Near Airdrie test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts, 10 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 21 navigation steps.
This is an independent 29.4 km practice route near Airdrie test centre, taking roughly 30 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 Park Crescent, Eurocentral Junction, Carnbroe Road and Paddock Street. 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, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads 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, schools and stations, 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 Airdrie 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:
Road mix
The full 90-step drive on real, named roads (about 29.9 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northeast on Aitchison Street/A8010.
Aitchison Street57 m
Turn left onto Wilson Street.
Wilson Street272 m
Turn left onto Mavisbank Street.
Mavisbank Street187 m
Enter Park Crescent and take the 2nd exit onto McKenna Drive.
Park Crescent72 m
Exit the roundabout onto McKenna Drive.
McKenna Drive53 m
Keep right to stay on McKenna Drive.
McKenna Drive365 m
Keep right to stay on McKenna Drive.
McKenna Drive18 m
Turn right onto Mulvey Crescent.
Mulvey Crescent84 m
Keep left to take Centenary Avenue.
Centenary Avenue426 m
Turn right onto Agnew Avenue.
Agnew Avenue437 m
Turn left onto Lavelle Drive.
Lavelle Drive47 m
Keep straight to stay on Lavelle Drive.
Lavelle Drive76 m
Turn right onto Clyde Street.
Clyde Street217 m
Turn right onto Crown Street.
Crown Street59 m
Keep right to stay on Crown Street.
Crown Street28 m
Turn left onto Kildonan Street.
Kildonan Street78 m
Keep right to stay on Kildonan Street.
Kildonan Street266 m
Turn right onto Portland Street.
Portland Street211 m
Turn left onto Dunbeth Avenue.
Dunbeth Avenue231 m
Turn left onto Dunbeth Road/B804. Continue on B804.
B804606 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Coatbank Street/A725.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Coatbank Street/A725.
Coatbank Street76 m
Move left onto Coatbank Way.
Coatbank Way400 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Coatbank Way.
Coatbank Way361 m
Move left onto Coatbank Street.
Coatbank Street384 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A725.
34 m
Exit the roundabout onto A725.
A725236 m
Enter Whifflet Street and take the 2nd exit onto Dundyvan Road/B753.
Whifflet Street40 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dundyvan Road/B753.
Dundyvan Road632 m
Turn right to stay on Dundyvan Road.
Dundyvan Road51 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Dundyvan Road.
Dundyvan Road51 m
Turn left onto Dundyvan Road/B753.
Dundyvan Road69 m
Turn right onto Barrowfield Street.
Barrowfield Street365 m
Turn left to stay on Barrowfield Street.
Barrowfield Street280 m
Turn left onto Old Monkland Road.
Old Monkland Road581 m
Turn right onto Whifflet Street/A725. Continue on A725.
A7251.1 km
Make a right U-turn at A8 onto North Road/A725.
North Road88 m
Keep left to stay on A725.
A7251.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Whifflet Street/A725.
64 m
Exit the roundabout onto Whifflet Street/A725. Continue on A725.
A7251.5 km
Turn left onto North Road/B7070.
North Road553 m
Keep right to stay on North Road/B7070.
North Road106 m
Keep straight to stay on North Road/B7070.
North Road102 m
Keep straight to stay on North Road/B7070.
North Road584 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto North Road/B7070.
18 m
Exit the roundabout onto North Road/B7070.
North Road560 m
Turn right onto Rowanden Avenue.
Rowanden Avenue157 m
Turn right onto Mavisbank Gardens.
Mavisbank Gardens241 m
Turn left onto North Road/B7070.
North Road451 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto North Road/B7070.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto North Road/B7070.
North Road647 m
Keep left to stay on North Road/B7070.
North Road693 m
Turn right onto A725/North Road.
A72581 m
Keep left to stay on A725/North Road.
A725169 m
Keep right to stay on A725/North Road.
A72517 m
Turn right to take the ramp.
A82.5 km
Enter Eurocentral Junction and take the 3rd exit onto A8.
Eurocentral Junction177 m
Exit the roundabout onto A8.
A8189 m
Enter Eurocentral Junction and take the 3rd exit onto A8/Glasgow and Edinburgh Road.
Eurocentral Junction185 m
Exit the roundabout onto A8/Glasgow and Edinburgh Road.
A82.1 km
Keep left to stay on A8/Glasgow and Edinburgh Road.
A8199 m
Keep left to stay on A8/Glasgow and Edinburgh Road.
A8178 m
Take the exit.
A8439 m
Turn left onto A725/North Road.
A72581 m
Keep left to stay on A725/North Road.
A725169 m
Keep right to stay on A725/North Road.
A72517 m
Turn right to take the ramp.
A81.4 km
Take the exit.
Carnbroe Road350 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Carnbroe Road.
34 m
Exit the roundabout onto Carnbroe Road.
Carnbroe Road473 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Carnbroe Road.
16 m
Exit the roundabout onto Carnbroe Road.
Carnbroe Road48 m
Keep right to stay on Carnbroe Road.
Carnbroe Road835 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Paddock Street.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Paddock Street.
Paddock Street335 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Paddock Street.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Paddock Street.
Paddock Street1.1 km
Turn left onto Cairnhill Road/B802.
Cairnhill Road407 m
Turn left.
83 m
Turn left onto Cromarty Road.
Cromarty Road318 m
Turn left.
54 m
Turn right onto Sykeside Road.
Sykeside Road823 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Sikeside Street.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sikeside Street.
Sikeside Street652 m
Enter Calder Street and take the 2nd exit onto Locks Street/B753.
Calder Street17 m
Exit the roundabout onto Locks Street/B753.
Locks Street232 m
Keep left to stay on Locks Street/B753.
Locks Street214 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Main Street.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Main Street.
Main Street283 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Airdrie · Route 12 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 8.4 km of this loop is dual carriageway. Build your speed on the slip road, take an effective rearward observation, and merge without forcing other traffic to brake.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 mph). Watch for repeater signs and adjust early, examiners mark you down for carrying the wrong speed into a new limit.
Residential streets
Narrow residential roads mean parked cars, pedestrians and reduced visibility. Cover the brake, keep your speed down and be ready to give way.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Park Crescent
Start near Park Crescent.
Wilson Arms
Continue to Wilson Arms.
Greenhill Primary School
Continue to Greenhill Primary School.
Old Post Office
Continue to Old Post Office.
Vulcan
Continue to Vulcan.
Corner Room
Continue to Corner Room.
Whifflet
Continue to Whifflet.
Big Tree
Continue to Big Tree.
Domino's
Continue to Domino's.
Park's Renault Coatbridge
Continue to Park's Renault Coatbridge.
NISA
Continue to NISA.
Eurocentral Junction
Continue to Eurocentral Junction, taking the junction with good observation.
Carnbroe Primary School
Continue to Carnbroe Primary School.
Carnbroe Road
Continue to Carnbroe Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Paddock Street
Continue to Paddock Street, taking the junction with good observation.
St Stephens Roman Catholic Parish Church
Continue to St Stephens Roman Catholic Parish Church.
I.C Hair & Beauty
Continue to I.C Hair & Beauty.
Money-Saver Foodstore
Continue to Money-Saver Foodstore.
Bar One
Continue to Bar One.
Horseshoe Bar
Finish back near Horseshoe Bar, completing the loop.
11 roundabouts · 9 turns · 1 set of lights
8 roundabouts · 13 turns · 4 sets of lights
8 roundabouts · 19 turns · 1 set of lights
14 roundabouts · 10 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 29.4 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Airdrie test centre, not an official DVSA route.