Near Lichfield test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts, 15 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 26 navigation steps.
This is an independent 40.8 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, 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, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, independent driving and sustained concentration. 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 churches, 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 77-step drive on real, named roads (about 40.9 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 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 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 Road431 m
Turn left onto Christchurch Lane.
Christchurch Lane35 m
Turn right to stay on Christchurch Lane.
Christchurch Lane708 m
Turn left onto Walsall Road.
Walsall Road62 m
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.
A511.8 km
Turn right onto A5192/Eastern Avenue.
A51922.0 km
Turn left onto Watery Lane.
Watery Lane149 m
Turn right onto Vallentin Way.
Vallentin Way270 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Vallentin Way.
Vallentin Way270 m
Turn left onto Watery Lane.
Watery Lane149 m
Turn right onto A5192/Eastern Avenue.
A51922.0 km
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.
A461328 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Birmingham Road.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Birmingham Road.
Birmingham Road695 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A461/Saint Johns Avenue.
11 m
Exit the roundabout onto A461/Saint Johns Avenue.
A461665 m
Turn left onto London Road/A5206.
London Road927 m
Turn right.
280 m
Turn right.
28 m
Turn left.
29 m
Make a right U-turn.
29 m
Turn right.
28 m
Turn left.
280 m
Turn left onto Upper St John Street.
Upper St John Street1.4 km
Turn right onto Knowle Lane.
Knowle Lane163 m
Turn left.
54 m
Turn right onto Knowle Lane.
Knowle Lane597 m
Turn left onto Long Bridge Road.
Long Bridge Road409 m
Turn left onto London Road.
London Road240 m
Turn left onto Cricket Lane.
Cricket Lane417 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 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 1st exit onto A461/The Friary.
7 m
Exit the roundabout onto A461/The Friary. Continue on A461.
A461322 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A461/The Friary.
359 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 Lane310 m
Turn right onto Beacon Street.
Beacon Street990 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 6 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 23.6 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 (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.
Feathers
Start near Feathers.
Fountain
Continue to Fountain.
George & Dragon
Continue to George & Dragon.
Queens Head
Continue to Queens Head.
Springfields Day Nursery
Continue to Springfields Day Nursery.
Bowling Green
Continue to Bowling Green.
Clock Tower
Continue to Clock Tower.
Friary
Continue to Friary, taking the junction with good observation.
Christ Church
Continue to Christ Church.
Arbury Puegeot
Continue to Arbury Puegeot.
Wellington
Continue to Wellington.
Self Storage Units
Continue to Self Storage Units.
Bitter Suite
Continue to Bitter Suite.
Gallows Wharf Garden of Reflection
Continue to Gallows Wharf Garden of Reflection.
Lichfield Bus Station
Continue to Lichfield Bus Station.
Pure Beauty
Continue to Pure Beauty.
Owl At Lichfield
Continue to Owl At Lichfield.
Swinfen Interchange
Continue to Swinfen Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Sainte Foy Avenue
Continue to Sainte Foy Avenue, taking the junction with good observation.
Beacon Street Garage
Finish back near Beacon Street Garage, 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 40.8 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.