m
Exit the roundabout onto Roston Drive.
Roston Drive670 m
Turn right onto Glenbarr Drive.
Glenbarr Drive154 m
Turn left onto Brenfield Drive.
Brenfield Drive296 m
Turn left onto Roston Drive.
Roston Drive531 m
Turn left onto Brodick Road.
Brodick Road76 m
Turn left onto Brodick Close.
Brodick Close56 m
Turn right to stay on Brodick Close.
Brodick Close52 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Brodick Close.
Brodick Close52 m
Turn left to stay on Brodick Close.
Brodick Close56 m
Turn left onto Brodick Road.
Brodick Road368 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Langdale Road.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Langdale Road.
Langdale Road212 m
Turn right onto Thirlmere Road.
Thirlmere Road427 m
Turn left onto Coventry Road/B4666.
Coventry Road643 m
Turn right onto Northfield Road.
Northfield Road636 m
Turn right onto Rugby Road/B4109.
Rugby Road205 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Rugby Road/B4109.
91 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rugby Road/B4109.
Rugby Road1.4 km
Turn left onto Coventry Road.
Coventry Road627 m
Turn left onto Crossways.
Crossways182 m
Turn left onto Sketchley Road.
Sketchley Road787 m
Turn right onto Rugby Road/B4109.
Rugby Road864 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Hinckley · Route 12 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 3.8 km of this loop is dual carriageway. Build your speed on the slip road, take an effective rearward observation, and merge without forcing other traffic to brake.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 50 mph). Watch for repeater signs and adjust early, examiners mark you down for carrying the wrong speed into a new limit.
Residential streets
Narrow residential roads mean parked cars, pedestrians and reduced visibility. Cover the brake, keep your speed down and be ready to give way.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Brookside Fish Bar
Start near Brookside Fish Bar.
Kalla
Continue to Kalla.
KV Brookside News
Continue to KV Brookside News.
Wok Express
Continue to Wok Express.
Cross Keys
Continue to Cross Keys.
Hinckley News
Continue to Hinckley News.
Jets
Continue to Jets.
St Catherine's Church
Continue to St Catherine's Church.
Anchor Inn
Continue to Anchor Inn.
Burbage Congregational Church
Continue to Burbage Congregational Church.
Red Lion
Continue to Red Lion.
Sycamores
Continue to Sycamores.
Hansom Cab
Continue to Hansom Cab.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Vape Shop Outlet
Continue to Vape Shop Outlet.
Hinckley Knight
Continue to Hinckley Knight.
Lime Kilns
Continue to Lime Kilns.
Co-operative Food
Continue to Co-operative Food.
Hinckley Hub
Continue to Hinckley Hub.
Rock Gardens
Finish back near Rock Gardens, completing the loop.
5 roundabouts · 21 turns · 5 sets of lights
3 roundabouts · 10 turns · 8 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 19 turns · 5 sets of lights
3 roundabouts · 21 turns · 3 sets of lights
This route is 27.2 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Hinckley test centre, not an official DVSA route.