Near Airdrie test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 17 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 26 navigation steps.
This is an independent 15.9 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 and Rawyards 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 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 named junctions, shops, churches and parks, 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 46-step drive on real, named roads (about 15.8 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.
A80101.7 km
Enter Rawyards Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Airdriehill Street/B8058.
Rawyards Roundabout54 m
Exit the roundabout onto Airdriehill Street/B8058.
Airdriehill Street79 m
Move right onto Burnhead Road/B8058.
Burnhead Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Connor Street/B8058.
Connor Street64 m
Turn right onto Colliertree Road.
Colliertree Road448 m
Turn left onto Glebe Crescent.
Glebe Crescent197 m
Turn left onto McAllister Avenue.
McAllister Avenue193 m
Turn left onto Springfield Road.
Springfield Road71 m
Turn right onto Craighead Street.
Craighead Street182 m
Turn right onto Connor Street/B8058.
Connor Street167 m
Turn right onto Forrest Street/A89.
Forrest Street446 m
Turn left onto Old Bore Road.
Old Bore Road40 m
Turn right onto Clarkston Drive.
Clarkston Drive212 m
Turn left onto Crowwood Drive.
Crowwood Drive242 m
Turn right onto Bankhead Avenue.
Bankhead Avenue368 m
Turn right onto Petersburn Road/B8058.
Petersburn Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Carlisle Road/A73.
Carlisle Road712 m
Turn left to stay on Carlisle Road.
Carlisle Road93 m
Turn right onto Carlisle Road/A73.
Carlisle Road776 m
Turn right onto Brownsburn Road/B8058.
Brownsburn Road697 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Calderbank Road/B802.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Calderbank Road/B802. Continue on B802.
B8021.7 km
Turn left onto Bellsdyke Road.
Bellsdyke Road172 m
Turn left onto Faskine Avenue.
Faskine Avenue291 m
Turn right onto Firhill Avenue.
Firhill Avenue172 m
Turn right onto Woodburn Avenue.
Woodburn Avenue242 m
Turn right onto Bellsdyke Road.
Bellsdyke Road261 m
Turn right onto Cairnhill Road/B802.
Cairnhill Road545 m
Turn left.
10 m
Turn left onto Cairnhill Road.
Cairnhill Road42 m
Turn left to stay on Cairnhill Road.
Cairnhill Road10 m
Turn right onto Cairnhill Road/B802. Continue on B802.
B8021.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Broomknoll Street/B802.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Broomknoll Street/B802.
Broomknoll Street43 m
Turn left onto Broomknoll Church Court.
Broomknoll Church Court38 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Broomknoll Church Court.
Broomknoll Church Court38 m
Turn left onto Broomknoll Street/B802. Continue on B802.
B802432 m
Turn left onto High Street/A8010. Continue on A8010.
A8010556 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Airdrie · Route 6 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.
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.
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, 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.
Park Crescent
Start near Park Crescent.
Domino's
Continue to Domino's.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Airdrie High Kirk
Continue to Airdrie High Kirk.
Lushious Hair & Beauty
Continue to Lushious Hair & Beauty.
Rawyards Roundabout
Continue to Rawyards Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
TJ Fryaers Takeaway
Continue to TJ Fryaers Takeaway.
Wee Park
Continue to Wee Park.
William Hill
Continue to William Hill.
Alexander Whitelaw & Co Funeral Directors
Continue to Alexander Whitelaw & Co Funeral Directors.
Petersburn Family Learning Centre
Continue to Petersburn Family Learning Centre.
Saint Edward's Church
Continue to Saint Edward's Church.
Tiny Tots Academy
Continue to Tiny Tots Academy.
Senor's
Continue to Senor's.
Cairnhill Genral
Continue to Cairnhill Genral.
Airdrie
Continue to Airdrie.
Pilgrim Community Centre
Continue to Pilgrim Community Centre.
Ebenezer Congregational Church
Continue to Ebenezer Congregational Church.
Ram's Head
Continue to Ram's Head.
Wilson Arms
Finish back near Wilson Arms, 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 15.9 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.