Near Nottingham (Colwick) test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 20 roundabouts and 17 turns across 58 navigation steps.
This is an independent 29.7 km practice loop near Nottingham (Colwick) test centre, taking roughly 29 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 stations, churches, schools 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 (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 58-step drive on real, named roads (about 31.8 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.
104 m
Turn left onto Colwick Loop Road/A612.
Colwick Loop Road216 m
Turn right onto Private Road No. 1.
Private Road No. 1205 m
Turn right onto Chaworth Road.
Chaworth Road530 m
Turn left onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road190 m
Keep right to take Station Road.
Station Road878 m
Keep left to take Cavendish Road.
Cavendish Road49 m
Turn left onto Foxhill Road East.
Foxhill Road East385 m
Turn right onto Deep Furrow Avenue.
Deep Furrow Avenue185 m
Turn right onto Cavendish Road.
Cavendish Road65 m
Turn right onto Beck Street.
Beck Street158 m
Turn left onto Foxhill Road East.
Foxhill Road East278 m
Turn right onto Cavendish Road.
Cavendish Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Meadow Road.
Meadow Road18 m
Keep right to stay on Meadow Road.
Meadow Road511 m
Turn left onto Private Road No. 1.
Private Road No. 1205 m
Turn right onto Colwick Loop Road/A612. Continue on A612.
A6122.6 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.
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.
A525.6 km
Make a right U-turn to stay on A52.
A525.6 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 Lane265 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 Road386 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) · School-zone 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.
Carlton
Start near Carlton.
Shekinah Shur Ministries
Continue to Shekinah Shur Ministries.
Carlton Baptist Church
Continue to Carlton Baptist Church.
Carlton Pentecostal Church
Continue to Carlton Pentecostal Church.
Carlton Infant Academy
Continue to Carlton Infant Academy.
Nottinghamshire Funeral Service
Continue to Nottinghamshire Funeral Service.
Carlton News Store
Continue to Carlton News Store.
Good Foundations Nursery
Continue to Good Foundations Nursery.
Netherfield Baptist Church
Continue to Netherfield Baptist Church.
Archers of Colwick
Continue to Archers of Colwick.
Daleside Road
Continue to Daleside Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Daleside Car Sales
Continue to Daleside Car Sales.
David Drew Garages
Continue to David Drew Garages.
Radcliffe Road Day Nursery
Continue to Radcliffe Road Day Nursery.
Nottingham Autocraft
Continue to Nottingham Autocraft.
Gamston Lock
Continue to Gamston Lock.
Radcliffe Road Cycles
Continue to Radcliffe Road Cycles.
Boatyard Boulders
Continue to Boatyard Boulders.
GSF Car Parts
Continue to GSF Car Parts.
MKM
Finish back near MKM, completing the loop.
28 roundabouts · 17 turns
20 roundabouts · 25 turns
16 roundabouts · 9 turns
16 roundabouts · 25 turns
This route is 29.7 km and takes about 29 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Nottingham (Colwick) test centre, not an official DVSA route.