Near Aberdeen North test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 10 roundabouts and 19 turns across 53 navigation steps.
This is an independent 12.8 km practice loop near Aberdeen North test centre, taking roughly 16 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 Scotstown Roundabout and Parkway 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 and independent driving. 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 7 catalogued landmarks, including named junctions, stations and shops, 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 Aberdeen North 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 53-step drive on real, named roads (about 13.7 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north on Cloverhill Road.
Cloverhill Road106 m
Turn left onto Broadfold Road.
Broadfold Road614 m
Turn left onto The Parkway/A92.
The Parkway325 m
Enter Scotstown Roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards Parkhill.
Scotstown Roundabout52 m
Exit the roundabout towards Parkhill.
B997322 m
Turn left onto Jesmond Drive.
Jesmond Drive1.4 km
Keep right to stay on Jesmond Drive.
Jesmond Drive149 m
Turn left onto Lee Crescent.
Lee Crescent114 m
Turn right to stay on Lee Crescent.
Lee Crescent111 m
Turn left to stay on Lee Crescent.
Lee Crescent9 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Lee Crescent.
Lee Crescent9 m
Turn right to stay on Lee Crescent.
Lee Crescent111 m
Turn left to stay on Lee Crescent.
Lee Crescent114 m
Turn right onto Jesmond Drive.
Jesmond Drive198 m
Keep right to stay on Jesmond Drive.
Jesmond Drive213 m
Turn right onto Whitestripes Avenue.
Whitestripes Avenue139 m
Keep right to stay on Whitestripes Avenue.
Whitestripes Avenue121 m
Keep right to stay on Whitestripes Avenue.
Whitestripes Avenue760 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards City Centre/University of Aberdeen/Danestone Health Centre.
27 m
Exit the roundabout towards City Centre/University of Aberdeen/Danestone Health Centre.
Gordon Brae37 m
Keep right to stay on Gordon Brae/B988 towards City Centre/University of Aberdeen/Danestone Health Centre.
Gordon Brae105 m
Keep right to stay on Gordon Brae/B988.
Gordon Brae101 m
Keep right to stay on Gordon Brae/B988.
Gordon Brae112 m
Keep right to stay on Gordon Brae/B988.
Gordon Brae554 m
Turn left onto Grandholm Drive.
Grandholm Drive416 m
Turn left onto Balgownie Drive.
Balgownie Drive310 m
Turn left.
88 m
Move right onto Balgownie Drive.
Balgownie Drive623 m
Turn left onto Balgownie Road.
Balgownie Road970 m
Turn right onto The Parkway/A92.
The Parkway305 m
Keep left to stay on The Parkway/A92.
The Parkway234 m
Keep left to stay on The Parkway/A92.
The Parkway145 m
Keep left to stay on The Parkway/A92.
The Parkway131 m
Keep straight to stay on The Parkway/A92.
The Parkway172 m
Enter Scotstown Roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards A92/A90 North/City Centre (North).
Scotstown Roundabout27 m
Exit the roundabout towards A92/A90 North/City Centre (North).
The Parkway19 m
Keep right to stay on The Parkway/A92 towards A90 North/City Centre (North)/Park and Ride.
The Parkway243 m
Keep left to stay on The Parkway/A92.
The Parkway758 m
Enter Parkway Roundabout and take the 1st exit towards A92/A90 North & South/A96.
Parkway Roundabout6 m
Exit the roundabout towards A92/A90 North & South/A96.
Ellon Road932 m
Turn right onto Strabathie Gardens.
Strabathie Gardens201 m
Keep right to stay on Strabathie Gardens.
Strabathie Gardens187 m
Turn left onto Strabathie Wynd.
Strabathie Wynd138 m
Turn left onto Strabathie Drive.
Strabathie Drive137 m
Turn right onto Strabathie Gardens.
Strabathie Gardens137 m
Turn left onto Ellon Road/A92.
Ellon Road933 m
Enter Parkway Roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards A92/City centre South & West/Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Parkway Roundabout64 m
Exit the roundabout towards A92/City centre South & West/Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
The Parkway90 m
Keep right to stay on The Parkway/A92 towards City centre South & West/Aberdeen Royal Infirmary/Bridge of Don Industrial Estate.
The Parkway150 m
Turn left onto Silverburn Place.
Silverburn Place309 m
Turn left onto Broadfold Road.
Broadfold Road54 m
Turn right onto Cloverhill Road.
Cloverhill Road105 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Aberdeen North · 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.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Scotstown Roundabout, Parkway Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Navigate by these 7 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Scotstown Roundabout
Start near Scotstown Roundabout.
Laurel Drive
Continue to Laurel Drive.
Parkway
Continue to Parkway.
Grandholm Drive
Continue to Grandholm Drive.
Jewson
Continue to Jewson.
Parkway Roundabout
Continue to Parkway Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Esso
Finish back near Esso, completing the loop.
35 roundabouts · 8 turns
22 roundabouts · 21 turns
30 roundabouts · 21 turns
14 roundabouts · 6 turns
This route is 12.8 km and takes about 16 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Aberdeen North test centre, not an official DVSA route.