Near Redditch test centre
Mostly steady roads with few demanding junctions, a gentle loop to build confidence.
This is an independent 12.9 km practice loop near Redditch test centre, taking roughly - 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 Foxlydiate Crescent. 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 multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and 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 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 Redditch 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:
Road mix
The full 45-step drive on real, named roads (about 15.1 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive south on Elm Road.
Elm Road108 m
Move right onto Bridge Street.
Bridge Street43 m
Turn left onto Britten Street.
Britten Street213 m
Turn right onto Bromsgrove Road.
Bromsgrove Road831 m
Turn right onto Cherry Tree Walk.
Cherry Tree Walk117 m
Turn left to stay on Cherry Tree Walk.
Cherry Tree Walk411 m
Turn left onto Foxlydiate Crescent.
Foxlydiate Crescent307 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Foxlydiate Crescent.
61 m
Exit the roundabout onto Foxlydiate Crescent.
Foxlydiate Crescent90 m
Turn right onto Hawthorn Road.
Hawthorn Road354 m
Turn right onto Foxlydiate Crescent.
Foxlydiate Crescent290 m
Turn left onto Salters Lane.
Salters Lane51 m
Turn right onto Lily Green Lane.
Lily Green Lane217 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Brockhill Drive/B4184.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brockhill Drive/B4184.
Brockhill Drive800 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Birchfield Road/B4184.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Birchfield Road/B4184.
Birchfield Road307 m
Turn right to stay on Birchfield Road.
Birchfield Road702 m
Turn right onto Tynsall Avenue.
Tynsall Avenue989 m
Turn right onto Downsell Road.
Downsell Road118 m
Turn left onto Heathfield Road.
Heathfield Road36 m
Turn right onto Middle Piece Drive.
Middle Piece Drive317 m
Turn left onto Lower Common Lane.
Lower Common Lane127 m
Turn right onto Birchfield Road.
Birchfield Road627 m
Turn right onto Middle Piece Drive.
Middle Piece Drive233 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Windmill Drive/B4504.
57 m
Exit the roundabout onto Windmill Drive/B4504.
Windmill Drive327 m
Stay straight to take the A448 ramp towards Bromsgrove Highway.
A4481.2 km
Take the Redditch Cloverleaf exit onto A441 towards Alvechurch Highway.
A4412.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit.
11 m
Exit the roundabout onto Coventry Highway/A4023.
Coventry Highway305 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Redditch Ringway/B4160.
70 m
Exit the roundabout onto Redditch Ringway/B4160.
Redditch Ringway138 m
Keep left to stay on Redditch Ringway/B4160.
Redditch Ringway152 m
Keep left to stay on Redditch Ringway/B4160.
Redditch Ringway711 m
Keep left to stay on Redditch Ringway/B4160.
Redditch Ringway704 m
Move left to stay on Redditch Ringway/B4160.
Redditch Ringway467 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Middlehouse Lane/B4184.
72 m
Exit the roundabout onto Middlehouse Lane/B4184.
Middlehouse Lane192 m
Turn left onto Birmingham Road.
Birmingham Road406 m
Turn right onto Clive Road.
Clive Road454 m
Turn right onto Hewell Road.
Hewell Road78 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Elm Road.
7 m
Exit the roundabout onto Elm Road.
Elm Road85 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Redditch · Route 9 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 3.2 km of this loop is dual carriageway. Build your speed on the slip road, take an effective rearward observation, and merge without forcing other traffic to brake.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (30, 40, 70 mph). Watch for repeater signs and adjust early, examiners mark you down for carrying the wrong speed into a new limit.
Residential streets
Narrow residential roads mean parked cars, pedestrians and reduced visibility. Cover the brake, keep your speed down and be ready to give way.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Bodycare
Start near Bodycare.
Christadelphian Hall
Continue to Christadelphian Hall.
claire's
Continue to claire's.
Foxlydiate Crescent
Continue to Foxlydiate Crescent, taking the junction with good observation.
Golden Cross
Continue to Golden Cross.
Gospel Hall
Continue to Gospel Hall.
Lifestyle Express
Continue to Lifestyle Express.
Masjid AlBirr
Continue to Masjid AlBirr.
Old Church
Continue to Old Church.
Primark
Continue to Primark.
Queen's Head
Continue to Queen's Head.
Railway Inn
Continue to Railway Inn.
Redditch Assemblies of God
Continue to Redditch Assemblies of God.
Sally Beauty
Continue to Sally Beauty.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Spice Café
Continue to Spice Café.
St. George the Martyr
Continue to St. George the Martyr.
Stringer Noyce
Continue to Stringer Noyce.
Warings Tyres
Continue to Warings Tyres.
Warwick Bar
Finish back near Warwick Bar, completing the loop.
This route is 12.9 km and takes about - to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Redditch test centre, not an official DVSA route.