Near Lincoln test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts and 16 turns across 23 navigation steps.
This is an independent 31.5 km practice loop near Lincoln test centre, taking roughly 30 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 Doddington Roundabout, Skellingthorpe Roundabout and Hykeham Roundabout. 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 shops, named junctions, churches and pubs, 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 Lincoln 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 50-step drive on real, named roads (about 31.5 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north.
55 m
Turn right.
29 m
Turn left onto Earlsfield Close.
Earlsfield Close134 m
Turn right onto Sadler Road.
Sadler Road817 m
Turn left onto Doddington Road/B1190.
Doddington Road945 m
Enter Doddington Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Doddington Road/B1190.
Doddington Roundabout185 m
Exit the roundabout onto Doddington Road/B1190.
Doddington Road592 m
Turn left onto Pershore Way.
Pershore Way683 m
Turn left onto Birchwood Avenue.
Birchwood Avenue1.6 km
Turn right onto Skellingthorpe Road/B1378.
Skellingthorpe Road1.4 km
Turn right onto Bucknall Avenue.
Bucknall Avenue24 m
Turn left onto Skellingthorpe Road.
Skellingthorpe Road135 m
Make a left U-turn at Hemswell Avenue onto Skellingthorpe Road/B1378.
Skellingthorpe Road2.4 km
Enter Skellingthorpe Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Lincoln Road.
Skellingthorpe Roundabout51 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lincoln Road.
Lincoln Road1.3 km
Turn right onto Lower Church Road.
Lower Church Road31 m
Make a sharp left to stay on Lower Church Road.
Lower Church Road48 m
Make a sharp left onto Church Road.
Church Road25 m
Move right onto Lincoln Road.
Lincoln Road621 m
Turn right onto Waterloo Lane.
Waterloo Lane645 m
Move left onto Gardenfield.
Gardenfield643 m
Turn left onto Waterloo Lane.
Waterloo Lane417 m
Move left onto Gardenfield.
Gardenfield643 m
Turn right onto Waterloo Lane.
Waterloo Lane228 m
Turn left onto Lincoln Road.
Lincoln Road622 m
Turn right onto Lower Church Road.
Lower Church Road31 m
Make a sharp left to stay on Lower Church Road.
Lower Church Road48 m
Make a sharp left onto Church Road.
Church Road25 m
Move right onto Lincoln Road.
Lincoln Road1.3 km
Enter Skellingthorpe Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A46.
Skellingthorpe Roundabout113 m
Exit the roundabout onto A46.
A462.5 km
Enter Doddington Roundabout and take the 6th exit onto A46.
Doddington Roundabout305 m
Exit the roundabout onto A46.
A46859 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A46.
48 m
Exit the roundabout onto A46.
A462.8 km
Enter Hykeham Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Newark Road/A1434.
Hykeham Roundabout6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Newark Road/A1434.
Newark Road2.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A1434.
11 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1434.
A1434771 m
Turn left onto Wetherby Crescent.
Wetherby Crescent469 m
Turn left onto Constance Avenue.
Constance Avenue568 m
Turn right onto Clarke Road.
Clarke Road176 m
Turn left onto Doddington Road/B1190.
Doddington Road2.0 km
Turn left onto Kingsley Road.
Kingsley Road251 m
Turn left onto Sadler Road.
Sadler Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Doddington Road/B1190.
Doddington Road724 m
Turn left onto Kingsley Road.
Kingsley Road251 m
Turn left onto Sadler Road.
Sadler Road254 m
Turn right onto Earlsfield Close.
Earlsfield Close56 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Lincoln · Route 1 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Doddington Roundabout, Skellingthorpe Roundabout, Hykeham Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 6.8 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 (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.
Audi Lincoln
Start near Audi Lincoln.
BP
Continue to BP.
Doddington Roundabout
Continue to Doddington Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Birchwood Methodist Church
Continue to Birchwood Methodist Church.
Kindgom Hall
Continue to Kindgom Hall.
Premier Store
Continue to Premier Store.
Lakeside Fish Bar
Continue to Lakeside Fish Bar.
Lincolnshire Co-op
Continue to Lincolnshire Co-op.
Gardenfield Newsagents
Continue to Gardenfield Newsagents.
Skellingthorpe Heritage Room
Continue to Skellingthorpe Heritage Room.
Skellingthorpe Roundabout
Continue to Skellingthorpe Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Hykeham Roundabout
Continue to Hykeham Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Hyundai
Continue to Hyundai.
Fox and Hounds
Continue to Fox and Hounds.
Poachers Den
Continue to Poachers Den.
Centurion
Continue to Centurion.
Head Office Hair and Beauty
Continue to Head Office Hair and Beauty.
Mind
Continue to Mind.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Swan Holme Tavern
Finish back near Swan Holme Tavern, completing the loop.
3 roundabouts · 23 turns · 3 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 16 turns · 4 sets of lights
2 roundabouts · 17 turns · 3 sets of lights
1 roundabout · 22 turns · 4 sets of lights
This route is 31.5 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Lincoln test centre, not an official DVSA route.