Near Leicester test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 11 turns and 5 signalled junctions across 23 navigation steps.
This is an independent 28.9 km practice loop near Leicester test centre, taking roughly 35 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, 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 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 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 66-step drive on real, named roads (about 28.9 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. Continue on B5366.
B53661.5 km
Enter Pork Pie Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Wigston Lane.
Pork Pie Roundabout43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wigston Lane.
Wigston Lane839 m
Turn left onto Paget Street.
Paget Street135 m
Turn left onto Carl Street.
Carl Street53 m
Turn left onto Montrose Road.
Montrose Road126 m
Turn right onto Wigston Lane.
Wigston Lane574 m
Turn left onto Alton Road.
Alton Road275 m
Turn left onto Burnaston Road.
Burnaston Road257 m
Turn right onto Aylestone Drive.
Aylestone Drive521 m
Turn left onto Hawkesbury Road.
Hawkesbury Road170 m
Turn left onto Curzon Road.
Curzon Road62 m
Turn left onto Duncan Road.
Duncan Road467 m
Turn right onto Saffron Lane/B5366.
Saffron Lane888 m
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.
B53661.6 km
Turn left onto Marstown Avenue.
Marstown Avenue804 m
Turn right onto Gloucester Crescent.
Gloucester Crescent873 m
Turn left onto Stonesby Avenue/B5418.
Stonesby Avenue67 m
Turn right onto Windley Road.
Windley Road406 m
Enter Windley Road Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A563/Asquith Way.
Windley Road Roundabout62 m
Exit the roundabout onto A563/Asquith Way.
A563626 m
Turn left onto Aberdale Road.
Aberdale Road478 m
Move left onto Welford Road/A5199.
Welford Road593 m
Move right to stay on Welford Road/A5199.
Welford Road1.2 km
Turn right onto Victoria Park Road/B568.
Victoria Park Road1.1 km
Enter London Road and take the 2nd exit onto Mayfield Road/B6416.
London Road41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Mayfield Road/B6416. Continue on B6416.
B6416217 m
Turn left onto Beckingham Road/B6416.
Beckingham Road194 m
Turn right onto Evington Road/B6416.
Evington Road40 m
Turn left onto East Park Road/B6416.
East Park Road981 m
Turn right onto Moat Road.
Moat Road72 m
Turn left onto Orson Street.
Orson Street137 m
Turn left onto Saint Saviour's Road.
Saint Saviour's Road72 m
Turn left onto East Park Road/B6416.
East Park Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Evington Road/B6416.
Evington Road40 m
Turn left onto Beckingham Road/B6416.
Beckingham Road194 m
Turn right onto Kimberley Road/B6416. Continue on B6416.
B6416222 m
Enter London Road and take the 1st exit onto Victoria Park Road/B568.
London Road36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Victoria Park Road/B568.
Victoria Park Road1.9 km
Turn left onto Saffron Lane/B5366.
Saffron Lane947 m
Turn right onto Knighton Lane.
Knighton Lane305 m
Turn left onto Denmark Road.
Denmark Road113 m
Turn left onto Grace Road.
Grace Road309 m
Turn left onto Saffron Lane/B5366.
Saffron Lane284 m
Turn right onto Knighton Lane East.
Knighton Lane East1.4 km
Move left onto Knighton Road.
Knighton Road400 m
Turn right onto Carisbrooke Road.
Carisbrooke Road766 m
Turn right onto Meadvale Road.
Meadvale Road449 m
Turn left onto Kingsmead Road.
Kingsmead Road135 m
Turn right onto Overdale Road.
Overdale Road766 m
Turn right onto A563/Asquith Way.
A563623 m
Enter Windley Road Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Windley Road.
Windley Road Roundabout56 m
Exit the roundabout onto Windley Road.
Windley Road256 m
Turn left onto Meadow Gardens.
Meadow Gardens105 m
Turn left to stay on Meadow Gardens.
Meadow Gardens210 m
Turn right onto Windley Road.
Windley Road75 m
Enter Windley Road Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A563/Attlee Way.
Windley Road Roundabout59 m
Exit the roundabout onto A563/Attlee Way.
A563820 m
Enter Pork Pie Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Saffron Lane/B5366.
Pork Pie Roundabout16 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 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.
Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.
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
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 1.5 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.
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.
Salvation Army - Leicester South
Start near Salvation Army - Leicester South.
United Reform Church
Continue to United Reform Church.
Iceland
Continue to Iceland.
Lounge Bar
Continue to Lounge Bar.
Eyres Monsell Baptist Free Church
Continue to Eyres Monsell Baptist Free Church.
i-DRAGON
Continue to i-DRAGON.
Knighton Education Centre
Continue to Knighton Education Centre.
Masjid us Sunnah
Continue to Masjid us Sunnah.
St Mary’s Triangle
Continue to St Mary’s Triangle.
Furqan
Continue to Furqan.
St Stephen
Continue to St Stephen.
Leicester Friends Meeting House
Continue to Leicester Friends Meeting House.
Chroma Church
Continue to Chroma Church.
Chung's Garden
Continue to Chung's Garden.
MagiBar
Continue to MagiBar.
Cradock Arms
Continue to Cradock Arms.
Anjuman-e-Saifee
Continue to Anjuman-e-Saifee.
Betfred
Continue to Betfred.
Windley Road Roundabout
Continue to Windley Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Southfields Library
Finish back near Southfields Library, 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 28.9 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Leicester test centre, not an official DVSA route.