Near Leicester test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts, 16 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 22 navigation steps.
This is an independent 21.8 km practice loop near Leicester test centre, taking roughly 30 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 pubs, 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 49-step drive on real, named roads (about 21.8 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 Road655 m
Turn right onto St Thomas Road/B582. Continue on B582.
B5821.9 km
Turn right onto Leicester Road/A426. Continue on A426.
A426381 m
Turn left onto Glenville Avenue.
Glenville Avenue386 m
Turn right onto Cork Lane.
Cork Lane308 m
Turn right onto West View Avenue.
West View Avenue355 m
Turn right onto Leicester Road/A426. Continue on A426.
A426979 m
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.
A563625 m
Turn left onto Aylestone Drive.
Aylestone Drive549 m
Turn right onto Belvoir Drive East.
Belvoir Drive East226 m
Move left onto Wigston Lane.
Wigston Lane129 m
Turn right onto Bridevale Road.
Bridevale Road124 m
Turn right onto Eastwood Road.
Eastwood Road124 m
Turn left onto Cheriton Road.
Cheriton Road258 m
Turn right onto Aylestone Drive.
Aylestone Drive86 m
Turn right onto Eastwood Road.
Eastwood Road206 m
Turn right onto Cheriton Road.
Cheriton Road258 m
Turn right onto Aylestone Drive.
Aylestone Drive613 m
Turn right onto Burnaston Road.
Burnaston Road328 m
Turn right onto Saffron Lane/B5366.
Saffron Lane344 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 Lane754 m
Turn right onto The Fairway.
The Fairway650 m
Move left onto Brookfield Rise.
Brookfield Rise90 m
Move right onto Windley Road.
Windley Road340 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 Avenue650 m
Turn right onto Cottagers Close.
Cottagers Close209 m
Turn left onto Stonesby Avenue/B5418.
Stonesby Avenue807 m
Turn right onto Glenborne Road.
Glenborne Road1.5 km
Turn left onto Saffron Road/B5366.
Saffron Road287 m
Turn right onto Tigers Road.
Tigers Road100 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Leicester · Route 3 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.
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 0.8 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 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.
P. G. Motors
Continue to P. G. Motors.
Play Days Academy
Continue to Play Days Academy.
Glenhills Sports And Social Club
Continue to Glenhills Sports And Social Club.
Grange Stores & P.O.
Continue to Grange Stores & P.O..
G. Seller & Co.
Continue to G. Seller & Co..
Ginns & Gutteridge
Continue to Ginns & Gutteridge.
Iceland
Continue to Iceland.
Eyres Monsell Baptist Free Church
Continue to Eyres Monsell Baptist Free Church.
Happy Days
Continue to Happy Days.
St Thomas
Continue to St Thomas.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Mr Pound Discount Store
Continue to Mr Pound Discount Store.
United Reform Church
Continue to United Reform Church.
Blue Ocean Chippy
Continue to Blue Ocean Chippy.
Head 2 Head
Continue to Head 2 Head.
Windley Road Roundabout
Continue to Windley Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Christ Gospel Church
Continue to Christ Gospel Church.
Sainsbury's Local
Finish back near Sainsbury's Local, 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 21.8 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Leicester test centre, not an official DVSA route.