Near Manchester test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 14 roundabouts and 18 turns across 45 navigation steps.
This is an independent 27.0 km practice loop near Manchester test centre, taking roughly 29 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 Burnage Lane. 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 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 stations, churches, schools 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 Manchester 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:
The full 45-step drive on real, named roads (about 27.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northwest.
23 m
Turn right onto Christie Way.
Christie Way123 m
Move right onto Derwent Avenue.
Derwent Avenue65 m
Turn right onto Barlow Moor Road/A5145.
Barlow Moor Road2.0 km
Turn right onto Wilmslow Road/A5145.
Wilmslow Road1.4 km
Turn left onto Parrs Wood Lane/A5145.
Parrs Wood Lane119 m
Turn left onto A34/Kingsway.
A341.1 km
Take the exit on the right.
82 m
Continue.
37 m
Turn right onto Lane End Road.
Lane End Road115 m
Turn left onto Burnage Lane.
Burnage Lane755 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Burnage Lane.
79 m
Exit the roundabout onto Burnage Lane.
Burnage Lane369 m
Turn right onto Barcicroft Road.
Barcicroft Road314 m
Turn left onto A34/Kingsway.
A342.8 km
Take the M56 ramp.
M562.4 km
Take exit 2 onto A560 towards Altrincham/Wythenshawe/Liverpool/Bolton.
M56371 m
Enter Sharston Interchange and take the 1st exit onto Altrincham Road/A560.
Sharston Interchange11 m
Exit the roundabout onto Altrincham Road/A560.
Altrincham Road149 m
Turn left onto Freshpool Way.
Freshpool Way83 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Freshpool Way.
69 m
Exit the roundabout onto Freshpool Way.
Freshpool Way94 m
Turn right onto Altrincham Road/A560.
Altrincham Road149 m
Enter Sharston Interchange and take the 1st exit onto A560/Altrincham Road.
Sharston Interchange7 m
Exit the roundabout onto A560/Altrincham Road.
A560363 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A560/Altrincham Road.
90 m
Exit the roundabout onto A560/Altrincham Road.
A560376 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A5103/Princess Parkway.
206 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5103/Princess Parkway.
A51031.3 km
Take exit 5 onto M60.
M603.0 km
Keep left to stay on M60.
M601.1 km
Keep left to take exit 7 onto M60.
M60265 m
Keep right to take A56/Chester Road.
A56785 m
Keep left to take Barton Road/A5181.
Barton Road660 m
Turn left to stay on Barton Road.
Barton Road460 m
Enter Sevenways and take the 7th exit onto Barton Road.
Sevenways90 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barton Road.
Barton Road458 m
Turn right onto Barton Road/A5181.
Barton Road213 m
Turn left onto Kingsway/A5145.
Kingsway1.8 km
Keep right to take A5145.
A51451.0 km
Turn right onto Barlow Moor Road/A5145.
Barlow Moor Road1.9 km
Turn right onto Derwent Avenue.
Derwent Avenue65 m
Move left onto Christie Way.
Christie Way123 m
Turn left.
23 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Manchester · Roundabout practice loop 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.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Southern Cemetery Bus Station
Start near Southern Cemetery Bus Station.
Manchester Islamic Centre & Didsbury Mosque
Continue to Manchester Islamic Centre & Didsbury Mosque.
Moor Allerton Preparatory School
Continue to Moor Allerton Preparatory School.
Emmanuel
Continue to Emmanuel.
Crown
Continue to Crown.
St Paul's Methodist Church
Continue to St Paul's Methodist Church.
Casey Williams
Continue to Casey Williams.
Blade Brown
Continue to Blade Brown.
St Nicholas
Continue to St Nicholas.
Sun in September
Continue to Sun in September.
Burnage Lane
Continue to Burnage Lane, taking the junction with good observation.
South Manchester Family Church
Continue to South Manchester Family Church.
Barlow Croft
Continue to Barlow Croft.
Gateway
Continue to Gateway.
Martin Luther Kirche
Continue to Martin Luther Kirche.
Sevenways Methodist Church
Continue to Sevenways Methodist Church.
Stretford
Continue to Stretford.
St Clement's
Continue to St Clement's.
Chorlton Bus Station
Continue to Chorlton Bus Station.
Southern Cemetery Jewish Chapel
Finish back near Southern Cemetery Jewish Chapel, completing the loop.
2 roundabouts · 16 turns
8 roundabouts · 15 turns
15 turns
12 roundabouts · 17 turns
This route is 27.0 km and takes about 29 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Manchester test centre, not an official DVSA route.