Near Alness test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 3 roundabouts and 19 turns across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 99.2 km practice loop near Alness 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 Ardullie 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, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and independent driving. 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, churches, named junctions 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 Alness 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 72-step drive on real, named roads (about 99.2 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southwest on Fyrish Way.
Fyrish Way67 m
Turn left to stay on Fyrish Way.
Fyrish Way207 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Fyrish Way.
Fyrish Way272 m
Turn left onto Teaninich Avenue.
Teaninich Avenue76 m
Turn right onto River Drive.
River Drive679 m
Move right onto Riverside Drive.
Riverside Drive150 m
Turn right.
203 m
Turn left.
227 m
Turn left onto Riverside Drive.
Riverside Drive199 m
Move left onto River Drive.
River Drive679 m
Turn left onto Teaninich Avenue.
Teaninich Avenue76 m
Turn right onto Fyrish Way.
Fyrish Way272 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Fyrish Way.
Fyrish Way272 m
Turn right onto Teaninich Avenue.
Teaninich Avenue815 m
Turn left onto A9/E 15.
A98.8 km
Move left.
140 m
Make a sharp right onto A9/E 15.
A97.5 km
Turn right onto B817.
B817158 m
Turn right to stay on B817.
B8171.0 km
Turn left onto Mitchell's Lane.
Mitchell's Lane68 m
Turn left onto Academy Lane.
Academy Lane229 m
Turn left to stay on Academy Lane.
Academy Lane62 m
Turn right onto High Street/B817. Continue on B817.
B8175.0 km
Turn left onto High Street.
High Street213 m
Turn right onto Shore Road.
Shore Road296 m
Move left onto Hugh Miller Street.
Hugh Miller Street21 m
Turn left onto Bank Street.
Bank Street193 m
Turn left onto High Street.
High Street411 m
Turn right onto B817.
B8174.2 km
Turn right to stay on B817.
B817158 m
Turn right onto A9/E 15.
A911.0 km
Enter Ardullie Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A9/E 15.
Ardullie Roundabout69 m
Exit the roundabout onto A9/E 15.
A92.3 km
Turn left onto B9163.
B91633.2 km
Turn left to stay on B9163.
B91633.2 km
Turn right onto St Martin's Mill.
St Martin's Mill722 m
Turn right.
181 m
Make a right U-turn.
181 m
Turn left onto St Martin's Mill.
St Martin's Mill722 m
Turn left onto B9163.
B91633.2 km
Turn right to stay on B9163.
B91633.2 km
Turn right onto A9/E 15.
A92.3 km
Enter Ardullie Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A9/E 15.
Ardullie Roundabout84 m
Exit the roundabout onto A9/E 15.
A96.8 km
Keep left to take B9176.
B9176612 m
Keep right to take Struie Road/B9176.
Struie Road290 m
Turn right onto B817.
B8171.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto B817.
53 m
Exit the roundabout onto B817.
B8176.3 km
Turn left onto High Street.
High Street277 m
Turn left onto Albany Road.
Albany Road151 m
Turn right onto Cromlet Drive.
Cromlet Drive1.1 km
Turn left onto Davidson Drive.
Davidson Drive295 m
Turn left onto MacKean Crescent.
MacKean Crescent115 m
Turn left to stay on MacKean Crescent.
MacKean Crescent296 m
Turn left onto Davidson Drive.
Davidson Drive443 m
Turn left onto Castle Avenue.
Castle Avenue620 m
Turn left onto Joss Street.
Joss Street295 m
Turn left onto Tomich Road.
Tomich Road41 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Tomich Road.
Tomich Road41 m
Turn right onto Joss Street.
Joss Street294 m
Turn right onto Castle Road.
Castle Road140 m
Turn right onto Academy Road.
Academy Road2.6 km
Turn right onto A9/E 15.
A93.3 km
Move left.
140 m
Make a sharp right onto A9/E 15.
A97.5 km
Turn right onto B817.
B817158 m
Turn right to stay on B817.
B8172.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Teaninich Avenue.
26 m
Exit the roundabout onto Teaninich Avenue.
Teaninich Avenue252 m
Turn right onto Fyrish Way.
Fyrish Way92 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Alness · Route 1 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Ardullie Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 47.7 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 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.
Dalmore Farm
Start near Dalmore Farm.
Fyrish Bearings
Continue to Fyrish Bearings.
Rosskeen Free Church
Continue to Rosskeen Free Church.
Campbell Eye Care
Continue to Campbell Eye Care.
Capstone Centre
Continue to Capstone Centre.
Chinese $ Thai Takeaway
Continue to Chinese $ Thai Takeaway.
Covenanters' Stone
Continue to Covenanters' Stone.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Continue to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church
Continue to St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church.
Venus Beauty Salon
Continue to Venus Beauty Salon.
Ardullie Roundabout
Continue to Ardullie Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
J & M Patterson
Continue to J & M Patterson.
Reflection
Continue to Reflection.
Wedding Bellies Bridal
Continue to Wedding Bellies Bridal.
Invergordon
Continue to Invergordon.
Invergordon Church of Scotland
Continue to Invergordon Church of Scotland.
MB Plant
Continue to MB Plant.
McGinty's
Continue to McGinty's.
Dalmore Furnishings
Continue to Dalmore Furnishings.
ILM Highland
Finish back near ILM Highland, completing the loop.
This route is 99.2 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Alness test centre, not an official DVSA route.