Near Lichfield test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 14 turns and 6 signalled junctions across 27 navigation steps.
This is an independent 28.1 km practice loop near Lichfield 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.
Along the way you'll meet Sainte Foy Avenue, Swinfen Interchange and 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 parks, pubs, churches 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 83-step drive on real, named roads (about 29.7 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north.
8 m
Turn left onto 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 Street139 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.
12 m
Keep right at the fork.
506 m
Turn left onto Greenhill.
Greenhill36 m
Keep left at the fork.
44 m
Make a sharp right onto Gresley Row.
Gresley Row25 m
Turn right onto Greenhill.
Greenhill72 m
Turn right onto Birmingham Road.
Birmingham Road1.0 km
Turn left to stay on Birmingham Road.
Birmingham Road564 m
Turn right onto Fosseway.
Fosseway311 m
Turn right onto Chesterfield Road.
Chesterfield Road586 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A461/Sainte Foy Avenue.
51 m
Exit the roundabout onto A461/Sainte Foy Avenue.
A461189 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Birmingham Road.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Birmingham Road.
Birmingham Road70 m
Keep left to stay on Birmingham Road.
Birmingham Road472 m
Keep right at the fork.
506 m
Turn left onto Greenhill.
Greenhill36 m
Keep left at the fork.
44 m
Make a sharp right onto Gresley Row.
Gresley Row25 m
Turn right onto Greenhill.
Greenhill72 m
Turn right onto Birmingham Road.
Birmingham Road1.0 km
Turn left to stay on Birmingham Road.
Birmingham Road717 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A461/Saint Johns Avenue.
11 m
Exit the roundabout onto A461/Saint Johns Avenue.
A461681 m
Turn right onto A5206/London Road.
A52061.1 km
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.
A520679 m
Keep right to stay on A5206/London Road.
A5206547 m
Turn right onto Cricket Lane.
Cricket Lane536 m
Turn left onto Tamworth Road/A51.
Tamworth Road390 m
Turn left to stay on Tamworth Road.
Tamworth Road14 m
Turn left to stay on Tamworth Road.
Tamworth Road103 m
Turn right onto Tamworth Road/A51.
Tamworth Road885 m
Turn left onto Ryknild Street.
Ryknild Street1.2 km
Keep right to take Austin Cote Lane.
Austin Cote Lane203 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Austin Cote Lane.
110 m
Exit the roundabout onto Austin Cote Lane.
Austin Cote Lane681 m
Turn left onto Darnford Lane.
Darnford Lane234 m
Turn left onto Sheriffs Close.
Sheriffs Close63 m
Keep left to stay on Sheriffs Close.
Sheriffs Close61 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Sheriffs Close.
Sheriffs Close125 m
Turn right onto Darnford Lane.
Darnford Lane234 m
Turn right onto Ryknild Street.
Ryknild Street357 m
Turn left onto Roman Way.
Roman Way853 m
Move right onto Boley Lane.
Boley Lane207 m
Keep right to stay on Boley Lane.
Boley Lane450 m
Turn left.
41 m
Keep right at the fork.
197 m
Turn left.
22 m
Keep right at the fork.
10 m
Make a right U-turn.
32 m
Turn left onto Birmingham Road.
Birmingham Road812 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A461/The Friary.
48 m
Exit the roundabout onto A461/The Friary. Continue on A461.
A461322 m
Enter The Friary and take the 2nd exit.
The Friary212 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 Street139 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 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around 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 11.3 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.
Garden of Remembrance
Start near Garden of Remembrance.
Queens Head
Continue to Queens Head.
Brewhouse & Kitchen
Continue to Brewhouse & Kitchen.
Lichfield Cathedral
Continue to Lichfield Cathedral.
Lichfield Bus Station
Continue to Lichfield Bus Station.
Sefton Fish Bar
Continue to Sefton Fish Bar.
Arbury Puegeot
Continue to Arbury Puegeot.
Wellington
Continue to Wellington.
Sainte Foy Avenue
Continue to Sainte Foy Avenue, taking the junction with good observation.
Gallows Wharf Garden of Reflection
Continue to Gallows Wharf Garden of Reflection.
Little Waitrose
Continue to Little Waitrose.
Owl At Lichfield
Continue to Owl At Lichfield.
Swinfen Interchange
Continue to Swinfen Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Borrowcop Locks Canal Park
Continue to Borrowcop Locks Canal Park.
Turnpike
Continue to Turnpike.
Screwfix
Continue to Screwfix.
Duke of York
Continue to Duke of York.
CeX
Continue to CeX.
Bowling Green
Continue to Bowling Green.
Friary
Finish back near Friary, 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 28.1 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Lichfield test centre, not an official DVSA route.