Near Lichfield test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 9 roundabouts, 15 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 31 navigation steps.
This is an independent 44.0 km practice loop near Lichfield test centre, taking roughly 45 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 Friary, Swinfen Interchange and Sainte Foy Avenue. 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, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and independent driving. 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 pubs, named junctions, parks and shops, 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 Lichfield 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 44.1 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west on Lower Sandford Street.
Lower Sandford Street298 m
Turn right onto Walsall Road.
Walsall Road34 m
Turn left onto A51/Western By-Pass.
A51134 m
Enter The Friary and take the 3rd exit onto Friary Road.
The Friary341 m
Exit the roundabout onto Friary Road.
Friary Road185 m
Move left onto Walsall Road.
Walsall Road1.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Walsall Road.
105 m
Exit the roundabout onto Walsall Road.
Walsall Road1.1 km
Move right onto Friary Road.
Friary Road171 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A461/The Friary.
221 m
Exit the roundabout onto A461/The Friary.
A461126 m
Make a sharp right onto A461/Friary Road.
A461106 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto The Friary.
213 m
Exit the roundabout onto The Friary.
The Friary285 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto The Friary.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto The Friary.
The Friary127 m
Move right to stay on The Friary.
The Friary9 m
Move right onto St John Street.
St John Street284 m
Turn left.
280 m
Turn right.
28 m
Turn left.
29 m
Make a right U-turn.
29 m
Turn right.
28 m
Turn right.
238 m
Turn right onto Rotten Row.
Rotten Row657 m
Move left onto Roman Way.
Roman Way344 m
Turn right onto Abbotsford Road.
Abbotsford Road364 m
Turn left onto Havefield Avenue.
Havefield Avenue188 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Havefield Avenue.
Havefield Avenue188 m
Turn right onto Abbotsford Road.
Abbotsford Road364 m
Turn left onto Roman Way.
Roman Way344 m
Turn left onto Broad Lane.
Broad Lane312 m
Turn left to stay on Broad Lane.
Broad Lane314 m
Turn left onto Gorse Lane.
Gorse Lane30 m
Turn left onto Ryknild Street.
Ryknild Street1.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A5192/Cappers Lane.
66 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5192/Cappers Lane. Continue on Cappers Lane.
Cappers Lane2.5 km
Turn right onto Church Street.
Church Street1.7 km
Turn right onto Tamworth Road/A51.
Tamworth Road1.5 km
Turn left onto Cricket Lane.
Cricket Lane536 m
Turn left onto A5206/London Road.
A5206604 m
Enter Swinfen Interchange and take the 6th exit onto London Road.
Swinfen Interchange807 m
Exit the roundabout onto A38/London Road.
A383.8 km
Make a right U-turn at Little Hay Lane to stay on A38/London Road.
A383.8 km
Enter Swinfen Interchange and take the 2nd exit onto A5206/London Road.
Swinfen Interchange221 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5206/London Road.
A5206627 m
Turn right onto Cricket Lane.
Cricket Lane405 m
Turn left onto Long Bridge Road.
Long Bridge Road185 m
Turn left onto Cromwells Meadow.
Cromwells Meadow256 m
Turn left onto London Road.
London Road750 m
Enter Swinfen Interchange and take the 2nd exit onto London Road.
Swinfen Interchange228 m
Exit the roundabout onto A38/London Road.
A383.8 km
Make a right U-turn at Little Hay Lane to stay on A38/London Road.
A383.8 km
Enter Swinfen Interchange and take the 2nd exit onto A5206/London Road.
Swinfen Interchange221 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5206/London Road.
A52061.2 km
Turn left onto Shortbutts Lane.
Shortbutts Lane1.0 km
Turn right onto Chesterfield Road.
Chesterfield Road587 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A461/Sainte Foy Avenue.
8 m
Exit the roundabout onto A461/Sainte Foy Avenue.
A461143 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A461/Sainte Foy Avenue.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto A461/Sainte Foy Avenue.
A461464 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Limburg Avenue/A461.
68 m
Exit the roundabout onto Limburg Avenue/A461.
Limburg Avenue221 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Limburg Avenue/A461.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Limburg Avenue/A461.
Limburg Avenue483 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Walsall Road.
70 m
Exit the roundabout onto Walsall Road.
Walsall Road1.1 km
Move right onto Friary Road.
Friary Road171 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A461/The Friary.
221 m
Exit the roundabout onto A461/The Friary.
A461126 m
Make a sharp right onto A461/Friary Road.
A461106 m
Enter The Friary and take the 1st exit onto Friary Road.
The Friary92 m
Exit the roundabout onto Friary Road.
Friary Road185 m
Move left onto Walsall Road.
Walsall Road1.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Walsall Road.
105 m
Exit the roundabout onto Walsall Road.
Walsall Road1.1 km
Move right onto Friary Road.
Friary Road171 m
Enter The Friary and take the 1st exit onto A51/Western By-Pass.
The Friary8 m
Exit the roundabout onto A51/Western By-Pass.
A51134 m
Turn right onto Walsall Road.
Walsall Road34 m
Turn left onto Lower Sandford Street.
Lower Sandford Street149 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Lichfield · Route 10 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
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
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 22.1 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, 60, 70 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.
Bowling Green
Start near Bowling Green.
Friary
Continue to Friary, taking the junction with good observation.
Brewhouse & Kitchen
Continue to Brewhouse & Kitchen.
Franciscan Friary
Continue to Franciscan Friary.
Kiss xx
Continue to Kiss xx.
Walkabout
Continue to Walkabout.
Duke of York
Continue to Duke of York.
Lichfield Bus Station
Continue to Lichfield Bus Station.
Richer Sounds
Continue to Richer Sounds.
Boley Park shops
Continue to Boley Park shops.
Halfords Autocentre
Continue to Halfords Autocentre.
Turnpike
Continue to Turnpike.
Borrowcop Locks Canal Park
Continue to Borrowcop Locks Canal Park.
Horse and Jockey
Continue to Horse and Jockey.
Lichfield Friary Lawn Tennis Club
Continue to Lichfield Friary Lawn Tennis Club.
Owl At Lichfield
Continue to Owl At Lichfield.
Swinfen Interchange
Continue to Swinfen Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Gallows Wharf Garden of Reflection
Continue to Gallows Wharf Garden of Reflection.
Little Waitrose
Continue to Little Waitrose.
Sainte Foy Avenue
Finish back near Sainte Foy Avenue, completing the loop.
5 roundabouts · 10 turns · 4 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 15 turns · 5 sets of lights
6 roundabouts · 16 turns · 5 sets of lights
5 roundabouts · 14 turns · 4 sets of lights
This route is 44.0 km and takes about 45 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Lichfield test centre, not an official DVSA route.