Near Watnall test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 24 roundabouts and 21 turns across 54 navigation steps.
This is an independent 20.5 km practice loop near Watnall test centre, taking roughly 24 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 Nottingham Road, Giltbrook and Watnall 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 pubs, shops, named junctions and parks, 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 Watnall 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 54-step drive on real, named roads (about 20.5 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west.
121 m
Turn left onto Main Road/B600.
Main Road221 m
Turn right onto Stannier Way.
Stannier Way176 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Holly Road.
56 m
Exit the roundabout onto Holly Road.
Holly Road1.3 km
Turn right onto Eastwood Road.
Eastwood Road620 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Nottingham Road/B6010.
6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Nottingham Road/B6010.
Nottingham Road220 m
Enter Giltbrook and take the 2nd exit onto Gin Close Way/A6096.
Giltbrook135 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gin Close Way/A6096.
Gin Close Way475 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Gin Close Way.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gin Close Way.
Gin Close Way144 m
Move left onto Main Street.
Main Street55 m
Turn left to stay on Main Street.
Main Street68 m
Turn right onto Douglas Avenue.
Douglas Avenue27 m
Turn right to stay on Douglas Avenue.
Douglas Avenue10 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Douglas Avenue.
Douglas Avenue10 m
Turn left to stay on Douglas Avenue.
Douglas Avenue27 m
Turn left onto Main Street.
Main Street68 m
Turn right to stay on Main Street.
Main Street55 m
Move right onto Gin Close Way.
Gin Close Way145 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Gin Close Way/A6096.
54 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gin Close Way/A6096.
Gin Close Way467 m
Enter Giltbrook and take the 2nd exit onto Nottingham Road/B6010.
Giltbrook137 m
Exit the roundabout onto Nottingham Road/B6010.
Nottingham Road221 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Gilt Hill.
82 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gilt Hill.
Gilt Hill624 m
Turn left onto Maws Lane.
Maws Lane1.1 km
Turn left onto Trough Road.
Trough Road506 m
Turn left onto Main Road/B600.
Main Road365 m
Turn right onto Narrow Lane/B6009.
Narrow Lane126 m
Move right onto Long Lane/B6009. Continue on B6009.
B60092.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Watnall Road/B6009.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Watnall Road/B6009.
Watnall Road196 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Shepherd Street.
44 m
Exit the roundabout onto Shepherd Street.
Shepherd Street31 m
Make a sharp right to stay on Shepherd Street.
Shepherd Street31 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Watnall Road/B6009.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Watnall Road/B6009.
Watnall Road203 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Watnall Road/B6009.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Watnall Road/B6009. Continue on B6009.
B60092.3 km
Turn right onto Church Road/B600.
Church Road2.0 km
Turn left onto Moorgreen/B6010. Continue on B6010.
B60101.6 km
Turn left onto Nottingham Road/B6010.
Nottingham Road1.0 km
Turn left onto Giltbrook Crescent.
Giltbrook Crescent202 m
Turn right onto South Street.
South Street138 m
Turn left onto Nottingham Road/B6010.
Nottingham Road409 m
Move left onto Gilt Hill.
Gilt Hill682 m
Turn left onto Maws Lane.
Maws Lane1.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Stannier Way.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stannier Way.
Stannier Way176 m
Turn left onto Main Road/B600.
Main Road221 m
Turn right.
121 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Watnall · 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.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
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.
Royal Oak
Start near Royal Oak.
High Spannia Stores
Continue to High Spannia Stores.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
China Panda
Continue to China Panda.
Miners Return
Continue to Miners Return.
Nottingham Road
Continue to Nottingham Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Giltbrook
Continue to Giltbrook, taking the junction with good observation.
Oak Tree Motorhomes
Continue to Oak Tree Motorhomes.
Gilt Hill Stores
Continue to Gilt Hill Stores.
Watnall Spinney
Continue to Watnall Spinney.
Queen's Head
Continue to Queen's Head.
Watnall Road
Continue to Watnall Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Horse and Groom
Continue to Horse and Groom.
Beauvale Methodist Church
Continue to Beauvale Methodist Church.
Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church
Continue to Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church.
Lifestyle Express
Continue to Lifestyle Express.
Hayloft
Continue to Hayloft.
Caught & Bowled
Continue to Caught & Bowled.
ETS Tyre & Autocentres
Continue to ETS Tyre & Autocentres.
Watnall Pre-School
Finish back near Watnall Pre-School, completing the loop.
38 roundabouts · 10 turns
31 roundabouts · 10 turns
22 roundabouts · 14 turns
18 roundabouts · 12 turns
This route is 20.5 km and takes about 24 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Watnall test centre, not an official DVSA route.