Near Anniesland test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 20 roundabouts and 11 turns across 56 navigation steps.
This is an independent 30.3 km practice loop near Anniesland test centre, taking roughly 31 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 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, churches, stations and schools, 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 Anniesland 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:
The full 56-step drive on real, named roads (about 30.7 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west on Anniesland Road.
Anniesland Road22 m
Make a right U-turn at Knightswood Road to stay on Anniesland Road.
Anniesland Road756 m
Turn right towards A739.
67 m
Turn left onto A739.
A739731 m
Turn right onto Temple Road.
Temple Road19 m
Keep straight to stay on Temple Road.
Temple Road769 m
Turn right onto Dalsholm Road.
Dalsholm Road100 m
Move left onto Skaethorn Road.
Skaethorn Road121 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Cowal Road.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cowal Road.
Cowal Road65 m
Keep left to stay on Cowal Road.
Cowal Road499 m
Turn right onto Maryhill Road/A81.
Maryhill Road27 m
Move right to stay on Maryhill Road/A81.
Maryhill Road1.5 km
Move left to stay on Maryhill Road/A81.
Maryhill Road79 m
Turn right to stay on Maryhill Road/A81.
Maryhill Road34 m
Turn left onto Queen Margaret Drive/B808.
Queen Margaret Drive810 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Queen Margaret Drive/B808.
22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Queen Margaret Drive/B808.
Queen Margaret Drive78 m
Move left to stay on Queen Margaret Drive/B808.
Queen Margaret Drive47 m
Move left onto Great Western Road/A82.
Great Western Road1.1 km
Keep straight to stay on Great Western Road/A82.
Great Western Road696 m
Take exit 17 onto (M8 West)/(M77)/A804 towards Kilmarnock/Greenock/Glasgow Airport.
69 m
Take exit 17 onto (M8 West)/(M77)/A804 towards Kilmarnock/Greenock/Glasgow Airport.
43 m
Take exit 17 on the right onto M8 towards Greenock/Glasgow Airport/Kilmarnock.
65 m
Take exit 17 on the right onto M8 towards Greenock/Glasgow Airport/Kilmarnock.
M82.7 km
Keep left to stay on M8/E 05/E 16.
M8148 m
Keep straight to stay on M8/E 05/E 16.
M874 m
Keep right to stay on M8/E 05/E 16.
M85.6 km
Take exit 26.
M869 m
Take exit 26 on the right.
M8161 m
Keep right to take M8.
M8108 m
Enter Hillington Interchange and take the 3rd exit onto Hillington Road/A736.
Hillington Interchange185 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hillington Road/A736.
Hillington Road187 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Glasgow Road/A8.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Glasgow Road/A8.
Glasgow Road890 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Glebe Street/A8.
63 m
Exit the roundabout onto Glebe Street/A8. Continue on A8.
A81.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards Inchinnan.
20 m
Exit the roundabout towards Inchinnan.
Inchinnan Road684 m
Turn left towards Paisley/Glasgow Airport.
55 m
Make a sharp right.
54 m
Turn right towards Glasgow/Renfrew.
Inchinnan Road683 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Inchinnan Road/A8.
42 m
Exit the roundabout onto Inchinnan Road/A8. Continue on A8.
A81.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Glasgow Road/A8.
70 m
Exit the roundabout onto Glasgow Road/A8.
Glasgow Road894 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Hillington Road/A736.
122 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hillington Road/A736.
Hillington Road181 m
Enter Hillington Interchange and take the 1st exit onto M8.
Hillington Interchange11 m
Exit the roundabout onto M8/E 05/E 16.
M81.7 km
Take exit 25.
160 m
Take exit 25 on the right.
103 m
Take exit 25 on the right.
A7394.3 km
Keep left at the fork.
83 m
Keep left to take Anniesland Road.
Anniesland Road703 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Anniesland · Dual-carriageway practice loop 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.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Jonathan Harvey Funeral Directors
Start near Jonathan Harvey Funeral Directors.
Methodist Worship Centre
Continue to Methodist Worship Centre.
Kelvindale
Continue to Kelvindale.
Gairbraid Parish Church
Continue to Gairbraid Parish Church.
East Park School
Continue to East Park School.
Belhaven Nursery School
Continue to Belhaven Nursery School.
Belle
Continue to Belle.
Kelvinbridge
Continue to Kelvinbridge.
St George's Cross
Continue to St George's Cross.
Driftwood
Continue to Driftwood.
Anderston
Continue to Anderston.
Fish People
Continue to Fish People.
Kinning Park
Continue to Kinning Park.
Cardonald
Continue to Cardonald.
St James Roman Catholic Church
Continue to St James Roman Catholic Church.
Porcelanosa
Continue to Porcelanosa.
Shieldhall and Drumoyne Church
Continue to Shieldhall and Drumoyne Church.
Perellas Fish and Chicken Bar
Continue to Perellas Fish and Chicken Bar.
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour RC Church
Continue to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour RC Church.
Jordanhill
Finish back near Jordanhill, completing the loop.
16 roundabouts · 15 turns
20 roundabouts · 7 turns
2 roundabouts · 24 turns
6 roundabouts · 17 turns
This route is 30.3 km and takes about 31 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Anniesland test centre, not an official DVSA route.