Near Airdrie test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts, 15 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 27.5 km practice loop near Airdrie test centre, taking roughly 35 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, Rawyards Roundabout and Dykehead Road. 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, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, 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 shops, named junctions, pubs 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 66-step drive on real, named roads (about 27.5 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 6th exit onto Mavisbank Street.
Park Crescent209 m
Exit the roundabout onto Mavisbank Street.
Mavisbank Street270 m
Turn right onto Davidson Street.
Davidson Street259 m
Turn left onto Aitchison Street/A8010. Continue on A8010.
A8010162 m
Turn right onto Wellwynd.
Wellwynd268 m
Turn right onto Stirling Street.
Stirling Street128 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A89.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto A89.
A89309 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Broomknoll Street/B802.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Broomknoll Street/B802. Continue on B802.
B802700 m
Turn right onto Firhill Avenue.
Firhill Avenue263 m
Turn right onto Woodburn Avenue.
Woodburn Avenue443 m
Turn left onto Victoria Place.
Victoria Place260 m
Turn left onto Devonview Street.
Devonview Street350 m
Turn left onto Thomson Drive.
Thomson Drive107 m
Turn left onto Woodburn Avenue.
Woodburn Avenue318 m
Turn right onto Bellsdyke Road.
Bellsdyke Road261 m
Turn right onto Cairnhill Road/B802. Continue on B802.
B8021.7 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Brownsburn Road/B8058.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brownsburn Road/B8058.
Brownsburn Road697 m
Turn left onto Carlisle Road/A73.
Carlisle Road1.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Forrest Street/A89.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Forrest Street/A89.
Forrest Street1.0 km
Turn left.
93 m
Turn left.
28 m
Turn right onto Forrest Street/A89.
Forrest Street506 m
Turn right onto Drumgelloch Street.
Drumgelloch Street310 m
Turn left onto Kenilworth Drive.
Kenilworth Drive244 m
Turn left onto Motherwell Street/A73.
Motherwell Street96 m
Turn right onto Drumbathie Road.
Drumbathie Road304 m
Turn left onto Springwells Avenue.
Springwells Avenue243 m
Turn left onto Clark Street/A89.
Clark Street138 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Motherwell Street/A73.
16 m
Exit the roundabout onto Motherwell Street/A73.
Motherwell Street488 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A73.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto A73.
A73628 m
Enter Rawyards Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Stirling Road/A73.
Rawyards Roundabout58 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stirling Road/A73.
Stirling Road1.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Stirling Road/A73.
53 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stirling Road/A73.
Stirling Road970 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A73.
14 m
Exit the roundabout onto A73.
A7328 m
Turn right to stay on A73.
A7323 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Stirling Road/A73.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stirling Road/A73.
Stirling Road972 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Stirling Road/A73.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stirling Road/A73.
Stirling Road1.3 km
Turn left onto Dykehead Road.
Dykehead Road1.3 km
Turn right.
710 m
Turn right onto Airdriehill Road.
Airdriehill Road984 m
Turn right onto Airdriehill Street.
Airdriehill Street265 m
Enter Rawyards Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Stirling Road/A73.
Rawyards Roundabout87 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stirling Road/A73.
Stirling Road583 m
Turn left onto Dykehead Road.
Dykehead Road217 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Dykehead Road.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dykehead Road.
Dykehead Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Glenmavis Road/B802.
Glenmavis Road1.0 km
Turn left onto Coatbridge Road/B803.
Coatbridge Road888 m
Turn left onto Whinhall Road.
Whinhall Road1.5 km
Move left to stay on Whinhall Road.
Whinhall Road179 m
Turn right onto Wilson Street.
Wilson Street357 m
Turn right onto Aitchison Court.
Aitchison Court19 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Airdrie · Route 5 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
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Rawyards Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 60 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.
Greggs
Start near Greggs.
Park Crescent
Continue to Park Crescent, taking the junction with good observation.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Wilson Arms
Continue to Wilson Arms.
Airdrie
Continue to Airdrie.
Cellar Bar
Continue to Cellar Bar.
Pilgrim Community Centre
Continue to Pilgrim Community Centre.
Pilgrim Community Chruch
Continue to Pilgrim Community Chruch.
Yesterdays
Continue to Yesterdays.
Cairnhill Genral
Continue to Cairnhill Genral.
Senor's
Continue to Senor's.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
M&S Simply Food
Continue to M&S Simply Food.
Saint Edward's Church
Continue to Saint Edward's Church.
Tiny Tots Academy
Continue to Tiny Tots Academy.
Lucky Star Chinese Takeaway
Continue to Lucky Star Chinese Takeaway.
Rawyards Roundabout
Continue to Rawyards Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
We Love Ironing
Continue to We Love Ironing.
TJ Fryaers Takeaway
Continue to TJ Fryaers Takeaway.
Dykehead Road
Finish back near Dykehead Road, 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 27.5 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Airdrie test centre, not an official DVSA route.