Near Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 16 roundabouts and 21 turns across 49 navigation steps.
This is an independent 17.0 km practice loop near Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-under-Lyme), taking roughly 21 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.
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, pubs, 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 Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-under-Lyme), 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 49-step drive on real, named roads. An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southwest.
Turn left.
Bear right onto Lyme Drive.
Lyme Drive
Turn left onto Clayton Lane.
Clayton Lane
Turn right onto A34/Newcastle Road.
A34
Turn left onto London Road/B5041.
London Road
Turn right onto Elphinstone Road.
Elphinstone Road
You have arrived at your destination.
Drive northwest on Elphinstone Road.
Elphinstone Road
Turn left onto London Road/B5041.
London Road
Turn left onto A34/Stone Road.
A34
Enter Hanford Roundabout and take the 1st exit.
Hanford Roundabout
Exit the roundabout onto A500/Queensway.
A500
Take the Etruria Roundabout exit.
Enter Etruria Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A53/Etruria Road.
Etruria Roundabout
Exit the roundabout onto A53/Etruria Road.
A53
Take the exit.
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Festival Way/A5010.
Exit the roundabout onto Festival Way/A5010.
Festival Way
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Festival Way/A5010.
Exit the roundabout onto Festival Way/A5010.
Festival Way
Turn left onto Forge Lane.
Forge Lane
You have arrived at your destination.
Drive northeast on Forge Lane.
Forge Lane
Turn right onto Festival Way/A5010.
Festival Way
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Festival Way/A5010.
Exit the roundabout onto Festival Way/A5010.
Festival Way
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit.
Exit the roundabout.
Keep right to take A53/Etruria Road.
A53
Enter Etruria Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A53/Etruria Road.
Etruria Roundabout
Exit the roundabout onto A53/Etruria Road. Continue on A53.
A53
Turn left onto Albert Street.
Albert Street
Turn left onto George Street/A52. Continue on A52.
A52
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Hartshill Road/A52.
Exit the roundabout onto Hartshill Road/A52.
Hartshill Road
Turn right onto Rosemary Edman Close.
Rosemary Edman Close
Turn left to stay on Rosemary Edman Close.
Rosemary Edman Close
You have arrived at your destination.
Drive east on Rosemary Edman Close.
Rosemary Edman Close
Turn right to stay on Rosemary Edman Close.
Rosemary Edman Close
Turn left onto Hartshill Road/A52.
Hartshill Road
Turn left onto The Avenue.
The Avenue
Turn left onto A34/London Road. Continue on A34.
A34
Turn right onto Clayton Lane.
Clayton Lane
Turn right onto Lyme Drive.
Lyme Drive
Bear left.
Turn right.
Your destination is on the left.
Directions for the Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-under-Lyme) · Residential + A-road 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.
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.
Sizzling Wok
Start near Sizzling Wok.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Jubilee Working Mens Club
Continue to Jubilee Working Mens Club.
Saint John's Church
Continue to Saint John's Church.
Black Lion
Continue to Black Lion.
St John's Centre
Continue to St John's Centre.
Suzuki Powerslide Motorcycles Ltd
Continue to Suzuki Powerslide Motorcycles Ltd.
Bargain Booze
Continue to Bargain Booze.
Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church
Continue to Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church.
GSF Car Parts
Continue to GSF Car Parts.
CEF
Continue to CEF.
Josiah Wedgwood's First Bottle Kiln
Continue to Josiah Wedgwood's First Bottle Kiln.
Subway
Continue to Subway.
Etruria Methodist Chapel
Continue to Etruria Methodist Chapel.
Appliance World
Continue to Appliance World.
Hopinn
Continue to Hopinn.
Newcastle Christian Fellowship
Continue to Newcastle Christian Fellowship.
Harpfield Primary Academy
Continue to Harpfield Primary Academy.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
Pinkstones
Finish back near Pinkstones, completing the loop.
28 roundabouts · 8 turns
14 roundabouts · 9 turns
32 roundabouts · 23 turns
25 roundabouts · 8 turns
This route is 17.0 km and takes about 21 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-under-Lyme), not an official DVSA route.