Near Nottingham (Chillwell) test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 33 roundabouts and 18 turns across 61 navigation steps.
This is an independent 67.6 km practice loop near Nottingham (Chillwell) test centre, taking roughly 55 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 Nottingham Knight. 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 pubs, schools, stations and shops, 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 61-step drive on real, named roads (about 67.6 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. Continue on A6005.
A60051.7 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit.
108 m
Exit the roundabout onto A52.
A522.3 km
Keep right to take A453/Remembrance Way.
A4531.3 km
Enter Farnbourgh Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A453/Remembrance Way.
Farnbourgh Road Roundabout55 m
Exit the roundabout onto A453/Remembrance Way.
A4531.1 km
Move left onto Green Lane.
Green Lane1.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 6th exit onto Clifton Lane.
171 m
Exit the roundabout onto Clifton Lane.
Clifton Lane714 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Clifton Road.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Clifton Road.
Clifton Road737 m
Turn right onto Wilford Road/B680. Continue on B680.
B680319 m
Turn left onto Kirk Lane/B680.
Kirk Lane446 m
Turn left onto Loughborough Road/A60.
Loughborough Road1.8 km
Enter Nottingham Knight and take the 2nd exit onto A52/Clifton Boulevard.
Nottingham Knight30 m
Exit the roundabout onto A52/Clifton Boulevard.
A522.3 km
Keep right to stay on A52.
A522.9 km
Take the QMC Island exit towards The South/ Derby (A52)/ Queen's Medical Centre/ A&E.
A52249 m
Enter QMC Island and take the 1st exit onto A52/Derby Road.
QMC Island7 m
Exit the roundabout onto A52/Derby Road.
A521.9 km
Enter Priory Island and take the 2nd exit onto A52/Derby Road.
Priory Island37 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 2nd exit onto Toton Lane/B6003.
Bardills Island32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Toton Lane/B6003. Continue on B6003.
B60031.4 km
Turn right onto Banks Road.
Banks Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Banks Road.
76 m
Exit the roundabout onto Banks Road.
Banks Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Stapleford Lane/B6003. Continue on B6003.
B60031.3 km
Turn left onto A52/Brian Clough Way.
A521.9 km
Take the Sandiacre Interchange exit onto M1.
A52386 m
Enter Sandiacre Interchange and take the 2nd exit onto M1.
Sandiacre Interchange74 m
Exit the roundabout onto M1/E 13.
M17.2 km
Take exit 24 onto (A453)/(A6) towards East Midlands Airport.
A501.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A453/Remembrance Way.
14 m
Exit the roundabout onto A453/Remembrance Way.
A4533.9 km
Take the West Leake Junction exit.
431 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit.
89 m
Exit the roundabout.
152 m
Move left.
23 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A453.
93 m
Exit the roundabout onto A453/Remembrance Way.
A4534.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 6th exit.
522 m
Exit the roundabout onto M1/E 13.
M17.6 km
Take exit 25 onto A52 towards Derby/Nottingham.
M1573 m
Enter Sandiacre Interchange and take the 4th exit onto A52.
Sandiacre Interchange365 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) · 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.
Bluebell
Start near Bluebell.
Beekeeper
Continue to Beekeeper.
Bizzy Kidz
Continue to Bizzy Kidz.
University Boulevard
Continue to University Boulevard.
University of Nottingham
Continue to University of Nottingham.
Big Yellow Self Storage
Continue to Big Yellow Self Storage.
Glapton Academy
Continue to Glapton Academy.
Fairham
Continue to Fairham.
Red Lion
Continue to Red Lion.
Frame Breakers
Continue to Frame Breakers.
Nottingham Knight
Continue to Nottingham Knight, taking the junction with good observation.
Dunkirk Primary and Nursery School
Continue to Dunkirk Primary and Nursery School.
Environmental Education Centre
Continue to Environmental Education Centre.
Busy Bees
Continue to Busy Bees.
St Barnabas Lenton Abbey
Continue to St Barnabas Lenton Abbey.
Nurseryman
Continue to Nurseryman.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Continue to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
George Spencer Academy
Continue to George Spencer Academy.
Toton Churches (Methodist)
Continue to Toton Churches (Methodist).
Corn Mill
Finish back near Corn Mill, completing the loop.
12 roundabouts · 10 turns
2 roundabouts · 19 turns
6 roundabouts · 17 turns
31 turns
This route is 67.6 km and takes about 55 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Nottingham (Chillwell) test centre, not an official DVSA route.