Nottingham driving test centre

The loops on this page run between about five and eleven kilometres, and the whole set totals 34 kilometres. That shortness is the defining fact. On a five kilometre loop with six roundabouts you are into the first junction inside a minute, so the settling-in period most candidates rely on does not exist.

Nottingham Road and Attenborough Lane carry most of the through traffic, with Barton Lane, Barratt Lane and High Road linking the residential streets behind them. Around 22 signalled junctions sit within a couple of miles, and only four mini-roundabouts, so the junction work here is mostly traffic lights and give ways rather than roundabout lanes. Turning right at lights with an oncoming queue, and knowing when the filter is yours, is the skill this centre asks for most often.

The five level crossings are the local hazard worth rehearsing. They are on the Nottingham to Derby lines and the barriers come down for longer than most people expect. Stop behind the line, wait for the lights to go out and the barrier to lift fully, and do not follow the car in front onto the crossing until there is room beyond it.

Speeds are mixed. Roughly three quarters of the roads nearby are 30 mph, but one in six is 40, so a short loop can put you on a faster road and then straight back into a residential estate. Fourteen schools sit in the same area, fewer than at most centres, but Attenborough Lane and Barratt Lane still slow noticeably in the afternoon.