Near Leicester test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts, 16 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 29 navigation steps.
This is an independent 40.4 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.
On this route you’ll practise roundabout approach & exit, dual-carriageway joins, 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, schools, 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 82-step drive on real, named roads (about 40.4 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.
B582351 m
Turn right onto Oakleigh Avenue.
Oakleigh Avenue160 m
Move left onto Westleigh Road.
Westleigh Road69 m
Turn left onto Alderleigh Road.
Alderleigh Road133 m
Turn left onto Little Glen Road/B582. Continue on B582.
B582513 m
Turn left onto Clifford Street.
Clifford Street222 m
Turn right onto Kirkdale Road.
Kirkdale Road199 m
Turn right onto Albion Street.
Albion Street201 m
Turn left onto Blaby Road/B582.
Blaby Road261 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 Street480 m
Turn left onto Aylestone Lane/B5418. Continue on B5418.
B54182.7 km
Enter Pork Pie Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A563/Glenhills Way.
Pork Pie Roundabout43 m
Exit the roundabout onto A563/Glenhills Way.
A5631.2 km
Turn left onto Lutterworth Road/A426. Continue on A426.
A4262.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Leicester Road.
2 m
Exit the roundabout onto Leicester Road.
Leicester Road195 m
Move left onto Sycamore Street.
Sycamore Street159 m
Turn left onto Wigston Road.
Wigston Road244 m
Turn left onto Manor Court.
Manor Court105 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Manor Court.
Manor Court105 m
Turn right onto Wigston Road.
Wigston Road244 m
Turn right onto Sycamore Street.
Sycamore Street160 m
Move right onto Leicester Road.
Leicester Road189 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Leicester Road/A426.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Leicester Road/A426.
Leicester Road332 m
Turn right onto Little Glen Road/B582. Continue on B582.
B5822.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Blaby Road/B582.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Blaby Road/B582. Continue on B582.
B582535 m
Turn left onto Pullman Road.
Pullman Road527 m
Turn left onto West Avenue.
West Avenue321 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 right onto Holmden Avenue.
Holmden Avenue47 m
Turn left onto Central Avenue.
Central Avenue612 m
Turn left onto Long Street.
Long Street347 m
Turn left onto Aylestone Lane/B5418. Continue on B5418.
B54182.7 km
Enter Pork Pie Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A563/Glenhills Way.
Pork Pie Roundabout43 m
Exit the roundabout onto A563/Glenhills Way.
A5631.2 km
Turn left onto Lutterworth Road/A426. Continue on A426.
A4261.6 km
Turn left onto Little Glen Road/B582. Continue on B582.
B5822.0 km
Turn right onto Countesthorpe Road.
Countesthorpe Road469 m
Turn left onto Lansdowne Grove.
Lansdowne Grove145 m
Turn left to stay on Lansdowne Grove.
Lansdowne Grove829 m
Turn right onto Blaby Road/B582. Continue on B582.
B5821.7 km
Turn left onto Bull Head Street/A5199.
Bull Head Street259 m
Make a right U-turn at Welford Road to stay on Bull Head Street/A5199.
Bull Head Street113 m
Turn left onto Kelmarsh Avenue.
Kelmarsh Avenue845 m
Turn left onto Meadow Way.
Meadow Way360 m
Turn left onto Sywell Drive.
Sywell Drive361 m
Turn left onto Kelmarsh Avenue.
Kelmarsh Avenue219 m
Turn right onto Meadow Way.
Meadow Way310 m
Turn right onto Newton Lane.
Newton Lane568 m
Move left onto Moat Street/B582. Continue on B582.
B582578 m
Turn left onto Launceston Road.
Launceston Road468 m
Turn left onto Redruth Avenue.
Redruth Avenue104 m
Turn left onto Penzance Avenue.
Penzance Avenue415 m
Turn right onto Horsewell Lane.
Horsewell Lane701 m
Turn left onto Durnford Road.
Durnford Road843 m
Turn left onto Launceston Road.
Launceston Road1.3 km
Turn left onto Bushloe End/B582. Continue on B582.
B5821.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Blaby Road/B582.
16 m
Exit the roundabout onto Blaby Road/B582. Continue on B582.
B582542 m
Turn right onto Saffron Road/B5366.
Saffron Road906 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 Road154 m
Turn right onto Tigers Road.
Tigers Road100 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Leicester · Route 7 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.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 2.5 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.
South Wigston Methodist Church
Continue to South Wigston Methodist Church.
B Block - Design
Continue to B Block - Design.
Wigston United Reformed Church
Continue to Wigston United Reformed Church.
Christ Gospel Church
Continue to Christ Gospel Church.
United Reform Church
Continue to United Reform Church.
S&D Enterprise
Continue to S&D Enterprise.
Bakers Arms
Continue to Bakers Arms.
P. G. Motors
Continue to P. G. Motors.
Play Days Academy
Continue to Play Days Academy.
South Wigston Congregational Church
Continue to South Wigston Congregational Church.
Chartwell Arms
Continue to Chartwell Arms.
Central Avenue Christian Church
Continue to Central Avenue Christian Church.
Hair Station
Continue to Hair Station.
Appliance Depot
Continue to Appliance Depot.
All Saints Church
Continue to All Saints Church.
Wigston Magna Methodist Church
Continue to Wigston Magna Methodist Church.
Menphys Centre
Continue to Menphys Centre.
Little Hill Church
Continue to Little Hill Church.
St Thomas
Finish back near St Thomas, 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 40.4 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.