Near Lichfield test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 14 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 52.7 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.
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, parks 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 86-step drive on real, named roads (about 52.7 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 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 2nd exit onto The Friary.
32 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.
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 Street826 m
Turn right onto Shortbutts Lane.
Shortbutts Lane697 m
Turn left onto Birmingham Road.
Birmingham Road152 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 Road100 m
Turn right onto Tamworth Road/A51.
Tamworth Road397 m
Turn left to stay on Tamworth Road.
Tamworth Road13 m
Turn right to stay on Tamworth Road.
Tamworth Road30 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Tamworth Road.
Tamworth Road30 m
Make a left U-turn at Tamworth Road onto Tamworth Road/A51.
Tamworth Road146 m
Turn right onto Cricket Lane.
Cricket Lane536 m
Turn right onto A5206/London Road.
A5206553 m
Turn right onto Tamworth Road/A51.
Tamworth Road397 m
Turn left to stay on Tamworth Road.
Tamworth Road13 m
Turn right to stay on Tamworth Road.
Tamworth Road30 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Tamworth Road.
Tamworth Road30 m
Turn left to stay on Tamworth Road.
Tamworth Road13 m
Turn right onto Tamworth Road/A51.
Tamworth Road1.2 km
Turn left onto Birmingham Road.
Birmingham Road532 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 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 1st exit onto A51/Stafford Road.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto A51/Stafford Road. Continue on A51.
A516.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A460/Brereton Hill.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto A460/Brereton Hill. Continue on A460.
A4601.5 km
Turn left onto Coulthwaite Way.
Coulthwaite Way81 m
Turn left onto Oaktree Road.
Oaktree Road75 m
Turn left onto Heath Road.
Heath Road70 m
Turn right onto Beeches Road.
Beeches Road159 m
Turn right onto The Green.
The Green101 m
Turn left onto Oaktree Road.
Oaktree Road63 m
Turn left onto Redbrook Lane.
Redbrook Lane156 m
Turn right onto A460/Main Road Brereton. Continue on A460.
A4601.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A51/Main Road.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto A51/Main Road. Continue on A51.
A516.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A51/Stafford Road.
59 m
Exit the roundabout onto A51/Stafford Road.
A51734 m
Take the A5192 exit.
A51924.0 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 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 3rd exit onto A5192/Eastern Avenue.
56 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5192/Eastern Avenue.
A51923.5 km
Turn left onto Grange Lane.
Grange Lane476 m
Turn right onto Wheel Lane.
Wheel Lane285 m
Turn left onto Beacon Street.
Beacon Street837 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 9 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.
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 30.8 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, 50, 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.
Bowling Green
Continue to Bowling Green.
Franciscan Friary
Continue to Franciscan Friary.
Brewhouse & Kitchen
Continue to Brewhouse & Kitchen.
Lichfield Bus Station
Continue to Lichfield Bus Station.
Willow Court Wines
Continue to Willow Court Wines.
Owl At Lichfield
Continue to Owl At Lichfield.
Self Storage Units
Continue to Self Storage Units.
Plant Plot
Continue to Plant Plot.
St Michael
Continue to St Michael.
Brereton Methodist Church
Continue to Brereton Methodist Church.
Miners Arms
Continue to Miners Arms.
Vauxhall Lichfield
Continue to Vauxhall Lichfield.
Halfords Autocentre
Continue to Halfords Autocentre.
Horse and Jockey
Continue to Horse and Jockey.
Turnpike
Continue to Turnpike.
Majestic Wine Lichfield
Continue to Majestic Wine Lichfield.
Cycling2000
Continue to Cycling2000.
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
8 roundabouts · 13 turns · 3 sets of lights
This route is 52.7 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.