Near Nottingham (Chillwell) test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts and 19 turns across 41 navigation steps.
This is an independent 15.4 km practice loop near Nottingham (Chillwell) test centre, taking roughly 18 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 shops, schools, churches 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 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 41-step drive on real, named roads (about 17.2 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 left onto Nottingham Road/A6005.
Nottingham Road60 m
Keep left to stay on Nottingham Road/A6005.
Nottingham Road229 m
Keep left to stay on Nottingham Road/A6005.
Nottingham Road230 m
Keep straight to stay on Nottingham Road/A6005.
Nottingham Road758 m
Keep right to stay on Nottingham Road/A6005.
Nottingham Road123 m
Move left onto Station Road.
Station Road745 m
Keep right to stay on Recreation Street.
Recreation Street128 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Recreation Street.
Recreation Street335 m
Turn right onto Station Road.
Station Road532 m
Turn right onto Nottingham Road/A6005.
Nottingham Road467 m
Turn left onto High Road/B6003.
High Road296 m
Keep left to stay on B6003.
B6003882 m
Keep right to stay on Stapleford Lane/B6003.
Stapleford Lane196 m
Keep left to stay on Stapleford Lane/B6003.
Stapleford Lane204 m
Keep right to stay on B6003.
B6003654 m
Enter Bardills Island and take the 3rd exit onto A52/Brian Clough Way.
Bardills Island80 m
Exit the roundabout onto A52/Brian Clough Way.
A523.7 km
Turn right onto Wollaton Road/B6006. Continue on B6006.
B60062.0 km
Turn right onto Queens Road/A6005.
Queens Road261 m
Keep left to stay on A6005.
A60052.1 km
Turn left onto Clarence Road.
Clarence Road47 m
Move left to stay on Clarence Road.
Clarence Road148 m
Turn right onto Crofton Road.
Crofton Road517 m
Turn right onto Attenborough Lane.
Attenborough Lane81 m
Turn right onto Bye Pass Road/A6005.
Bye Pass Road153 m
Turn right onto Clarence Road.
Clarence Road57 m
Move left to stay on Clarence Road.
Clarence Road138 m
Turn right onto Crofton Road.
Crofton Road444 m
Turn right onto Riverdale Road.
Riverdale Road267 m
Turn left onto Crofton Road.
Crofton Road308 m
Turn left onto Clarence Road.
Clarence Road196 m
Turn left onto Bye Pass Road/A6005. Continue on A6005.
A6005566 m
Turn left 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) · 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.
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.
Porcelanosa
Start near Porcelanosa.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Sam & Co
Continue to Sam & Co.
Alphabet House Day Nursery
Continue to Alphabet House Day Nursery.
Regent Carpets
Continue to Regent Carpets.
Deli-licious
Continue to Deli-licious.
Tennants Fish and Chips
Continue to Tennants Fish and Chips.
Deakin & White
Continue to Deakin & White.
St Peter's
Continue to St Peter's.
Little Garden Farm
Continue to Little Garden Farm.
Toton Churches (Methodist)
Continue to Toton Churches (Methodist).
Something Different
Continue to Something Different.
Nurseryman
Continue to Nurseryman.
Brethren's Meeting Room
Continue to Brethren's Meeting Room.
Commercial Inn
Continue to Commercial Inn.
Wollaton Road Methodist Church
Continue to Wollaton Road Methodist Church.
Church House Nursery
Continue to Church House Nursery.
Beekeeper
Continue to Beekeeper.
Bird Hide micropub
Continue to Bird Hide micropub.
Bluebell
Finish back near Bluebell, completing the loop.
33 roundabouts · 18 turns
12 roundabouts · 10 turns
6 roundabouts · 17 turns
31 turns
This route is 15.4 km and takes about 18 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Nottingham (Chillwell) test centre, not an official DVSA route.