Near Nottingham (Chillwell) test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 12 roundabouts and 10 turns across 26 navigation steps.
This is an independent 20.0 km practice loop near Nottingham (Chillwell) test centre, taking roughly 20 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, schools and stations, 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 Nottingham (Chillwell) 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 26-step drive on real, named roads (about 20.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west.
28 m
Turn right.
28 m
Turn right.
39 m
Turn left onto Eldon Road.
Eldon Road70 m
Turn right onto Nottingham Road/A6005. Continue on A6005.
A60054.2 km
Turn right onto University Boulevard/A6005.
University Boulevard698 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on University Boulevard.
University Boulevard893 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Woodside Road/A6464.
51 m
Exit the roundabout onto Woodside Road/A6464.
Woodside Road999 m
Enter Priory Island and take the 1st exit onto A52/Derby Road.
Priory Island3 m
Exit the roundabout onto A52/Derby Road.
A522.3 km
Enter Bramcote Island and take the 2nd exit onto A52/Brian Clough Way.
Bramcote Island30 m
Exit the roundabout onto A52/Brian Clough Way.
A522.0 km
Enter Bardills Island and take the 4th exit onto A52/Brian Clough Way.
Bardills Island82 m
Exit the roundabout onto A52/Brian Clough Way.
A521.9 km
Take the Sandiacre Interchange exit onto M1.
A52386 m
Enter Sandiacre Interchange and take the 6th exit onto A52.
Sandiacre Interchange612 m
Exit the roundabout onto A52/Brian Clough Way.
A522.2 km
Enter Bardills Island and take the 4th exit onto Toton Lane/B6003.
Bardills Island120 m
Exit the roundabout onto Toton Lane/B6003. Continue on B6003.
B60032.2 km
Turn left onto Nottingham Road/A6005.
Nottingham Road947 m
Turn right onto Eldon Road.
Eldon Road70 m
Turn right.
39 m
Turn left.
28 m
Turn left.
28 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Nottingham (Chillwell) · Dual-carriageway 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.
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.
Bird Hide micropub
Start near Bird Hide micropub.
Bluebell
Continue to Bluebell.
Beekeeper
Continue to Beekeeper.
Beauty by Vickie
Continue to Beauty by Vickie.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
Bizzy Kidz
Continue to Bizzy Kidz.
Pizza Zone
Continue to Pizza Zone.
Jesse Boot
Continue to Jesse Boot.
University Boulevard
Continue to University Boulevard.
Betfred
Continue to Betfred.
Piggy Pete's Deli
Continue to Piggy Pete's Deli.
Nurseryman
Continue to Nurseryman.
George Spencer Academy
Continue to George Spencer Academy.
Memory Lane
Continue to Memory Lane.
Japanese Water Gardens
Continue to Japanese Water Gardens.
Something Different
Continue to Something Different.
Toton Churches (Methodist)
Continue to Toton Churches (Methodist).
St Peter's
Continue to St Peter's.
Corn Mill
Continue to Corn Mill.
Car Store
Finish back near Car Store, completing the loop.
33 roundabouts · 18 turns
2 roundabouts · 19 turns
6 roundabouts · 17 turns
31 turns
This route is 20.0 km and takes about 20 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Nottingham (Chillwell) test centre, not an official DVSA route.