Near Nottingham (Colwick) test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 28 roundabouts and 17 turns across 51 navigation steps.
This is an independent 39.3 km practice loop near Nottingham (Colwick) test centre, taking roughly 38 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 Shelford Road and 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, churches, pubs and named junctions, 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 51-step drive on real, named roads (about 39.3 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 Road172 m
Keep right to take Trent Valley Road/A612.
Trent Valley Road1.8 km
Turn left onto Colliery Way/A6211.
Colliery Way2.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Colliery Way/A6211.
123 m
Exit the roundabout onto Colliery Way/A6211.
Colliery Way2.3 km
Turn left onto Trent Valley Road/A612. Continue on A612.
A6125.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A6097/Lowdham Road.
65 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6097/Lowdham Road. Continue on A6097.
A60973.9 km
Turn right onto East Bridgford Road.
East Bridgford Road887 m
Turn right onto Shelford Road.
Shelford Road3.7 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Shelford Road.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Shelford Road.
Shelford Road1.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Main Road.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Main Road.
Main Road186 m
Turn right onto Cropwell Road.
Cropwell Road481 m
Turn right onto A52/Grantham Road. Continue on A52.
A524.8 km
Enter Gamston Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A52/Gamston Lings Bar Road.
Gamston Roundabout3 m
Exit the roundabout onto A52/Gamston Lings Bar Road.
A52838 m
Take the exit on the right.
A52218 m
Turn right to take the ramp.
A52135 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
28 m
Exit the roundabout.
48 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit.
52 m
Exit the roundabout.
43 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Ambleside.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ambleside.
Ambleside78 m
Move left to stay on Ambleside.
Ambleside61 m
Move left onto A52/Gamston Lings Bar Road.
A52996 m
Enter Gamston Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A6011/Radcliffe Road.
Gamston Roundabout2 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6011/Radcliffe Road.
A60112.0 km
Keep right to stay on A6011.
A6011834 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 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) · 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.
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.
Hotel Chocolat
Start near Hotel Chocolat.
Subway
Continue to Subway.
Barber Shop
Continue to Barber Shop.
St Helen's Church
Continue to St Helen's Church.
Wheatsheaf Inn
Continue to Wheatsheaf Inn.
Ashworths Poultry
Continue to Ashworths Poultry.
Shelford Road
Continue to Shelford Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Radcliffe
Continue to Radcliffe.
Radcliffe-on-Trent Methodist Church
Continue to Radcliffe-on-Trent Methodist Church.
Royal Oak
Continue to Royal Oak.
Nottingham Autocraft
Continue to Nottingham Autocraft.
Good Food Gamston
Continue to Good Food Gamston.
Gamston Lock
Continue to Gamston Lock.
Radcliffe Road Day Nursery
Continue to Radcliffe Road Day Nursery.
David Drew Garages
Continue to David Drew Garages.
Burger King
Continue to Burger King.
Daleside Road
Continue to Daleside Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Daleside Road Motors
Continue to Daleside Road Motors.
Archers of Colwick
Continue to Archers of Colwick.
MKM
Finish back near MKM, completing the loop.
20 roundabouts · 25 turns
20 roundabouts · 17 turns
16 roundabouts · 9 turns
16 roundabouts · 25 turns
This route is 39.3 km and takes about 38 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Nottingham (Colwick) test centre, not an official DVSA route.