Near Lincoln test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts, 16 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 70.1 km practice loop near Lincoln 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 Skellingthorpe Roundabout and Carholme 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 churches, pubs, 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 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 82-step drive on real, named roads (about 70.0 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 Avenue1.3 km
Turn left onto Woodfield Avenue.
Woodfield Avenue490 m
Turn left onto Firtree Avenue.
Firtree Avenue170 m
Turn left onto Larchwood Crescent.
Larchwood Crescent152 m
Turn right onto Birchwood Avenue.
Birchwood Avenue233 m
Turn left onto Fulmar Road.
Fulmar Road1.5 km
Turn right onto Birchwood Avenue.
Birchwood Avenue2.1 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 1st exit onto A46.
Skellingthorpe Roundabout10 m
Exit the roundabout onto A46.
A462.5 km
Enter Doddington Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A46.
Doddington Roundabout191 m
Exit the roundabout onto A46.
A462.5 km
Enter Skellingthorpe Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Lincoln Road.
Skellingthorpe Roundabout11 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lincoln Road.
Lincoln Road1.3 km
Move left onto Church Road.
Church Road268 m
Move right onto High Street.
High Street237 m
Move right onto Saxilby Road.
Saxilby Road4.9 km
Turn right onto A57.
A574.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A57/Saxilby Road.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A57/Saxilby Road.
A572.2 km
Enter Carholme Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A46.
Carholme Roundabout101 m
Exit the roundabout onto A46.
A462.7 km
Enter Skellingthorpe Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A46.
Skellingthorpe Roundabout65 m
Exit the roundabout onto A46.
A462.5 km
Enter Doddington Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A46.
Doddington Roundabout75 m
Exit the roundabout onto A46.
A46772 m
Turn left onto Whisby Road.
Whisby Road348 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Whisby Road.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Whisby Road.
Whisby Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Station Road.
44 m
Exit the roundabout onto Station Road.
Station Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Ley's Close.
Ley's Close19 m
Turn left to stay on Ley's Close.
Ley's Close65 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Ley's Close.
Ley's Close65 m
Turn right to stay on Ley's Close.
Ley's Close19 m
Turn right onto Station Road.
Station Road462 m
Turn left onto Newark Road/A1434.
Newark Road445 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A1434.
11 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1434.
A14341.1 km
Turn left onto Tritton Road/A1192.
Tritton Road4.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Brayford Way.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brayford Way.
Brayford Way260 m
Turn left.
32 m
Make a sharp right onto Campus Way.
Campus Way31 m
Turn right onto Brayford Way/A57. Continue on Brayford Way.
Brayford Way280 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Tritton Road/A1192.
102 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tritton Road/A1192.
Tritton Road2.2 km
Turn left onto Skellingthorpe Road.
Skellingthorpe Road508 m
Continue on Skellingthorpe Road.
Skellingthorpe Road19 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Boultham Park Road.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Boultham Park Road.
Boultham Park Road1.2 km
Turn right onto Dixon Street.
Dixon Street560 m
Turn left onto High Street.
High Street137 m
Turn left onto Boultham Avenue.
Boultham Avenue527 m
Turn left onto Boultham Park Road.
Boultham Park Road1.5 km
Continue on Boultham Park Road.
Boultham Park Road18 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Skellingthorpe Road.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Skellingthorpe Road.
Skellingthorpe Road3.0 km
Make a left U-turn at Sandwell Drive to stay on Skellingthorpe Road.
Skellingthorpe Road433 m
Turn left to stay on Skellingthorpe Road.
Skellingthorpe Road28 m
Turn right onto Skellingthorpe Road/B1378.
Skellingthorpe Road2.0 km
Turn left onto Tritton Road/A1192.
Tritton Road1.9 km
Make a right U-turn to stay on Tritton Road.
Tritton Road3.5 km
Turn right onto Doddington Road/B1190.
Doddington Road2.3 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 2 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.
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 Skellingthorpe Roundabout, Carholme Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 18.0 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.
Birchwood Methodist Church
Start near Birchwood Methodist Church.
Kindgom Hall
Continue to Kindgom Hall.
Barrel
Continue to Barrel.
Skellingthorpe Roundabout
Continue to Skellingthorpe Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Plough Inn
Continue to Plough Inn.
Skellingthorpe Methodist Church
Continue to Skellingthorpe Methodist Church.
Stone Arms
Continue to Stone Arms.
Screwfix
Continue to Screwfix.
Carholme Roundabout
Continue to Carholme Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Hykeham
Continue to Hykeham.
Centurion
Continue to Centurion.
University of Lincoln
Continue to University of Lincoln.
University of Lincoln - Brayford Campus
Continue to University of Lincoln - Brayford Campus.
Moorland Park Methodist Church
Continue to Moorland Park Methodist Church.
St. Peter & St. Paul Catholic Church
Continue to St. Peter & St. Paul Catholic Church.
Imp & Angel
Continue to Imp & Angel.
Holy Cross Church
Continue to Holy Cross Church.
Lakeside Fish Bar
Continue to Lakeside Fish Bar.
Elite Fish & Chip Company
Continue to Elite Fish & Chip Company.
Swan Holme Tavern
Finish back near Swan Holme Tavern, completing the loop.
3 roundabouts · 23 turns · 3 sets of lights
2 roundabouts · 17 turns · 3 sets of lights
1 roundabout · 22 turns · 4 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 20 turns · 4 sets of lights
This route is 70.1 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Lincoln test centre, not an official DVSA route.