Near Loughborough test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts, 16 turns and 10 signalled junctions across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 21.9 km practice route near Loughborough 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 Warwick Way Roundabout, Alan Moss Road Roundabout and Forest Road 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, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads 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 pubs, shops, stations and churches, 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 Loughborough 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 25.3 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southwest.
80 m
Turn left onto Gordon Road.
Gordon Road61 m
Turn right onto Station Boulevard/A6004.
Station Boulevard440 m
Turn right onto Nottingham Road/A60.
Nottingham Road654 m
Turn left onto Sparrow Hill.
Sparrow Hill282 m
Move left onto A6/Jubilee Way.
A695 m
Turn left onto Moor Lane.
Moor Lane313 m
Turn left onto Wharncliffe Road/A60. Continue on A60.
A60692 m
Turn left onto Nottingham Road.
Nottingham Road340 m
Turn left onto Sparrow Hill.
Sparrow Hill250 m
Make a right U-turn onto Pinfold Gate.
Pinfold Gate206 m
Keep right to take Sparrow Hill.
Sparrow Hill197 m
Move left onto Meadow Lane.
Meadow Lane610 m
Turn right onto Burder Street.
Burder Street233 m
Turn right onto Glebe Street.
Glebe Street56 m
Turn left onto Ratcliffe Road.
Ratcliffe Road210 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Ratcliffe Road.
Ratcliffe Road408 m
Turn left onto Meadow Lane.
Meadow Lane331 m
Turn left onto Clarence Street/B589.
Clarence Street241 m
Turn left onto Nottingham Road/A60.
Nottingham Road560 m
Move right to stay on Nottingham Road/A60.
Nottingham Road59 m
Keep left to stay on A60.
A601.1 km
Turn left onto Stanford Lane.
Stanford Lane529 m
Keep right to stay on Stanford Lane.
Stanford Lane132 m
Keep left to stay on Stanford Lane.
Stanford Lane125 m
Keep left to stay on Stanford Lane.
Stanford Lane908 m
Turn left onto Main Street.
Main Street1.7 km
Turn right onto Belton Road/A6004.
Belton Road906 m
Keep right to stay on Belton Road/A6004.
Belton Road228 m
Keep left to stay on Belton Road/A6004.
Belton Road18 m
Turn right onto A6/Derby Road.
A6275 m
Turn left onto Knightthorpe Road.
Knightthorpe Road825 m
Turn right onto Epinal Way.
Epinal Way367 m
Enter Warwick Way Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Epinal Way.
Warwick Way Roundabout89 m
Exit the roundabout onto Epinal Way.
Epinal Way504 m
Keep right to stay on Epinal Way.
Epinal Way69 m
Enter Alan Moss Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Alan Moss Road/A6004.
Alan Moss Road Roundabout18 m
Exit the roundabout onto Alan Moss Road/A6004.
Alan Moss Road836 m
Turn right onto A6/Derby Road.
A623 m
Turn right.
36 m
Move left onto Alan Moss Road/A6004.
Alan Moss Road804 m
Enter Alan Moss Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Epinal Way/A6004.
Alan Moss Road Roundabout7 m
Exit the roundabout onto Epinal Way/A6004.
Epinal Way241 m
Turn right onto Garendon Road.
Garendon Road480 m
Turn right onto Alan Moss Road.
Alan Moss Road351 m
Enter Alan Moss Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Epinal Way.
Alan Moss Road Roundabout4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Epinal Way.
Epinal Way581 m
Enter Warwick Way Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Epinal Way.
Warwick Way Roundabout89 m
Exit the roundabout onto Epinal Way.
Epinal Way449 m
Keep right to stay on Epinal Way.
Epinal Way124 m
Enter Alan Moss Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Epinal Way/A6004.
Alan Moss Road Roundabout63 m
Exit the roundabout onto Epinal Way/A6004.
Epinal Way443 m
Enter Ashby Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Epinal Way/A6004.
Ashby Road Roundabout47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Epinal Way/A6004.
Epinal Way97 m
Keep right to stay on Epinal Way/A6004.
Epinal Way736 m
Enter Forest Road Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Forest Road.
Forest Road Roundabout75 m
Exit the roundabout onto Forest Road.
Forest Road242 m
Turn left onto Holt Drive.
Holt Drive24 m
Turn right to stay on Holt Drive.
Holt Drive23 m
Turn right onto Forest Road.
Forest Road271 m
Enter Forest Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Forest Road/B5350.
Forest Road Roundabout43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Forest Road/B5350. Continue on B5350.
B5350833 m
Keep left to take Ward's End.
Ward's End207 m
Turn left onto Granby Street.
Granby Street278 m
Turn left onto Frederick Street.
Frederick Street125 m
Turn right onto Arthur Street.
Arthur Street144 m
Turn right onto William Street.
William Street176 m
Turn right onto Caldwell Street.
Caldwell Street65 m
Turn left onto Frederick Street.
Frederick Street86 m
Turn right onto Ashby Road/A512. Continue on A512.
A512156 m
Turn left onto The Rushes/A512.
The Rushes141 m
Turn right to take the A6 ramp.
A6224 m
Turn right onto A6/Fennel Street. Continue on A6.
A6376 m
Turn left onto Baxter Gate.
Baxter Gate103 m
Turn right onto Sparrow Hill.
Sparrow Hill282 m
Move left onto A6/Jubilee Way.
A695 m
Turn left onto Moor Lane.
Moor Lane313 m
Turn left onto Wharncliffe Road/A60. Continue on A60.
A60692 m
Turn left onto Nottingham Road.
Nottingham Road340 m
Turn left onto Sparrow Hill.
Sparrow Hill250 m
Make a right U-turn onto Pinfold Gate.
Pinfold Gate206 m
Keep right to take Sparrow Hill.
Sparrow Hill27 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Loughborough · Route 3 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.
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 Warwick Way Roundabout, Alan Moss Road Roundabout, Forest Road Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 0.9 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 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.
Tap and Mallet
Start near Tap and Mallet.
Boat Inn
Continue to Boat Inn.
Fat Sam's
Continue to Fat Sam's.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Loughborough
Continue to Loughborough.
Booze Zone
Continue to Booze Zone.
Listers Volkswagen Loughborough
Continue to Listers Volkswagen Loughborough.
Knightthorpe Methodist Church
Continue to Knightthorpe Methodist Church.
Ring O'Bells
Continue to Ring O'Bells.
Warwick Way Roundabout
Continue to Warwick Way Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Alan Moss Road Roundabout
Continue to Alan Moss Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Domino's
Continue to Domino's.
Loughborough University Swimming Pool
Continue to Loughborough University Swimming Pool.
Forest Road Roundabout
Continue to Forest Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Emmanuel Church
Continue to Emmanuel Church.
Trinity Methodist Church
Continue to Trinity Methodist Church.
King's Church Loughborough
Continue to King's Church Loughborough.
Loughborough United Reformed Church
Continue to Loughborough United Reformed Church.
Geeta Bhawan
Continue to Geeta Bhawan.
Junction Church
Finish back near Junction Church, completing the loop.
8 roundabouts · 12 turns · 5 sets of lights
9 roundabouts · 21 turns · 7 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 21 turns · 4 sets of lights
9 roundabouts · 10 turns · 6 sets of lights
This route is 21.9 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Loughborough test centre, not an official DVSA route.