Near Aberdeen South (Cove) test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 30 roundabouts and 15 turns across 63 navigation steps.
This is an independent 19.5 km practice loop near Aberdeen South (Cove) test centre, taking roughly 19 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.
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 14 catalogued landmarks, including parks, stations, shops and pubs, 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 South (Cove) 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 63-step drive on real, named roads (about 20.8 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northeast.
8 m
Turn right.
20 m
Turn left onto Moss Road.
Moss Road56 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Moss Road.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Moss Road.
Moss Road150 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Gateway Drive.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gateway Drive.
Gateway Drive148 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Wellington Road.
89 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wellington Road.
Wellington Road717 m
Turn right onto Wellington Road/A956.
Wellington Road1.5 km
Enter Wellington Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Wellington Road/A956.
Wellington Roundabout75 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wellington Road/A956.
Wellington Road879 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto West Tullos Road/B985.
2 m
Exit the roundabout onto West Tullos Road/B985.
West Tullos Road49 m
Turn left onto Redmoss Road.
Redmoss Road34 m
Turn right onto Abbotswell Crescent.
Abbotswell Crescent525 m
Turn left onto Arbroath Way.
Arbroath Way197 m
Turn right onto Cairngorm Crescent.
Cairngorm Crescent167 m
Turn left onto Cairngorm Gardens.
Cairngorm Gardens214 m
Turn left onto Cairngorm Lane.
Cairngorm Lane94 m
Turn left onto Arbroath Way.
Arbroath Way466 m
Turn left onto Provost Watt Drive.
Provost Watt Drive38 m
Turn right onto Cairngorm Drive.
Cairngorm Drive629 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Cairngorm Road.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cairngorm Road.
Cairngorm Road273 m
Turn left onto Stonehaven Road/A92.
Stonehaven Road2.0 km
Keep left to stay on Stonehaven Road/A92.
Stonehaven Road107 m
Keep left to stay on Stonehaven Road/A92.
Stonehaven Road119 m
Keep left to stay on Stonehaven Road/A92.
Stonehaven Road124 m
Keep left to stay on Stonehaven Road/A92.
Stonehaven Road105 m
Keep left to stay on Stonehaven Road/A92.
Stonehaven Road4.4 km
Take the Portlethen Junction exit towards Portlethen/Shopping Centre/Badentoy Park/Station.
A92193 m
Keep right to take A92.
A92104 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Muirend Road.
59 m
Exit the roundabout onto Muirend Road.
Muirend Road541 m
Turn left onto Bruntland Road.
Bruntland Road404 m
Turn left onto Bracken Road.
Bracken Road87 m
Turn left onto Fern Drive.
Fern Drive305 m
Turn right onto Bruntland Road.
Bruntland Road190 m
Turn right onto Muirend Road.
Muirend Road537 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
35 m
Exit the roundabout.
221 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A92.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto A92.
A921.9 km
Take the Findon Junction exit towards Portlethen/Marywell/Findon.
A92108 m
Take the ramp on the right towards Portlethen/Marywell/Findon.
A92313 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
79 m
Exit the roundabout.
165 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards Marywell.
26 m
Exit the roundabout towards Marywell.
56 m
Keep left at the fork.
644 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Wellington Road.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wellington Road.
Wellington Road395 m
Keep left to stay on Wellington Road.
Wellington Road427 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Gateway Drive.
87 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gateway Drive.
Gateway Drive148 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Moss Road.
82 m
Exit the roundabout onto Moss Road.
Moss Road150 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Moss Road.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Moss Road.
Moss Road56 m
Turn right.
20 m
Turn left.
8 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Aberdeen South (Cove) · School-zone 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
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 14 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Charleston Forest Park
Start near Charleston Forest Park.
Newlands Cottage
Continue to Newlands Cottage.
Sainsbury's Local
Continue to Sainsbury's Local.
Burger King
Continue to Burger King.
Wellington Hotel
Continue to Wellington Hotel.
Nigg Police Station
Continue to Nigg Police Station.
Kirkhill Nursery
Continue to Kirkhill Nursery.
Flyover
Continue to Flyover.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Ashvale Take Away
Continue to Ashvale Take Away.
Muse Hair Salon & walk in barbers
Continue to Muse Hair Salon & walk in barbers.
Portlethen Road Pre-School Nursery
Continue to Portlethen Road Pre-School Nursery.
Subway
Continue to Subway.
Ewing Motors
Finish back near Ewing Motors, completing the loop.
26 roundabouts · 7 turns
35 roundabouts · 7 turns
22 roundabouts · 20 turns
14 roundabouts · 16 turns
This route is 19.5 km and takes about 19 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Aberdeen South (Cove) test centre, not an official DVSA route.