Near Hinckley test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 3 roundabouts, 10 turns and 8 signalled junctions across 18 navigation steps.
This is an independent 31.6 km practice route 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 roundabout approach & exit, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads 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 pubs, shops, schools and churches, 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 65-step drive on real, named roads (about 31.6 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.
Brookside1.3 km
Turn right onto Burbage Road/B4669. Continue on B4669.
B4669448 m
Make a sharp right onto Hinckley Road.
Hinckley Road54 m
Turn right onto Hinckley Road/B578.
Hinckley Road36 m
Turn left onto Burbage Road/B4669.
B46691.3 km
Turn right onto Leicester Road/B4668.
Leicester Road2.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Leicester Road/A47.
104 m
Exit the roundabout onto Leicester Road/A47.
Leicester Road399 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Carrs Hill.
40 m
Exit the roundabout onto Carrs Hill.
Carrs Hill755 m
Turn left onto Belle Vue Road.
Belle Vue Road333 m
Turn left onto Moore Road.
Moore Road367 m
Turn left onto Forest View Road.
Forest View Road95 m
Turn left onto Queens Way.
Queens Way267 m
Turn right onto Chesterfield Way.
Chesterfield Way312 m
Turn left to stay on Chesterfield Way.
Chesterfield Way46 m
Turn left onto Shilton Road.
Shilton Road161 m
Turn right onto Hinckley Road.
Hinckley Road657 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Leicester Road/A47.
96 m
Exit the roundabout onto Leicester Road/A47.
Leicester Road408 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Leicester Road/B4668.
7 m
Exit the roundabout onto Leicester Road/B4668.
Leicester Road2.8 km
Turn left onto Spa Lane/B590.
Spa Lane230 m
Move right.
52 m
Move right onto London Road.
London Road226 m
Turn left onto The Lawns.
The Lawns142 m
Move left onto Queens Road.
Queens Road387 m
Turn right onto Southfield Road/B590.
Southfield Road768 m
Turn right onto Station Road.
Station Road478 m
Turn left onto The Horsefair.
The Horsefair94 m
Move right onto George Street.
George Street15 m
Turn right onto Regent Street.
Regent Street170 m
Move left onto The Borough.
The Borough23 m
Turn right onto Stockwell Head/B590.
B5903.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto The Common.
64 m
Exit the roundabout onto The Common.
The Common971 m
Turn right onto Kirkby Road.
Kirkby Road325 m
Turn right onto Oxford Street.
Oxford Street188 m
Turn left onto Regent Street.
Regent Street263 m
Turn right onto Kirkby Road.
Kirkby Road399 m
Turn right onto Charnwood Road.
Charnwood Road549 m
Turn right onto Byron Street.
Byron Street537 m
Turn left onto Kirkby Road.
Kirkby Road574 m
Turn right onto Townend Road.
Townend Road112 m
Turn left onto Friswell Lane.
Friswell Lane48 m
Turn right onto Stapleton Lane.
Stapleton Lane211 m
Turn right onto Hazel Way.
Hazel Way299 m
Turn left onto Cumberland Way.
Cumberland Way224 m
Turn left onto Stapleton Lane.
Stapleton Lane517 m
Turn left onto Shilton Road.
Shilton Road233 m
Turn right onto Queen Street.
Queen Street163 m
Turn right onto Chapel Street.
Chapel Street214 m
Turn left onto High Street.
High Street498 m
Move right onto Mill Street.
Mill Street1.1 km
Turn left onto Ashby Road/A447.
Ashby Road912 m
Turn right onto Normandy Way/A47.
Normandy Way582 m
Turn left onto Nelson Drive.
Nelson Drive314 m
Turn left onto Drake Way.
Drake Way202 m
Turn right onto Normandy Way/A47.
Normandy Way298 m
Turn right onto Ashby Road/B4667.
Ashby Road1.2 km
Turn left onto Derby Road.
Derby Road414 m
Turn left onto Leicester Road/B590.
Leicester Road200 m
Turn right onto Spa Lane/B590.
B5901.1 km
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Hinckley · Route 9 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.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Roundabout
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
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.
Holywell
Start near Holywell.
Wok Express
Continue to Wok Express.
China Chef
Continue to China Chef.
Lifestyle Express
Continue to Lifestyle Express.
Cedar Motors
Continue to Cedar Motors.
Castle Tavern
Continue to Castle Tavern.
St. Peter's Catholic Primary School
Continue to St. Peter's Catholic Primary School.
Hinckley Baptist Church
Continue to Hinckley Baptist Church.
Hinckley United Reformed Church
Continue to Hinckley United Reformed Church.
Carpet World
Continue to Carpet World.
New Plough Inn
Continue to New Plough Inn.
Barwell Methodist Church
Continue to Barwell Methodist Church.
Topps Wine Bar
Continue to Topps Wine Bar.
Barwell Infant School
Continue to Barwell Infant School.
Blacksmiths Arms
Continue to Blacksmiths Arms.
Queen's Head
Continue to Queen's Head.
Cottage Wines
Continue to Cottage Wines.
Red Lion
Continue to Red Lion.
Ashby Tavern
Continue to Ashby Tavern.
Weavers Arms
Finish back near Weavers Arms, completing the loop.
5 roundabouts · 21 turns · 5 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 19 turns · 5 sets of lights
3 roundabouts · 21 turns · 3 sets of lights
6 roundabouts · 21 turns · 5 sets of lights
This route is 31.6 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.