Near Norwest Court test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 14 roundabouts and 33 turns across 60 navigation steps.
This is an independent 21.6 km practice loop near Norwest Court test centre, taking roughly 26 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 Oaks Wood and Broad Oak. 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 shops, 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 Norwest Court 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 60-step drive on real, named roads (about 21.8 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northeast on Chain Caul Road.
Chain Caul Road142 m
Turn left onto Chain Caul Way.
Chain Caul Way619 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Nelson Way.
46 m
Exit the roundabout onto Nelson Way.
Nelson Way114 m
Keep right to stay on Nelson Way.
Nelson Way56 m
Turn left onto A583/Riversway. Continue on A583.
A5831.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A5085/Blackpool Road.
159 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5085/Blackpool Road.
A50851.1 km
Keep left to stay on A5085/Blackpool Road.
A5085117 m
Keep right to stay on A5085/Blackpool Road.
A5085572 m
Turn right onto Layton Road.
Layton Road125 m
Turn left onto Norbreck Drive.
Norbreck Drive90 m
Turn right onto Catforth Road.
Catforth Road107 m
Turn left onto Starrgate Drive.
Starrgate Drive253 m
Turn left onto Larches Avenue.
Larches Avenue267 m
Turn right onto A5085/Blackpool Road.
A5085162 m
Keep right to stay on A5085/Blackpool Road.
A50852.1 km
Turn left onto Eldon Street.
Eldon Street44 m
Turn left onto De Lacy Street.
De Lacy Street115 m
Turn left onto Roebuck Street.
Roebuck Street396 m
Turn left onto Tulketh Brow.
Tulketh Brow522 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Tulketh Brow/B6241.
16 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tulketh Brow/B6241.
Tulketh Brow162 m
Turn right onto Water Lane/A583. Continue on A583.
A583218 m
Turn left onto A5072/West Strand. Continue on A5072.
A5072667 m
Turn right.
1.1 km
Enter Oaks Wood and take the 2nd exit onto A59/Golden Way.
Oaks Wood40 m
Exit the roundabout onto A59/Golden Way.
A59938 m
Take the exit.
360 m
Turn right onto Cop Lane.
Cop Lane657 m
Turn right onto Beechway.
Beechway214 m
Turn left onto Birch Avenue.
Birch Avenue464 m
Turn left onto Crabtree Avenue.
Crabtree Avenue57 m
Turn left onto Crownlee.
Crownlee101 m
Turn left to stay on Crownlee.
Crownlee61 m
Turn right to stay on Crownlee.
Crownlee7 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Crownlee.
Crownlee7 m
Turn left to stay on Crownlee.
Crownlee61 m
Turn right to stay on Crownlee.
Crownlee101 m
Turn right onto Crabtree Avenue.
Crabtree Avenue57 m
Turn right onto Birch Avenue.
Birch Avenue63 m
Turn left onto Central Drive.
Central Drive457 m
Turn left onto Liverpool Road.
Liverpool Road390 m
Turn left onto A59/John Horrocks Way.
A591.3 km
Enter Broad Oak and take the 2nd exit onto A59/Golden Way.
Broad Oak60 m
Exit the roundabout onto A59/Golden Way.
A591.9 km
Enter Oaks Wood and take the 1st exit onto A59/Guild Way.
Oaks Wood4 m
Exit the roundabout onto A59/Guild Way.
A59243 m
Keep left to stay on A59/Guild Way.
A59706 m
Take the exit.
Junction Road31 m
Keep right to stay on Junction Road.
Junction Road157 m
Move left onto A5072/West Strand.
A5072578 m
Move left onto A583/Watery Lane.
A5831.1 km
Turn left onto Pedders Way.
Pedders Way186 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Navigation Way.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Navigation Way.
Navigation Way78 m
Turn right onto Chain Caul Way.
Chain Caul Way104 m
Turn left to stay on Chain Caul Way.
Chain Caul Way438 m
Turn left onto Chain Caul Road.
Chain Caul Road142 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Norwest Court · Residential 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.
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.
Sunwin Renault Preston
Start near Sunwin Renault Preston.
St. Christopher's Church
Continue to St. Christopher's Church.
Johney Rocket's
Continue to Johney Rocket's.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Royal Cross Primary School
Continue to Royal Cross Primary School.
Ashton News
Continue to Ashton News.
Co-operative Funeral Care
Continue to Co-operative Funeral Care.
Tap End
Continue to Tap End.
Bromsborough Paints
Continue to Bromsborough Paints.
Roebuck School Nursery Unit
Continue to Roebuck School Nursery Unit.
B & J Newsagent
Continue to B & J Newsagent.
Wycliffe Memorial Evangelical Church
Continue to Wycliffe Memorial Evangelical Church.
Grand Junction
Continue to Grand Junction.
Oaks Wood
Continue to Oaks Wood, taking the junction with good observation.
Sir Tom Finney
Continue to Sir Tom Finney.
Broad Oak
Continue to Broad Oak, taking the junction with good observation.
Brown Hare
Continue to Brown Hare.
FAB Home Interiors
Continue to FAB Home Interiors.
Watery Lane Convenience Store
Continue to Watery Lane Convenience Store.
McDonald's
Finish back near McDonald's, completing the loop.
31 roundabouts · 10 turns
10 roundabouts · 33 turns
14 roundabouts · 23 turns
6 roundabouts · 20 turns
This route is 21.6 km and takes about 26 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Norwest Court test centre, not an official DVSA route.