Near Northwich test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts and 22 turns across 57 navigation steps.
This is an independent 18.6 km practice loop near Northwich test centre, taking roughly 22 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 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 pubs, shops 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 Northwich 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 57-step drive on real, named roads (about 21.1 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive south on Felix Road.
Felix Road43 m
Turn right onto Penrhyn Road.
Penrhyn Road90 m
Turn left onto Moss Road.
Moss Road216 m
Keep left to stay on Moss Road.
Moss Road238 m
Turn left onto Chester Road/A559. Continue on A559.
A559915 m
Turn right onto A559/Watling Street.
A559253 m
Keep right to stay on A559/Watling Street.
A559259 m
Move right onto A5509/Chester Way.
A55099 m
Take the exit.
London Road134 m
Turn left onto Drillfield Road.
Drillfield Road101 m
Turn right to stay on Drillfield Road.
Drillfield Road38 m
Turn left to stay on Drillfield Road.
Drillfield Road6 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Drillfield Road.
Drillfield Road6 m
Turn right to stay on Drillfield Road.
Drillfield Road38 m
Turn left to stay on Drillfield Road.
Drillfield Road101 m
Turn right onto A533/London Road. Continue on A533.
A533314 m
Turn right onto A559/Watling Street.
A559131 m
Keep left to stay on A559.
A559891 m
Enter Chester Way and take the 2nd exit onto New Warrington Road/B5075.
Chester Way65 m
Exit the roundabout onto New Warrington Road/B5075.
New Warrington Road1.3 km
Keep left to take Ollershaw Lane/B5075.
Ollershaw Lane534 m
Keep left to stay on Ollershaw Lane/B5075.
Ollershaw Lane915 m
Move left onto Marston Lane/A559.
Marston Lane725 m
Keep right to stay on Marston Lane/A559.
Marston Lane269 m
Keep right to stay on A559.
A559481 m
Turn right onto High Street.
High Street299 m
Move left onto Church Street.
Church Street100 m
Turn right onto Westage Lane.
Westage Lane1.1 km
Turn right to stay on Westage Lane.
Westage Lane19 m
Turn left onto Hield Lane.
Hield Lane19 m
Turn left onto Westage Lane.
Westage Lane1.1 km
Turn left onto Church Street.
Church Street100 m
Move right onto High Street.
High Street299 m
Turn left onto Warrington Road/A559. Continue on A559.
A559853 m
Keep left to stay on Marston Lane/A559.
Marston Lane112 m
Keep right to stay on Marston Lane/A559.
Marston Lane479 m
Turn right onto Ollershaw Lane/B5075.
Ollershaw Lane1.0 km
Keep right to stay on B5075.
B50751.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Station Road/A559.
146 m
Exit the roundabout onto Station Road/A559.
Station Road37 m
Turn left onto Chester Way/A559. Continue on Chester Way.
Chester Way974 m
Move right onto A5509/Chester Way.
A55099 m
Take the exit.
London Road1.3 km
Turn left onto Kingsley Drive.
Kingsley Drive116 m
Turn right onto Manley Close.
Manley Close76 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Manley Close.
Manley Close76 m
Turn left onto Kingsley Drive.
Kingsley Drive117 m
Turn right onto London Road.
London Road462 m
Turn right onto A533/London Road.
A533760 m
Keep right to stay on A533/London Road.
A53322 m
Turn left onto A5509/Chester Way.
A5509319 m
Keep left to take A559.
A559744 m
Turn right onto Moss Road.
Moss Road329 m
Keep right to stay on Moss Road.
Moss Road125 m
Turn right onto Penrhyn Road.
Penrhyn Road90 m
Turn left onto Felix Road.
Felix Road43 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Northwich · Residential + A-road 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.
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.
Iron Bridge
Start near Iron Bridge.
Pizza
Continue to Pizza.
Holy Trinity
Continue to Holy Trinity.
Bird And The Hat Rum Bar
Continue to Bird And The Hat Rum Bar.
Farmfoods
Continue to Farmfoods.
Headwater Holidays
Continue to Headwater Holidays.
William Hill
Continue to William Hill.
National Tyres
Continue to National Tyres.
Salt Barge
Continue to Salt Barge.
Saint Mary and All Saints, Great Budworth
Continue to Saint Mary and All Saints, Great Budworth.
Heads Up
Continue to Heads Up.
RAF Wings Club
Continue to RAF Wings Club.
Paddling Pool
Continue to Paddling Pool.
Memorial Court Leisure Complex
Continue to Memorial Court Leisure Complex.
Polish Church Our Lady of Czestochowa
Continue to Polish Church Our Lady of Czestochowa.
Cutting Edge
Continue to Cutting Edge.
Our Lady of Czestochowa RC Church
Continue to Our Lady of Czestochowa RC Church.
Johnson Gentleman's Hair Salon
Continue to Johnson Gentleman's Hair Salon.
Blue Barrel Inn
Continue to Blue Barrel Inn.
Hair@Mike
Finish back near Hair@Mike, completing the loop.
17 roundabouts · 16 turns
14 roundabouts · 9 turns
10 roundabouts · 19 turns
16 roundabouts · 21 turns
This route is 18.6 km and takes about 22 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Northwich test centre, not an official DVSA route.