Near Lincoln test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts, 21 turns and 1 signalled junction across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 41.1 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 Doddington Roundabout and Skellingthorpe 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 roundabout approach & exit, 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 18 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 62-step drive on real, named roads (about 41.1 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 3rd exit onto A46.
Doddington Roundabout121 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 Road2.4 km
Move right onto Jerusalem Road.
Jerusalem Road813 m
Turn left onto Lincoln Road/B1190.
Lincoln Road1.2 km
Enter Doddington Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A46.
Doddington Roundabout20 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 Road718 m
Turn left onto Waterloo Lane.
Waterloo Lane594 m
Turn right onto Swallow Avenue.
Swallow Avenue752 m
Turn right onto Jerusalem Road.
Jerusalem Road794 m
Move right 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 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 3rd exit onto Skellingthorpe Road/B1378.
Skellingthorpe Roundabout65 m
Exit the roundabout onto Skellingthorpe Road/B1378.
Skellingthorpe Road2.2 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 Road1.7 km
Turn right onto Chalgrove Way.
Chalgrove Way206 m
Turn left onto Grosvenor Avenue.
Grosvenor Avenue316 m
Turn left onto Shaftesbury Avenue.
Shaftesbury Avenue472 m
Turn right onto Chalgrove Way.
Chalgrove Way69 m
Turn left onto Skellingthorpe Road/B1378.
Skellingthorpe Road1.5 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 Road1.5 km
Turn left onto Birchwood Avenue.
Birchwood Avenue503 m
Turn right onto Larchwood Crescent.
Larchwood Crescent152 m
Turn right onto Firtree Avenue.
Firtree Avenue170 m
Turn left onto Woodfield Avenue.
Woodfield Avenue637 m
Turn left onto Jasmin Road.
Jasmin Road596 m
Turn left onto Birchwood Avenue.
Birchwood Avenue861 m
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 left onto Skellingthorpe Road/B1378.
Skellingthorpe Road839 m
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 1st exit onto Doddington Road/B1190.
Doddington Roundabout25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Doddington Road/B1190.
Doddington Road951 m
Turn right onto Sadler Road.
Sadler Road817 m
Turn left onto Earlsfield Close.
Earlsfield Close56 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Lincoln · 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Doddington Roundabout, Skellingthorpe Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 7.7 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 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 18 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.
Lincolnshire Co-op
Continue to Lincolnshire Co-op.
Skellingthorpe Methodist Church
Continue to Skellingthorpe Methodist Church.
Skellingthorpe Heritage Room
Continue to Skellingthorpe Heritage Room.
Gardenfield Newsagents
Continue to Gardenfield Newsagents.
Skellingthorpe Roundabout
Continue to Skellingthorpe Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Lakeside Fish Bar
Continue to Lakeside Fish Bar.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Birchwood Library
Continue to Birchwood Library.
Birchwood Methodist Church
Continue to Birchwood Methodist Church.
Kindgom Hall
Continue to Kindgom Hall.
Premier Store
Continue to Premier Store.
St Luke & St Martin Church
Continue to St Luke & St Martin Church.
VapeHQ
Continue to VapeHQ.
Barrel
Continue to Barrel.
Diva Hair & beauty
Finish back near Diva Hair & beauty, 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 41.1 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.