Near Aberdeen North test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 35 roundabouts and 8 turns across 47 navigation steps.
This is an independent 26.8 km practice loop near Aberdeen North test centre, taking roughly 28 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 Parkway Roundabout, Beach Ballroom Roundabout, Queens Links Roundabout, Haudagain Roundabout and Scotstown Roundabout and 2 more named junctions. 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 multiple roundabouts, 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 named junctions, pubs, shops 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 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 47-step drive on real, named roads (about 26.8 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 right onto Broadfold Road.
Broadfold Road277 m
Turn left onto Ellon Road/A956.
Ellon Road277 m
Enter Parkway Roundabout and take the 4th exit towards A956/Harbour/City centre North.
Parkway Roundabout90 m
Exit the roundabout towards A956/Harbour/City centre North.
Ellon Road563 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards City Centre/Fun Beach.
21 m
Exit the roundabout towards City Centre/Fun Beach.
Ellon Road800 m
Move left onto Esplanade.
Esplanade2.8 km
Enter Beach Ballroom Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Beach Boulevard.
Beach Ballroom Roundabout6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Beach Boulevard.
Beach Boulevard137 m
Move left onto Esplanade.
Esplanade589 m
Enter Esplanade Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Links Road.
Esplanade Roundabout25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Links Road.
Links Road125 m
Enter Queens Links Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Links Road.
Queens Links Roundabout23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Links Road.
Links Road464 m
Turn left onto Beach Boulevard.
Beach Boulevard516 m
Enter Beach Boulevard Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto East North Street/A956.
Beach Boulevard Roundabout79 m
Exit the roundabout onto East North Street/A956.
East North Street769 m
Enter Mounthooly Roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards A96/Inverness/TECA.
Mounthooly Roundabout200 m
Exit the roundabout towards A96/Inverness/TECA.
A961.7 km
Enter St Machar Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Great Northern Road/A96.
St Machar Roundabout21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Great Northern Road/A96.
Great Northern Road2.0 km
Enter Haudagain Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Mugiemoss Road/A92.
Haudagain Roundabout56 m
Exit the roundabout onto Mugiemoss Road/A92. Continue on A92.
A92537 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A92.
34 m
Exit the roundabout onto A92.
A92387 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A92.
26 m
Exit the roundabout onto A92.
A921.7 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards A92/A90 North.
27 m
Exit the roundabout towards A92/A90 North.
The Parkway1.6 km
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 Parkway1.0 km
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 Road1.6 km
Enter Murcar Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A92.
Murcar Roundabout61 m
Exit the roundabout onto A92.
A922.1 km
Take the Blackdog Junction exit onto A90 South towards A96/Aberdeen South & West/Aberdeen Royal Infirmary/Inverness.
494 m
Enter Blackdog Roundabout and take the 5th exit.
Blackdog Roundabout356 m
Exit the roundabout onto A92.
A922.6 km
Enter Murcar Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Ellon Road/A92.
Murcar Roundabout43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ellon Road/A92.
Ellon Road1.6 km
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 Parkway240 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 · Roundabout 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.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Parkway Roundabout, Beach Ballroom Roundabout, Queens Links 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.
Parkway Roundabout
Start near Parkway Roundabout.
Brig Inn / Shish Tandoori
Continue to Brig Inn / Shish Tandoori.
Beach Ballroom Roundabout
Continue to Beach Ballroom Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Queens Links Roundabout
Continue to Queens Links Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Grampian Power Tools
Continue to Grampian Power Tools.
Hanover Street School
Continue to Hanover Street School.
St Clair Street
Continue to St Clair Street.
St. Clair Car Park
Continue to St. Clair Car Park.
Charles Street
Continue to Charles Street.
Calsayseat Road
Continue to Calsayseat Road.
Ashgrove Road
Continue to Ashgrove Road.
Burnett Place
Continue to Burnett Place.
Barron Street
Continue to Barron Street.
Queen Street
Continue to Queen Street.
Anderson Road
Continue to Anderson Road.
Smithfield Lane
Continue to Smithfield Lane.
Haudagain Roundabout
Continue to Haudagain Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Scotstown Roundabout
Continue to Scotstown Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Murcar Roundabout
Continue to Murcar Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Blackdog Roundabout
Finish back near Blackdog Roundabout, completing the loop.
22 roundabouts · 21 turns
30 roundabouts · 21 turns
10 roundabouts · 19 turns
14 roundabouts · 6 turns
This route is 26.8 km and takes about 28 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Aberdeen North test centre, not an official DVSA route.