Near Leicester test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 15 turns and 5 signalled junctions across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 30.5 km practice loop near Leicester test centre, taking roughly 40 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 Windley Road 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 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 churches, shops, pubs and named junctions, 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 Leicester 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 76-step drive on real, named roads (about 30.5 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive east.
10 m
Turn right.
39 m
Turn left onto Tigers Road.
Tigers Road41 m
Turn left onto Saffron Road/B5366.
Saffron Road405 m
Turn left onto Namur Road.
Namur Road105 m
Turn left onto Ladysmith Road.
Ladysmith Road98 m
Turn left onto Hindoostan Avenue.
Hindoostan Avenue190 m
Turn left onto Crete Avenue.
Crete Avenue30 m
Turn right onto Saffron Road/B5366.
Saffron Road634 m
Move left to stay on Saffron Road/B5366.
Saffron Road32 m
Move left onto St Thomas Road/B582. Continue on B582.
B582520 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Blaby Road/B582.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Blaby Road/B582. Continue on B582.
B5821.3 km
Turn left onto Long Street.
Long Street133 m
Turn left onto Central Avenue.
Central Avenue613 m
Turn right onto Holmden Avenue.
Holmden Avenue47 m
Turn left onto West Avenue.
West Avenue83 m
Turn left onto Queens Drive.
Queens Drive304 m
Turn left onto Pullman Road.
Pullman Road164 m
Turn left onto Cherry Street.
Cherry Street192 m
Turn left onto Manor Street.
Manor Street164 m
Turn right onto Queens Drive.
Queens Drive128 m
Turn left onto West Avenue.
West Avenue505 m
Turn right onto Warwick Road.
Warwick Road185 m
Turn right onto Rolleston Road.
Rolleston Road229 m
Turn left onto West Avenue.
West Avenue298 m
Turn left onto Holmden Avenue.
Holmden Avenue286 m
Turn left onto Aylestone Lane/B5418.
Aylestone Lane167 m
Turn left to stay on Aylestone Lane.
Aylestone Lane134 m
Turn left onto Aylestone Road.
Aylestone Road29 m
Turn right to stay on Aylestone Road.
Aylestone Road2 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Aylestone Road.
Aylestone Road2 m
Turn left to stay on Aylestone Road.
Aylestone Road29 m
Turn left onto Aylestone Lane.
Aylestone Lane56 m
Turn right onto Rolleston Road.
Rolleston Road12 m
Turn left onto Aylestone Lane/B5418. Continue on B5418.
B5418808 m
Turn right onto Windley Road.
Windley Road406 m
Enter Windley Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Windley Road.
Windley Road Roundabout37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Windley Road.
Windley Road321 m
Turn right onto Brookfield Rise.
Brookfield Rise124 m
Turn left onto Burnside Road.
Burnside Road254 m
Turn left onto Windley Road.
Windley Road128 m
Turn left to stay on Windley Road.
Windley Road340 m
Enter Windley Road Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Windley Road.
Windley Road Roundabout85 m
Exit the roundabout onto Windley Road.
Windley Road342 m
Move left onto Brookfield Rise.
Brookfield Rise90 m
Move right onto The Fairway.
The Fairway540 m
Turn right onto Bloomfield Road.
Bloomfield Road503 m
Turn right onto Copinger Road.
Copinger Road179 m
Turn left onto Whittier Road.
Whittier Road258 m
Turn left onto Knighton Lane East.
Knighton Lane East276 m
Move left to stay on Knighton Lane East.
Knighton Lane East54 m
Move left onto Saffron Lane/B5366.
Saffron Lane1.5 km
Enter Pork Pie Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Saffron Lane/B5366.
Pork Pie Roundabout49 m
Exit the roundabout onto Saffron Lane/B5366. Continue on B5366.
B53662.0 km
Move left onto Saffron Road/B5366.
Saffron Road32 m
Make a sharp right onto St Thomas Road/B582.
St Thomas Road23 m
Turn right onto Saffron Road/B5366. Continue on B5366.
B53662.0 km
Enter Pork Pie Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Saffron Lane/B5366.
Pork Pie Roundabout47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Saffron Lane/B5366.
Saffron Lane1.8 km
Turn left onto Lothair Road.
Lothair Road418 m
Turn left onto Aylestone Road/A426.
Aylestone Road1.6 km
Turn left onto Wigston Lane.
Wigston Lane614 m
Turn left onto Aylestone Drive.
Aylestone Drive109 m
Turn right onto Belvoir Drive East.
Belvoir Drive East226 m
Turn right onto Wigston Lane.
Wigston Lane212 m
Turn left onto Aylestone Drive.
Aylestone Drive439 m
Turn right onto A563/Glenhills Way.
A563626 m
Turn left onto Lutterworth Road/A426. Continue on A426.
A4262.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Leicester Road/A426.
48 m
Exit the roundabout onto Leicester Road/A426. Continue on A426.
A4262.0 km
Turn right onto A563/Glenhills Way.
A5631.2 km
Enter Pork Pie Roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Saffron Lane/B5366.
Pork Pie Roundabout97 m
Exit the roundabout onto Saffron Lane/B5366. Continue on B5366.
B53661.5 km
Turn right onto Tigers Road.
Tigers Road100 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Leicester · Route 11 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Windley Road Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 1.1 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 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.
St Thomas
Start near St Thomas.
South Wigston Congregational Church
Continue to South Wigston Congregational Church.
All Saints Church
Continue to All Saints Church.
Central Avenue Christian Church
Continue to Central Avenue Christian Church.
Spring House Chinese Takeaway
Continue to Spring House Chinese Takeaway.
Chartwell Arms
Continue to Chartwell Arms.
Nautical William
Continue to Nautical William.
Formula One Autocentres
Continue to Formula One Autocentres.
Windley Road Roundabout
Continue to Windley Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Blue Ocean Chippy
Continue to Blue Ocean Chippy.
Friar Lane & Epworth Football Club
Continue to Friar Lane & Epworth Football Club.
Lounge Bar
Continue to Lounge Bar.
Eyres Monsell Baptist Free Church
Continue to Eyres Monsell Baptist Free Church.
Discount Ceramics
Continue to Discount Ceramics.
United Reform Church
Continue to United Reform Church.
MagiBar
Continue to MagiBar.
Feasters
Continue to Feasters.
St Edward's
Continue to St Edward's.
S&D Enterprise
Continue to S&D Enterprise.
Chrisstadelphian Hall
Finish back near Chrisstadelphian Hall, completing the loop.
12 roundabouts · 12 turns · 2 sets of lights
10 roundabouts · 12 turns
11 roundabouts · 7 turns · 2 sets of lights
14 roundabouts · 11 turns · 2 sets of lights
This route is 30.5 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Leicester test centre, not an official DVSA route.