Near Nottingham (Colwick) test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 16 roundabouts and 9 turns across 36 navigation steps.
This is an independent 15.9 km practice loop near Nottingham (Colwick) 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.
Along the way you'll meet Daleside Road. 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, named junctions, 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 Nottingham (Colwick) 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 36-step drive on real, named roads (about 16.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north.
67 m
Turn right onto Private Road No. 5.
Private Road No. 5136 m
Turn left onto Private Road No. 3.
Private Road No. 3383 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
37 m
Exit the roundabout.
141 m
Turn left onto Colwick Loop Road/A612. Continue on A612.
A6122.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Daleside Road/A612.
22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Daleside Road/A612.
Daleside Road578 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Daleside Road/A612.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Daleside Road/A612.
Daleside Road418 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Meadow Lane/A6011.
49 m
Exit the roundabout onto Meadow Lane/A6011.
Meadow Lane271 m
Turn left onto A6011/Lady Bay Bridge. Continue on A6011.
A60112.3 km
Make a right U-turn onto A6011/Radcliffe Road.
A60111.5 km
Keep right to stay on A6011.
A6011825 m
Turn left onto A6011/Meadow Lane.
A6011496 m
Turn left onto Meadow Close.
Meadow Close42 m
Turn right.
13 m
Turn right.
41 m
Make a right U-turn.
41 m
Turn left.
13 m
Turn left onto Meadow Close.
Meadow Close42 m
Turn right onto Meadow Lane/A6011.
Meadow Lane767 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Daleside Road/A612.
144 m
Exit the roundabout onto Daleside Road/A612.
Daleside Road420 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Daleside Road/A612.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Daleside Road/A612.
Daleside Road566 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Daleside Road East/A612.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Daleside Road East/A612. Continue on A612.
A6122.8 km
Turn right.
218 m
Turn left.
23 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Private Road No. 3.
26 m
Exit the roundabout onto Private Road No. 3.
Private Road No. 3385 m
Turn right onto Private Road No. 5.
Private Road No. 5136 m
Turn left.
67 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Nottingham (Colwick) · 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.
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.
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.
Archers of Colwick
Start near Archers of Colwick.
Daleside Car Sales
Continue to Daleside Car Sales.
Daleside Road
Continue to Daleside Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Blazin Guns
Continue to Blazin Guns.
Cake Solution
Continue to Cake Solution.
F G Auto Bodyshop
Continue to F G Auto Bodyshop.
PitStop
Continue to PitStop.
David Drew Garages
Continue to David Drew Garages.
Laithwaite's Wine
Continue to Laithwaite's Wine.
Radcliffe Road Day Nursery
Continue to Radcliffe Road Day Nursery.
Hairways
Continue to Hairways.
Radcliffe Road Cycles
Continue to Radcliffe Road Cycles.
Design Time
Continue to Design Time.
Trade Kitchens Supplies
Continue to Trade Kitchens Supplies.
Meadow Lane Sports Bar
Continue to Meadow Lane Sports Bar.
Trent Navigation
Continue to Trent Navigation.
ScS
Continue to ScS.
Robin Hood Harley-Davidson
Continue to Robin Hood Harley-Davidson.
Aldi
Continue to Aldi.
MKM
Finish back near MKM, completing the loop.
28 roundabouts · 17 turns
20 roundabouts · 25 turns
20 roundabouts · 17 turns
16 roundabouts · 25 turns
This route is 15.9 km and takes about 18 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Nottingham (Colwick) test centre, not an official DVSA route.