Near Lichfield test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 9 roundabouts, 18 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 31 navigation steps.
This is an independent 43.5 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 and Swinfen Interchange. 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, schools, named junctions 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 81-step drive on real, named roads (about 43.6 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 Street990 m
Turn left onto Abnalls Lane.
Abnalls Lane310 m
Turn left onto A51/Western By-Pass.
A511.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 6th exit onto A461/The Friary.
608 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 2nd exit onto A51/Western By-Pass.
The Friary146 m
Exit the roundabout onto A51/Western By-Pass.
A511.2 km
Turn right onto Abnalls Lane.
Abnalls Lane241 m
Turn left onto Lynfield Road.
Lynfield Road156 m
Turn right onto Pinfold Road.
Pinfold Road81 m
Turn right onto Beacon Street.
Beacon Street167 m
Turn right onto Abnalls Lane.
Abnalls Lane69 m
Turn right onto Lynfield Road.
Lynfield Road126 m
Turn left onto Hayes View.
Hayes View117 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Hayes View.
Hayes View117 m
Turn left onto Lynfield Road.
Lynfield Road30 m
Turn right onto Pinfold Road.
Pinfold Road81 m
Turn right onto Beacon Street.
Beacon Street695 m
Turn left onto Anson Avenue.
Anson Avenue858 m
Turn left onto Weston Road.
Weston Road577 m
Turn right onto Grange Lane.
Grange Lane476 m
Turn left onto A5192/Eastern Avenue.
A5192480 m
Turn left onto A51/Western By-Pass.
A511.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A461/The Friary.
178 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 2nd exit onto A51/Western By-Pass.
The Friary146 m
Exit the roundabout onto A51/Western By-Pass. Continue on A51.
A512.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A515/Featherbed Lane.
84 m
Exit the roundabout onto A515/Featherbed Lane.
A515328 m
Turn right onto Grange Lane.
Grange Lane1.2 km
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 2nd exit onto A5192/Cappers Lane.
33 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5192/Cappers Lane.
A5192557 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A5192/Cappers Lane.
29 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.
A52061.2 km
Turn left onto Shortbutts Lane.
Shortbutts Lane697 m
Turn right onto Birmingham Road.
Birmingham Road542 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Birmingham Road.
64 m
Exit the roundabout onto Birmingham Road.
Birmingham Road809 m
Turn right.
28 m
Turn left.
29 m
Make a right U-turn.
29 m
Turn right.
28 m
Turn left onto Birmingham Road.
Birmingham Road642 m
Turn right onto Friary Avenue.
Friary Avenue305 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A461/The Friary.
27 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 1st exit onto Swan Road.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Swan Road.
Swan Road87 m
Turn left onto Queen Street.
Queen Street317 m
Turn right onto Lower Sandford Street.
Lower Sandford Street349 m
Turn left onto Swan Road.
Swan Road198 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 5 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.
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 24.3 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.
George & Dragon
Start near George & Dragon.
Springfields Day Nursery
Continue to Springfields Day Nursery.
Friary
Continue to Friary, taking the junction with good observation.
Bowling Green
Continue to Bowling Green.
Beacon Street Garage
Continue to Beacon Street Garage.
Cycling2000
Continue to Cycling2000.
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church
Continue to Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church.
Plant Plot
Continue to Plant Plot.
Vauxhall Lichfield
Continue to Vauxhall Lichfield.
Kwik Fit
Continue to Kwik Fit.
Screwfix
Continue to Screwfix.
Horse and Jockey
Continue to Horse and Jockey.
Borrowcop Locks Canal Park
Continue to Borrowcop Locks Canal Park.
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.
Wellington
Continue to Wellington.
Lichfield Bus Station
Continue to Lichfield Bus Station.
Hair by Imad
Continue to Hair by Imad.
Lichfield Cathedral
Finish back near Lichfield Cathedral, 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 43.5 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.