Near Macclesfield test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 18 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 20 navigation steps.
This is an independent 20.3 km practice route near Macclesfield test centre, taking roughly 25 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, 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, churches, shops and schools, 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 Macclesfield 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 20.3 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive south.
54 m
Turn left onto Green Street.
Green Street272 m
Turn left onto A537/Buxton Road.
A537186 m
Turn right onto A523/The Silk Road.
A523273 m
Move left.
54 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A537/Hibel Road.
7 m
Exit the roundabout onto A537/Hibel Road.
A537379 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Churchill Way/B5181.
7 m
Exit the roundabout onto Churchill Way/B5181.
Churchill Way55 m
Turn right onto King Edward Street.
King Edward Street99 m
Turn left onto Westminster Street.
Westminster Street74 m
Turn left onto Chestergate.
Chestergate102 m
Turn right onto Churchill Way/B5181.
Churchill Way542 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Churchill Way/B5181.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto Churchill Way/B5181.
Churchill Way164 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A536/Park Lane.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto A536/Park Lane.
A5361.2 km
Turn left onto A536/Congleton Road.
A536753 m
Turn right onto Penningtons Lane.
Penningtons Lane350 m
Turn left onto Hillcrest Road.
Hillcrest Road228 m
Turn left onto Surrey Road.
Surrey Road90 m
Turn right onto Moss View Road.
Moss View Road75 m
Turn left onto A536/Congleton Road.
A5361.0 km
Turn right onto A536/Park Lane.
A536630 m
Turn left onto Newton Street.
Newton Street48 m
Turn left onto Barton Street.
Barton Street68 m
Turn left onto Bond Street.
Bond Street75 m
Turn right onto A536/Park Lane.
A5361.3 km
Turn left onto Kendal Road.
Kendal Road515 m
Turn left onto Earlsway.
Earlsway182 m
Turn right onto Gawsworth Road.
Gawsworth Road187 m
Turn left to stay on Gawsworth Road.
Gawsworth Road105 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Gawsworth Road.
Gawsworth Road105 m
Turn left to stay on Gawsworth Road.
Gawsworth Road175 m
Turn right onto Bostock Road.
Bostock Road287 m
Turn left onto Earlsway.
Earlsway472 m
Turn right onto Wilwick Lane.
Wilwick Lane640 m
Turn right onto Kendal Road.
Kendal Road121 m
Turn left onto Wentworth Avenue.
Wentworth Avenue54 m
Turn right onto Chilham Place.
Chilham Place141 m
Turn left onto Wentworth Avenue.
Wentworth Avenue101 m
Turn right onto Kendal Road.
Kendal Road410 m
Turn right onto Ivy Lane.
Ivy Lane530 m
Turn left onto Sycamore Crescent.
Sycamore Crescent275 m
Turn left onto Chiltern Avenue.
Chiltern Avenue75 m
Turn left onto Amberley Road.
Amberley Road323 m
Turn right onto Farnham Avenue.
Farnham Avenue161 m
Turn right onto Chiltern Avenue.
Chiltern Avenue228 m
Turn left onto Sycamore Crescent.
Sycamore Crescent245 m
Turn right onto Sycamore Rise.
Sycamore Rise96 m
Turn left onto Sycamore Crescent.
Sycamore Crescent137 m
Turn right onto Ivy Lane.
Ivy Lane367 m
Turn right onto Hazelmere Avenue.
Hazelmere Avenue111 m
Turn right onto Amberley Road.
Amberley Road391 m
Turn right onto Chiltern Avenue.
Chiltern Avenue75 m
Turn right onto Sycamore Crescent.
Sycamore Crescent275 m
Turn left onto Ivy Lane.
Ivy Lane202 m
Turn left onto Oxford Road/B5088.
Oxford Road967 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A537/Chester Road.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto A537/Chester Road.
A537776 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A537/Chester Road.
71 m
Exit the roundabout onto A537/Chester Road.
A537779 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Chester Road.
46 m
Exit the roundabout onto Chester Road.
Chester Road16 m
Turn left to stay on Chester Road.
Chester Road365 m
Move right onto Chestergate.
Chestergate247 m
Turn left onto Churchill Way/B5181.
Churchill Way70 m
Turn left onto King Edward Street.
King Edward Street263 m
Turn left onto Chestergate.
Chestergate52 m
Turn right onto Catherine Street.
Catherine Street112 m
Turn left onto Pierce Street.
Pierce Street114 m
Turn left onto Bridge Street.
Bridge Street121 m
Turn right onto Chestergate.
Chestergate102 m
Turn left onto Churchill Way/B5181.
Churchill Way123 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A537/Hibel Road.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto A537/Hibel Road.
A537383 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hurdsfield Road/B5470.
48 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hurdsfield Road/B5470.
Hurdsfield Road193 m
Turn right onto Commercial Road.
Commercial Road184 m
Turn left onto King Street.
King Street34 m
Turn right to stay on King Street.
King Street59 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Macclesfield · 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.
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 7.6 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.
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.
Charles Roe
Start near Charles Roe.
Macclesfield Methodist Church
Continue to Macclesfield Methodist Church.
St Paul's Church
Continue to St Paul's Church.
Last Orders
Continue to Last Orders.
Mario's Barber Shop
Continue to Mario's Barber Shop.
Park Tavern
Continue to Park Tavern.
Park Lane News
Continue to Park Lane News.
Flower Pot
Continue to Flower Pot.
Best-one
Continue to Best-one.
Happy Garden
Continue to Happy Garden.
St John the Evangelist
Continue to St John the Evangelist.
Fermain Academy
Continue to Fermain Academy.
Cottage Street Garage
Continue to Cottage Street Garage.
Happy Valley Tap & Pizza
Continue to Happy Valley Tap & Pizza.
Chester Road Tavern
Continue to Chester Road Tavern.
St. Alban's
Continue to St. Alban's.
RRG Macclesfield
Continue to RRG Macclesfield.
Swan With Two Necks
Continue to Swan With Two Necks.
Arighi Bianchi
Continue to Arighi Bianchi.
Cherry Blossom
Finish back near Cherry Blossom, completing the loop.
16 turns · 4 sets of lights
17 turns · 5 sets of lights
23 turns · 3 sets of lights
20 turns · 5 sets of lights
This route is 20.3 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Macclesfield test centre, not an official DVSA route.