Near Lichfield test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts, 15 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 31.4 km practice loop near Lichfield 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.
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 parks, churches, pubs and stations, 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 55-step drive on real, named roads (about 31.4 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 left onto Walsall Road.
Walsall Road317 m
Turn left onto Swan Road.
Swan Road266 m
Turn left onto Bird Street.
Bird Street138 m
Turn right onto The Close.
The Close118 m
Turn right to stay on The Close.
The Close408 m
Turn left to stay on The Close.
The Close80 m
Turn left onto Bird Street.
Bird Street138 m
Turn right onto Swan Road.
Swan Road353 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto The Friary.
11 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 onto Church Street.
Church Street1.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Valley Lane.
8 m
Exit the roundabout onto Valley Lane.
Valley Lane559 m
Turn right onto Wissage Lane.
Wissage Lane351 m
Turn left onto Scotch Orchard.
Scotch Orchard383 m
Turn right onto Brownsfield Road.
Brownsfield Road185 m
Turn left onto Fecknam Way.
Fecknam Way260 m
Turn left onto Johnson Close.
Johnson Close91 m
Turn left to stay on Johnson Close.
Johnson Close177 m
Turn right to stay on Johnson Close.
Johnson Close91 m
Turn right onto Fecknam Way.
Fecknam Way260 m
Turn right onto Brownsfield Road.
Brownsfield Road185 m
Turn left onto Scotch Orchard.
Scotch Orchard615 m
Turn left onto Valley Lane.
Valley Lane254 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A5192/Eastern Avenue.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5192/Eastern Avenue.
A51922.0 km
Turn right onto Watery Lane.
Watery Lane436 m
Turn left to stay on Watery Lane.
Watery Lane1.5 km
Turn right onto Wood End Lane.
Wood End Lane1.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Wood End Lane.
97 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wood End Lane.
Wood End Lane3.4 km
Turn left onto A515.
A5152.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A51/Stafford Road.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto A51/Stafford Road.
A51734 m
Take the A5192 exit.
A5192499 m
Turn right onto Grange Lane.
Grange Lane340 m
Turn right onto Little Grange.
Little Grange72 m
Turn right onto High Grange.
High Grange140 m
Turn right onto Longstaff Croft.
Longstaff Croft86 m
Turn left onto Grange Lane.
Grange Lane211 m
Turn right onto A5192/Eastern Avenue.
A51923.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto A5192/Eastern Avenue.
107 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5192/Eastern Avenue.
A51923.9 km
Turn left onto Stafford Road.
Stafford Road1.6 km
Turn right onto Swan Road.
Swan Road198 m
Turn right onto Lower Sandford Street.
Lower Sandford Street199 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Lichfield · 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
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
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 13.6 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 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.
Festival Gardens
Start near Festival Gardens.
Lichfield Cathedral
Continue to Lichfield Cathedral.
Queens Head
Continue to Queens Head.
Brewhouse & Kitchen
Continue to Brewhouse & Kitchen.
Lichfield Bus Station
Continue to Lichfield Bus Station.
Walkabout
Continue to Walkabout.
ATS
Continue to ATS.
Halfords
Continue to Halfords.
Sleepmasters
Continue to Sleepmasters.
Vauxhall Lichfield
Continue to Vauxhall Lichfield.
Plant Plot
Continue to Plant Plot.
Salvation Army Donation Centre
Continue to Salvation Army Donation Centre.
Elise May Bridal
Continue to Elise May Bridal.
GEM Carpets & Beds
Continue to GEM Carpets & Beds.
Kwik Fit
Continue to Kwik Fit.
Feathers
Continue to Feathers.
Fountain
Continue to Fountain.
Springfields Day Nursery
Continue to Springfields Day Nursery.
Erasmus Darwin House
Continue to Erasmus Darwin House.
George & Dragon
Finish back near George & Dragon, 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 31.4 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Lichfield test centre, not an official DVSA route.