Near Lichfield test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts, 14 turns and 1 signalled junction across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 25.3 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.
Along the way you'll meet Friary. 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, shops, schools and parks, 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 51-step drive on real, named roads (about 25.3 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 Street837 m
Turn right onto Wheel Lane.
Wheel Lane862 m
Turn left onto Dimbles Lane.
Dimbles Lane559 m
Turn left onto A5192/Eastern Avenue.
A5192652 m
Turn left onto Grange Lane.
Grange Lane333 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 Lane1.1 km
Turn right onto A515/Tewnals Lane. Continue on A515.
A5152.5 km
Turn right onto Wood End Lane.
Wood End Lane3.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Wood End Lane.
97 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wood End Lane.
Wood End Lane1.8 km
Turn left onto Watery Lane.
Watery Lane1.5 km
Turn right to stay on Watery Lane.
Watery Lane437 m
Turn left onto A5192/Eastern Avenue.
A51922.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Trent Valley Road.
55 m
Exit the roundabout onto Trent Valley Road.
Trent Valley Road578 m
Turn right onto Wissage Road.
Wissage Road321 m
Turn right onto Rocklands Crescent.
Rocklands Crescent77 m
Move right to stay on Rocklands Crescent.
Rocklands Crescent185 m
Turn right onto Wissage Lane.
Wissage Lane88 m
Turn right onto Valley Lane.
Valley Lane54 m
Turn left onto Wissage Road.
Wissage Road220 m
Turn left onto Burton Old Road West.
Burton Old Road West375 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Burton Old Road West.
Burton Old Road West375 m
Turn right onto Wissage Road.
Wissage Road119 m
Turn right onto Trent Valley Road.
Trent Valley Road328 m
Move right to stay on Trent Valley Road.
Trent Valley Road88 m
Turn left to stay on Trent Valley Road.
Trent Valley Road1.0 km
Turn left onto Rotten Row.
Rotten Row366 m
Turn right onto Cherry Orchard.
Cherry Orchard694 m
Turn right onto Upper St John Street.
Upper St John Street512 m
Turn left onto The Friary.
The Friary129 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto The Friary.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto The Friary.
The Friary271 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto The Friary.
341 m
Exit the roundabout onto The Friary.
The Friary285 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Swan Road.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Swan Road.
Swan Road354 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 Road198 m
Turn right onto Lower Sandford Street.
Lower Sandford Street199 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Lichfield · Route 2 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.
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 5.5 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.
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.
Feathers
Start near Feathers.
George & Dragon
Continue to George & Dragon.
Queens Head
Continue to Queens Head.
Cycling2000
Continue to Cycling2000.
Fountain
Continue to Fountain.
Vauxhall Lichfield
Continue to Vauxhall Lichfield.
ATS
Continue to ATS.
Majestic Wine Lichfield
Continue to Majestic Wine Lichfield.
Sleepmasters
Continue to Sleepmasters.
ALDI
Continue to ALDI.
Duke of York
Continue to Duke of York.
Richer Sounds
Continue to Richer Sounds.
Bitter Suite
Continue to Bitter Suite.
Brewhouse & Kitchen
Continue to Brewhouse & Kitchen.
Five Spires Academy
Continue to Five Spires Academy.
Bowling Green
Continue to Bowling Green.
Franciscan Friary
Continue to Franciscan Friary.
Friary
Continue to Friary, taking the junction with good observation.
Lichfield Cathedral
Continue to Lichfield Cathedral.
Room to Inspire
Finish back near Room to Inspire, 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 25.3 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.