Near Leicester test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts, 12 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 23.7 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 roundabout approach & exit, 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 schools, churches, shops 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 56-step drive on real, named roads (about 23.7 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.
B53661.1 km
Turn right onto Trenant Road.
Trenant Road368 m
Turn right onto Stonesby Avenue/B5418.
Stonesby Avenue554 m
Turn left 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 Road77 m
Turn right onto Meadow Gardens.
Meadow Gardens101 m
Turn left to stay on Meadow Gardens.
Meadow Gardens117 m
Move right onto Burnside Road.
Burnside Road328 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 Fairway650 m
Turn left onto Saffron Lane/B5366.
Saffron Lane748 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.
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 Lane350 m
Turn left onto Burnaston Road.
Burnaston Road328 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 Road172 m
Turn right onto Milligan Road.
Milligan Road1.3 km
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 3rd exit onto A563/Attlee Way.
Pork Pie Roundabout50 m
Exit the roundabout onto A563/Attlee Way.
A563818 m
Enter Windley Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Windley Road.
Windley Road Roundabout4 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 2nd exit onto Windley Road.
Windley Road Roundabout35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Windley Road.
Windley Road408 m
Turn right onto Stonesby Avenue/B5418.
Stonesby Avenue554 m
Turn left onto Trenant Road.
Trenant Road368 m
Turn left onto Saffron Lane/B5366. Continue on B5366.
B5366811 m
Turn left onto Gloucester Crescent.
Gloucester Crescent674 m
Turn right onto Cornwall Road.
Cornwall Road75 m
Turn right onto Anglesey Road.
Anglesey Road412 m
Turn right onto Kenilworth Road.
Kenilworth Road70 m
Turn left onto Gloucester Crescent.
Gloucester Crescent263 m
Turn left onto Saffron Road/B5366.
Saffron Road215 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Leicester · Route 13 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.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
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 2.9 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.
Busy Bees Leicester South Wigston
Start near Busy Bees Leicester South Wigston.
Salvation Army - Leicester South
Continue to Salvation Army - Leicester South.
Tiger News
Continue to Tiger News.
Windley Road Roundabout
Continue to Windley Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Pizza Land
Continue to Pizza Land.
Trade Tools of Leicester
Continue to Trade Tools of Leicester.
Eyres Monsell Baptist Free Church
Continue to Eyres Monsell Baptist Free Church.
Happy Days
Continue to Happy Days.
St Thomas
Continue to St Thomas.
Modena Kitchens
Continue to Modena Kitchens.
United Reform Church
Continue to United Reform Church.
Anna Supermarket
Continue to Anna Supermarket.
Iceland
Continue to Iceland.
Happy House
Continue to Happy House.
Yate's
Continue to Yate's.
S&D Enterprise
Continue to S&D Enterprise.
Chrisstadelphian Hall
Continue to Chrisstadelphian Hall.
Premier Stores
Continue to Premier Stores.
Christ Gospel Church
Continue to Christ Gospel Church.
Hot Tan
Finish back near Hot Tan, 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 23.7 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.