Near Alness test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 3 roundabouts and 18 turns across 23 navigation steps.
This is an independent 76.6 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.
On this route you’ll practise roundabout approach & exit, 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 churches, shops, 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 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 70-step drive on real, named roads (about 76.6 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 Avenue252 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto B817.
72 m
Exit the roundabout onto B817.
B8171.4 km
Move left onto Obsdale Road.
Obsdale Road358 m
Turn left onto Obsdale Court.
Obsdale Court49 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Obsdale Court.
Obsdale Court49 m
Turn right onto Obsdale Road.
Obsdale Road189 m
Turn left onto Market Street.
Market Street107 m
Turn left onto B817.
B817474 m
Turn left to stay on B817.
B817158 m
Turn left onto A9/E 15.
A98.7 km
Turn right.
896 m
Turn right onto B817.
B8175.5 km
Turn right onto Munro Street.
Munro Street170 m
Make a right U-turn onto Tomich Road.
Tomich Road41 m
Turn right onto Joss Street.
Joss Street294 m
Turn right onto Castle Road.
Castle Road620 m
Turn right onto Davidson Drive.
Davidson Drive522 m
Turn left onto BA Straight.
BA Straight1.7 km
Turn left onto A9/E 15.
A91.8 km
Turn right.
3.4 km
Turn right.
2.5 km
Move right onto Struie Road/B9176.
Struie Road3.9 km
Turn left onto Strathy Road.
Strathy Road4.3 km
Turn left onto Strath Rusdale Road.
Strath Rusdale Road1.9 km
Keep right to take Pillars Road.
Pillars Road728 m
Turn right onto Struie Road/B9176.
Struie Road919 m
Move left.
2.5 km
Turn left.
3.4 km
Turn left onto A9/E 15.
A91.8 km
Turn right onto BA Straight.
BA Straight1.7 km
Turn right onto Davidson Drive.
Davidson Drive522 m
Turn left onto Castle Avenue.
Castle Avenue172 m
Turn right onto Gordon Terrace.
Gordon Terrace537 m
Turn left onto Cromlet Drive.
Cromlet Drive688 m
Turn right onto Castle Road.
Castle Road215 m
Turn right onto High Street.
High Street465 m
Turn right onto B817.
B8175.3 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.
B8175.3 km
Turn right onto Ardross Street.
Ardross Street355 m
Turn right onto Caplich Road.
Caplich Road706 m
Turn right onto Perrins Road.
Perrins Road550 m
Turn left onto Ardross Street.
Ardross Street127 m
Turn right onto High Street/B817. Continue on B817.
B817957 m
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 Way272 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 Way92 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Alness · Route 3 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Roundabout
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 10.6 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.
Capstone Centre
Start near Capstone Centre.
Home Hardware
Continue to Home Hardware.
Nicos Barbers
Continue to Nicos Barbers.
Rosskeen Free Church
Continue to Rosskeen Free Church.
Joss Street Garage
Continue to Joss Street Garage.
Scruffy Paws
Continue to Scruffy Paws.
St. Ninian’s
Continue to St. Ninian’s.
Fone care
Continue to Fone care.
Invergordon Church of Scotland
Continue to Invergordon Church of Scotland.
Ardross Primary School
Continue to Ardross Primary School.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Continue to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Invergordon
Continue to Invergordon.
St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church
Continue to St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church.
Covenanters' Stone
Continue to Covenanters' Stone.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
Robertson Health Centre
Continue to Robertson Health Centre.
King Edward Fountain
Continue to King Edward Fountain.
Dalmore Furnishings
Continue to Dalmore Furnishings.
ILM Highland
Continue to ILM Highland.
Rosskeen Parish, Church of Scotland
Finish back near Rosskeen Parish, Church of Scotland, completing the loop.
This route is 76.6 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.