Near Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 32 roundabouts and 23 turns across 77 navigation steps.
This is an independent 16.7 km practice loop near Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-under-Lyme), taking roughly 23 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 Blackfriars Roundabout. 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 churches, named junctions, pubs 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 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 77-step drive on real, named roads (about 18.8 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southwest.
23 m
Turn left.
63 m
Turn left onto Lyme Drive.
Lyme Drive86 m
Move left onto A34/Newcastle Road. Continue on A34.
A341.5 km
Enter Grosvenor Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A34/Lower Street.
Grosvenor Roundabout38 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Lower Street.
A34198 m
Enter Blackfriars Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A34/Lower Street.
Blackfriars Roundabout40 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Lower Street.
A34195 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Pool Dam/A525.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pool Dam/A525. Continue on A525.
A525243 m
Turn right onto Higherland/A525.
Higherland206 m
Turn left onto Seabridge Road/B5352.
Seabridge Road606 m
Turn left onto A53/Priory Road.
A53775 m
Turn left onto Blackfriars Road.
Blackfriars Road123 m
Move left onto Higherland/A525.
Higherland426 m
Move left onto Thistleberry Avenue.
Thistleberry Avenue66 m
Turn right to stay on Thistleberry Avenue.
Thistleberry Avenue31 m
Turn right onto Keele Road/A525. Continue on A525.
A525483 m
Turn left onto Pool Dam/A525. Continue on A525.
A525244 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A34/Lower Street.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Lower Street.
A34307 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A52/Ryecroft.
69 m
Exit the roundabout onto A52/Ryecroft.
A52462 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A53/King Street.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto A53/King Street.
A53178 m
Take the A52 exit on the right.
A5326 m
Turn right onto A52/Borough Road.
A52103 m
Turn left onto Brunswick Street/A52. Continue on A52.
A52436 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Hartshill Road/A52.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hartshill Road/A52.
Hartshill Road1.9 km
Turn right onto St. Andrew's Sqaure.
St. Andrew's Sqaure24 m
Move right onto Saint Andrew's Square.
Saint Andrew's Square6 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Saint Andrew's Square.
Saint Andrew's Square6 m
Move left onto St. Andrew's Sqaure.
St. Andrew's Sqaure24 m
Turn left onto Hartshill Road/A52.
Hartshill Road189 m
Keep right to stay on Hartshill Road/A52.
Hartshill Road1.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Shelton New Road/A52.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Shelton New Road/A52. Continue on A52.
A52639 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A527/Barracks Road.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto A527/Barracks Road.
A527416 m
Enter Grosvenor Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Brook Lane/A519.
Grosvenor Roundabout63 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brook Lane/A519.
Brook Lane138 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Brook Lane/A519.
6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brook Lane/A519. Continue on A519.
A519572 m
Keep left to take Clayton Road/A519.
Clayton Road102 m
Keep straight to stay on Clayton Road/A519.
Clayton Road812 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Clayton Road/A519.
62 m
Exit the roundabout onto Clayton Road/A519.
Clayton Road237 m
Keep right to stay on Clayton Road/A519.
Clayton Road916 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Westbury Road.
75 m
Exit the roundabout onto Westbury Road.
Westbury Road135 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Westbury Road.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Westbury Road.
Westbury Road299 m
Keep left to stay on Westbury Road.
Westbury Road169 m
Turn right onto Rutherford Avenue.
Rutherford Avenue187 m
Turn left onto Bladon Avenue.
Bladon Avenue87 m
Turn left to stay on Bladon Avenue.
Bladon Avenue53 m
Turn right to stay on Bladon Avenue.
Bladon Avenue6 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Bladon Avenue.
Bladon Avenue6 m
Turn left to stay on Bladon Avenue.
Bladon Avenue53 m
Turn right to stay on Bladon Avenue.
Bladon Avenue87 m
Turn right onto Rutherford Avenue.
Rutherford Avenue188 m
Turn left onto Westbury Road.
Westbury Road131 m
Keep right to stay on Westbury Road.
Westbury Road336 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Westbury Road.
64 m
Exit the roundabout onto Westbury Road.
Westbury Road136 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Clayton Road/A519.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Clayton Road/A519.
Clayton Road483 m
Turn right onto Clayton Lane.
Clayton Lane107 m
Keep right to stay on Clayton Lane.
Clayton Lane718 m
Turn right to stay on Clayton Lane.
Clayton Lane81 m
Keep right to stay on Clayton Lane.
Clayton Lane197 m
Turn left onto Lyme Drive.
Lyme Drive230 m
Move left.
13 m
Keep left at the fork.
49 m
Turn right.
23 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-under-Lyme) · Residential 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.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Blackfriars 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.
Newcastle Baptist Church
Start near Newcastle Baptist Church.
Convent of Mercy
Continue to Convent of Mercy.
Blackfriars Roundabout
Continue to Blackfriars Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Castle
Continue to Castle.
Highland Methodist Church
Continue to Highland Methodist Church.
Waggon and Horses
Continue to Waggon and Horses.
Unitarian Meeting House
Continue to Unitarian Meeting House.
Newcastle Methodist Church
Continue to Newcastle Methodist Church.
Congregational Church
Continue to Congregational Church.
Rigger
Continue to Rigger.
Museum Inn
Continue to Museum Inn.
Newcastle Christian Fellowship
Continue to Newcastle Christian Fellowship.
Noah's Ark
Continue to Noah's Ark.
Jolly Potters
Continue to Jolly Potters.
Old House at Home
Continue to Old House at Home.
Newcastle-under-Lyme Bus Station
Continue to Newcastle-under-Lyme Bus Station.
Boat & Horses
Continue to Boat & Horses.
Gatehouse
Continue to Gatehouse.
Westbury Tavern
Continue to Westbury Tavern.
St James the Great
Finish back near St James the Great, completing the loop.
28 roundabouts · 8 turns
14 roundabouts · 9 turns
16 roundabouts · 21 turns
25 roundabouts · 8 turns
This route is 16.7 km and takes about 23 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.