Near Rotherham test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 26 roundabouts and 6 turns across 36 navigation steps.
This is an independent 17.7 km practice loop near Rotherham 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 Rotherway Roundabout, West Bawtry Road/Canklow Roundabout, Ickles Roundabout and Greasbrough 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 roundabout approach & exit, 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, pubs, churches and stations, 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 Rotherham 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 36-step drive on real, named roads (about 17.7 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast.
24 m
Turn left.
10 m
Turn left onto Mangham Way.
Mangham Way134 m
Turn right onto Mangham Road/A6123. Continue on A6123.
A61231.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Great Eastern Way/A6123.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto Great Eastern Way/A6123.
Great Eastern Way364 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Aldwarke Road/A6123.
72 m
Exit the roundabout onto Aldwarke Road/A6123.
Aldwarke Road247 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Aldwarke Lane/A6123.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Aldwarke Lane/A6123.
Aldwarke Lane1.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Herringthorpe Valley Road/A6123.
72 m
Exit the roundabout onto Herringthorpe Valley Road/A6123.
Herringthorpe Valley Road2.6 km
Enter Stag Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Wickersley Road/A6021.
Stag Roundabout43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wickersley Road/A6021.
Wickersley Road876 m
Make a right U-turn onto A631.
A6311.1 km
Enter Worrygoose Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto East Bawtry Road/A631.
Worrygoose Roundabout44 m
Exit the roundabout onto East Bawtry Road/A631.
East Bawtry Road460 m
Keep left to stay on A631.
A6311.7 km
Enter Rotherway Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Rotherway.
Rotherway Roundabout12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rotherway.
Rotherway655 m
Enter Catcliffe Roundabout and take the 5th exit towards Rotherham.
Catcliffe Roundabout488 m
Exit the roundabout towards Rotherham.
Rotherway691 m
Enter Rotherway Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto West Bawtry Road/A630.
Rotherway Roundabout12 m
Exit the roundabout onto West Bawtry Road/A630.
West Bawtry Road981 m
Enter Canklow Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A630.
Canklow Roundabout54 m
Exit the roundabout onto A630.
A6301.7 km
Enter Ickles Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Centenary Way/A630.
Ickles Roundabout73 m
Exit the roundabout onto Centenary Way/A630.
Centenary Way917 m
Enter College Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Greasbrough Street/A6123.
College Road Roundabout53 m
Exit the roundabout onto Greasbrough Street/A6123. Continue on A6123.
A61231.1 km
Enter Greasbrough Road and take the 3rd exit onto Mangham Road/A6123.
Greasbrough Road62 m
Exit the roundabout onto Mangham Road/A6123.
Mangham Road232 m
Turn right onto Mangham Way.
Mangham Way134 m
Turn right.
10 m
Turn right.
24 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Rotherham · Dual-carriageway 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.
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
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Rotherway Roundabout, West Bawtry Road/Canklow Roundabout, Ickles Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Screwfix
Start near Screwfix.
Station Hotel
Continue to Station Hotel.
St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church
Continue to St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church.
Wickersley Road/Stag Lane
Continue to Wickersley Road/Stag Lane.
Wickersley Road/Great Bank Road
Continue to Wickersley Road/Great Bank Road.
Wickersley Road/Brecks Lane
Continue to Wickersley Road/Brecks Lane.
East Bawtry Road/Wickersley Road
Continue to East Bawtry Road/Wickersley Road.
East Bawtry Road/Sitwell Park Road
Continue to East Bawtry Road/Sitwell Park Road.
East Bawtry Rd/Herringthorpe Valley Rd
Continue to East Bawtry Rd/Herringthorpe Valley Rd.
East Bawtry Road/Hind Road
Continue to East Bawtry Road/Hind Road.
East Bawtry Road/Lease Gate Road
Continue to East Bawtry Road/Lease Gate Road.
West Bawtry Road/Pleasley Road
Continue to West Bawtry Road/Pleasley Road.
West Bawtry Road/Long Lane
Continue to West Bawtry Road/Long Lane.
Rotherway Roundabout
Continue to Rotherway Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
West Bawtry Road/Industrial Estate
Continue to West Bawtry Road/Industrial Estate.
West Bawtry Road/Canklow Roundabout
Continue to West Bawtry Road/Canklow Roundabout.
Bawtry Road/Canklow Road
Continue to Bawtry Road/Canklow Road.
Ickles Roundabout
Continue to Ickles Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Jemia Mosque
Continue to Jemia Mosque.
Greasbrough Road
Finish back near Greasbrough Road, completing the loop.
44 roundabouts · 10 turns
20 roundabouts · 17 turns
22 roundabouts · 16 turns
26 roundabouts · 16 turns
This route is 17.7 km and takes about 17 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Rotherham test centre, not an official DVSA route.