Near Nottingham (Colwick) test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 20 roundabouts and 25 turns across 76 navigation steps.
This is an independent 33.2 km practice loop near Nottingham (Colwick) test centre, taking roughly 35 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, parks, churches 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 76-step drive on real, named roads (about 33.6 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.
36 m
Keep right at the fork.
111 m
Turn right onto Colwick Loop Road/A612.
Colwick Loop Road510 m
Move left onto Colwick Loop Road/A6211. Continue on Colwick Loop Road.
Colwick Loop Road1.3 km
Turn left onto Burton Road/B686.
Burton Road2.0 km
Turn left onto Buntings Lane.
Buntings Lane38 m
Keep left to stay on Buntings Lane.
Buntings Lane69 m
Move left to stay on Buntings Lane.
Buntings Lane161 m
Turn right onto Maclean Road.
Maclean Road61 m
Turn left onto Steinbeck Road.
Steinbeck Road98 m
Turn left onto Wheatley Drive.
Wheatley Drive379 m
Turn right onto Carlton Hill/B686. Continue on B686.
B6861.4 km
Keep left to take Burton Road/B686.
Burton Road627 m
Turn left to stay on Burton Road.
Burton Road218 m
Turn right onto Florence Road.
Florence Road208 m
Turn right to stay on Florence Road.
Florence Road133 m
Turn right to stay on Florence Road.
Florence Road11 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Florence Road.
Florence Road11 m
Turn left to stay on Florence Road.
Florence Road66 m
Keep right to stay on Florence Road.
Florence Road66 m
Turn left to stay on Florence Road.
Florence Road208 m
Turn left onto Burton Road.
Burton Road13 m
Keep left to stay on Burton Road.
Burton Road223 m
Move left onto Colwick Loop Road/B686.
Colwick Loop Road200 m
Keep straight to stay on Colwick Loop Road/B686.
Colwick Loop Road847 m
Move right onto Trent Valley Road/A612. Continue on A612.
A612365 m
Keep left to stay on Colwick Loop Road/A612.
Colwick Loop Road314 m
Keep left to stay on Colwick Loop Road/A612.
Colwick Loop Road350 m
Keep right to stay on A612.
A6122.5 km
Keep right to stay on Daleside Road East/A612.
Daleside Road East69 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Daleside Road/A612.
22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Daleside Road/A612.
Daleside Road136 m
Keep right to stay on Daleside Road/A612.
Daleside Road441 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.
A6011274 m
Keep right to stay on A6011/Lady Bay Bridge.
A6011127 m
Keep right to stay on A6011/Lady Bay Bridge.
A6011426 m
Keep right to take A6011/Radcliffe Road.
A6011101 m
Keep left to stay on A6011/Radcliffe Road.
A60111.9 km
Enter Gamston Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A52/Radcliffe Road.
Gamston Roundabout52 m
Exit the roundabout onto A52/Radcliffe Road.
A523.3 km
Turn left onto Nottingham Road.
Nottingham Road140 m
Keep right to stay on Nottingham Road.
Nottingham Road324 m
Turn right onto St Lawrence Boulevard.
St Lawrence Boulevard314 m
Turn left onto Prince Edward Crescent.
Prince Edward Crescent112 m
Move left to stay on Prince Edward Crescent.
Prince Edward Crescent168 m
Turn right onto St Lawrence Boulevard.
St Lawrence Boulevard90 m
Turn left onto Nottingham Road.
Nottingham Road486 m
Move right onto A52/Radcliffe Road.
A523.2 km
Enter Gamston Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A6011/Radcliffe Road.
Gamston Roundabout62 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6011/Radcliffe Road.
A60112.0 km
Keep right to stay on A6011.
A6011426 m
Keep right to take A6011/Lady Bay Bridge.
A6011407 m
Turn right onto Meadow Lane/A6011.
Meadow Lane266 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 Road385 m
Keep left to stay on Daleside Road/A612.
Daleside Road179 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Daleside Road East/A612.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Daleside Road East/A612.
Daleside Road East1.3 km
Keep left to stay on A612.
A6121.5 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) · Residential 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.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
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.
Lidl
Start near Lidl.
Apollo Fish & Chips
Continue to Apollo Fish & Chips.
Burton Road Public Garden
Continue to Burton Road Public Garden.
Orthodox Church of Saint Aidan and Saint Chad
Continue to Orthodox Church of Saint Aidan and Saint Chad.
Church of the Sacred Heart
Continue to Church of the Sacred Heart.
Carlton Junior Academy
Continue to Carlton Junior Academy.
Old Volunteer
Continue to Old Volunteer.
Carlton Mortgage and Insurance Services
Continue to Carlton Mortgage and Insurance Services.
Inn For A Penny
Continue to Inn For A Penny.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Archers of Colwick
Continue to Archers of Colwick.
Stonebridge Fireplace & Stove Centre
Continue to Stonebridge Fireplace & Stove Centre.
Daleside Road
Continue to Daleside Road, taking the junction with good observation.
F G Auto Bodyshop
Continue to F G Auto Bodyshop.
David Drew Garages
Continue to David Drew Garages.
Radcliffe Road Day Nursery
Continue to Radcliffe Road Day Nursery.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Gamston Lock
Continue to Gamston Lock.
Design Time
Continue to Design Time.
ScS
Finish back near ScS, completing the loop.
28 roundabouts · 17 turns
20 roundabouts · 17 turns
16 roundabouts · 9 turns
16 roundabouts · 25 turns
This route is 33.2 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Nottingham (Colwick) test centre, not an official DVSA route.