Near Lichfield test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts, 15 turns and 5 signalled junctions across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 60.0 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 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, churches, parks and schools, 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 60.0 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 Street2.3 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.
A5206722 m
Move right to stay on London Road.
London Road51 m
Turn right onto Cromwells Meadow.
Cromwells Meadow256 m
Turn left onto Long Bridge Road.
Long Bridge Road224 m
Turn left onto London Road.
London Road872 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.
A5206722 m
Move right to stay on London Road.
London Road173 m
Turn right onto Long Bridge Road.
Long Bridge Road409 m
Turn right onto Cricket Lane.
Cricket Lane405 m
Turn left onto A5206/London Road.
A5206604 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 3rd exit onto A38.
Swinfen Interchange298 m
Exit the roundabout onto A38.
A382.3 km
Take the exit.
370 m
Turn left onto A5192/Cappers Lane.
A5192340 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A5192/Cappers Lane.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5192/Cappers Lane.
A5192547 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A5127.
81 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5127.
A51271.2 km
Move right.
47 m
Turn right.
8 m
Turn right onto A5127.
A51271.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A5192/Cappers Lane.
6 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 Road814 m
Keep right to take Ryknild Street.
Ryknild Street74 m
Turn right to stay on Ryknild Street.
Ryknild Street1.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A5192/Cappers Lane.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5192/Cappers Lane.
A5192547 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Trent Valley Road.
4 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 West683 m
Move left onto Trent Valley Road.
Trent Valley Road540 m
Turn left.
28 m
Turn left.
29 m
Make a right U-turn.
29 m
Turn right.
28 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 roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A461/The Friary.
359 m
Exit the roundabout onto A461/The Friary.
A461328 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Birmingham Road.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Birmingham Road.
Birmingham Road2.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A5192/Eastern Avenue.
31 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 7 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 39.2 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.
Brewhouse & Kitchen
Start near Brewhouse & Kitchen.
Lichfield Cathedral
Continue to Lichfield Cathedral.
Gallows Wharf Garden of Reflection
Continue to Gallows Wharf Garden of Reflection.
Owl At Lichfield
Continue to Owl At Lichfield.
Humpty Dumpty Nursery
Continue to Humpty Dumpty Nursery.
Kwik Fit
Continue to Kwik Fit.
Elise May Bridal
Continue to Elise May Bridal.
Halfords Autocentre
Continue to Halfords Autocentre.
Horse and Jockey
Continue to Horse and Jockey.
Turnpike
Continue to Turnpike.
Duke of York
Continue to Duke of York.
Lichfield Bus Station
Continue to Lichfield Bus Station.
Bowling Green
Continue to Bowling Green.
Friary
Continue to Friary, taking the junction with good observation.
Majestic Wine Lichfield
Continue to Majestic Wine Lichfield.
Vauxhall Lichfield
Continue to Vauxhall Lichfield.
Fountain
Continue to Fountain.
Springfields Day Nursery
Continue to Springfields Day Nursery.
Feathers
Continue to Feathers.
George & Dragon
Finish back near George & Dragon, completing the loop.
5 roundabouts · 10 turns · 4 sets of lights
6 roundabouts · 16 turns · 5 sets of lights
5 roundabouts · 14 turns · 4 sets of lights
8 roundabouts · 13 turns · 3 sets of lights
This route is 60.0 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.