Near Nottingham (Colwick) test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 16 roundabouts and 25 turns across 53 navigation steps.
This is an independent 13.8 km practice loop near Nottingham (Colwick) test centre, taking roughly 17 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. 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, named junctions and schools, 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 53-step drive on real, named roads (about 13.9 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.
148 m
Turn right onto Colwick Loop Road/A612.
Colwick Loop Road510 m
Move left onto Colwick Loop Road/A6211.
Colwick Loop Road120 m
Turn left onto Victoria Park Way.
Victoria Park Way283 m
Turn right onto Kingsley Drive.
Kingsley Drive228 m
Turn left to stay on Kingsley Drive.
Kingsley Drive32 m
Turn right to stay on Kingsley Drive.
Kingsley Drive30 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Kingsley Drive.
Kingsley Drive30 m
Turn left to stay on Kingsley Drive.
Kingsley Drive32 m
Turn right to stay on Kingsley Drive.
Kingsley Drive228 m
Turn left onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road206 m
Move left onto Victoria Park Way.
Victoria Park Way32 m
Turn right onto Colwick Loop Road/A612. Continue on A612.
A6123.6 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 4th exit onto Manvers Street/A612.
113 m
Exit the roundabout onto Manvers Street/A612.
Manvers Street640 m
Turn left onto Pennyfoot Street/A612.
Pennyfoot Street47 m
Make a sharp right to stay on Pennyfoot Street/A612.
Pennyfoot Street10 m
Keep right to stay on Pennyfoot Street/A612.
Pennyfoot Street34 m
Turn right onto Manvers Street/A612.
Manvers Street632 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Daleside Road/A612.
74 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.
A6121.6 km
Turn left onto Vale Road.
Vale Road546 m
Turn left onto Furzebrook Road.
Furzebrook Road110 m
Turn right onto Hotspur Drive.
Hotspur Drive152 m
Turn right to stay on Hotspur Drive.
Hotspur Drive77 m
Turn left to stay on Hotspur Drive.
Hotspur Drive1 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Hotspur Drive.
Hotspur Drive1 m
Turn right to stay on Hotspur Drive.
Hotspur Drive77 m
Turn right to stay on Hotspur Drive.
Hotspur Drive113 m
Turn right onto Verona Avenue.
Verona Avenue118 m
Turn left onto Vale Road.
Vale Road108 m
Move right onto Chaworth Road.
Chaworth Road103 m
Move right onto Private Road No. 1.
Private Road No. 1196 m
Turn left onto Colwick Loop Road/A612.
Colwick Loop Road141 m
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) · 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.
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.
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.
Carpet Style
Start near Carpet Style.
Netherfield Methodist Church
Continue to Netherfield Methodist Church.
Daleside Road Motors
Continue to Daleside Road Motors.
Daleside Car Sales
Continue to Daleside Car Sales.
Daleside Road
Continue to Daleside Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Cake Solution
Continue to Cake Solution.
Pope and Parr
Continue to Pope and Parr.
Alvey's Garage
Continue to Alvey's Garage.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Burger King
Continue to Burger King.
Robin Hood Harley-Davidson
Continue to Robin Hood Harley-Davidson.
Triumph Nottingham
Continue to Triumph Nottingham.
GSF Car Parts
Continue to GSF Car Parts.
Shop 'n Drive
Continue to Shop 'n Drive.
Aldi
Continue to Aldi.
Archers of Colwick
Continue to Archers of Colwick.
St John the Baptist
Continue to St John the Baptist.
Colwick St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy
Continue to Colwick St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy.
Sahota Convenience Store
Continue to Sahota Convenience Store.
MKM
Finish back near MKM, completing the loop.
28 roundabouts · 17 turns
20 roundabouts · 25 turns
20 roundabouts · 17 turns
16 roundabouts · 9 turns
This route is 13.8 km and takes about 17 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Nottingham (Colwick) test centre, not an official DVSA route.