Near Arbroath test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts, 17 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 22 navigation steps.
This is an independent 39.3 km practice route near Arbroath 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 Guthrie Port Roundabout and Elliot 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 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 parks, shops, pubs and churches, 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 Arbroath 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 83-step drive on real, named roads (about 39.3 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast.
43 m
Turn left.
150 m
Turn left.
125 m
Turn left onto Westway/A933.
Westway884 m
Turn right onto Arbirlot Road/B9127.
Arbirlot Road692 m
Turn right onto Keptie Road/B9095.
Keptie Road75 m
Turn left to stay on Keptie Road/B9095.
Keptie Road154 m
Turn left onto Lochlands Drive.
Lochlands Drive314 m
Turn right onto Elliot Street.
Elliot Street149 m
Turn left onto Russell Street.
Russell Street87 m
Turn left onto Fergus Square.
Fergus Square134 m
Turn left onto Lochlands Drive.
Lochlands Drive87 m
Turn left onto Elliot Street.
Elliot Street149 m
Turn left onto Russell Street.
Russell Street250 m
Turn left onto Cairnie Street/A933. Continue on A933.
A933448 m
Turn left onto Cairnie Road.
Cairnie Road13 m
Turn left to stay on Cairnie Road.
Cairnie Road152 m
Turn left to stay on Cairnie Road.
Cairnie Road14 m
Turn right onto Cairnie Road/A933.
Cairnie Road134 m
Turn left onto Cairnie Loan.
Cairnie Loan1.1 km
Turn left onto Kirkton Road.
Kirkton Road24 m
Turn left to stay on Kirkton Road.
Kirkton Road1 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Kirkton Road.
Kirkton Road1 m
Make a right U-turn at Kirkton Road to stay on Kirkton Road.
Kirkton Road952 m
Turn left onto Cairnie Loan.
Cairnie Loan70 m
Turn right onto St Vigeans Road.
St Vigeans Road170 m
Turn left onto Baldovan Street.
Baldovan Street79 m
Turn right onto Howard Street.
Howard Street194 m
Turn right onto Cairnie Street/A933.
Cairnie Street90 m
Turn right onto St Vigeans Road.
St Vigeans Road321 m
Turn left onto Cairnie Loan.
Cairnie Loan70 m
Turn left to stay on Cairnie Loan.
Cairnie Loan211 m
Turn right onto Cairnie Road/A933.
Cairnie Road288 m
Turn left to stay on Cairnie Road.
Cairnie Road13 m
Turn left to stay on Cairnie Road.
Cairnie Road152 m
Turn left to stay on Cairnie Road.
Cairnie Road14 m
Turn right onto Cairnie Road/A933. Continue on A933.
A933494 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Guthrie Port/A933.
8 m
Exit the roundabout onto Guthrie Port/A933.
Guthrie Port182 m
Turn left onto Grant Road.
Grant Road18 m
Turn right to stay on Grant Road.
Grant Road331 m
Turn right onto Brechin Road.
Brechin Road18 m
Turn left onto Fisheracre/A92. Continue on A92.
A921.1 km
Turn left onto Tarry Road.
Tarry Road473 m
Turn left onto Brechin Road.
Brechin Road1.2 km
Turn right onto Fisheracre/A92.
Fisheracre281 m
Enter Guthrie Port Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Guthrie Port/A933.
Guthrie Port Roundabout54 m
Exit the roundabout onto Guthrie Port/A933.
Guthrie Port225 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Cairnie Street/A933.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cairnie Street/A933. Continue on A933.
A933360 m
Turn right onto Cairnie Loan.
Cairnie Loan461 m
Turn right onto Grange Road.
Grange Road266 m
Move left.
8 m
Make a right U-turn.
8 m
Move right onto Grange Road.
Grange Road266 m
Turn left onto Cairnie Loan.
Cairnie Loan461 m
Turn left onto Cairnie Road/A933. Continue on A933.
A933239 m
Turn right onto Lochlands Street/B964.
Lochlands Street384 m
Turn right onto Keptie Street/B9095.
Keptie Street57 m
Turn left onto Addison Place/B964. Continue on B964.
B964776 m
Turn left onto Dundee Road/B964.
Dundee Road112 m
Turn right onto Dundee Road/A92. Continue on A92.
A921.8 km
Enter Elliot Roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards A92/Dundee.
Elliot Roundabout53 m
Exit the roundabout towards A92/Dundee.
A923.7 km
Take the Salmonds Muir exit.
176 m
Turn left onto Arbroath Road.
Arbroath Road2.3 km
Turn left onto Station Row.
Station Row29 m
Make a sharp left.
23 m
Turn right onto Arbroath Road.
Arbroath Road2.5 km
Turn left to take the A92 ramp.
A924.1 km
Enter Elliot Roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards A92/Montrose/Arbroath.
Elliot Roundabout54 m
Exit the roundabout towards A92/Montrose/Arbroath.
A92953 m
Turn left onto Westway/A933.
Westway1.8 km
Turn right onto Keptie Road/B9095.
Keptie Road759 m
Turn left onto Keptie Road/B9095. Continue on B9095.
B9095878 m
Turn right onto Millgate Loan/B9114.
Millgate Loan591 m
Turn left onto Lady Loan/A92. Continue on A92.
A92904 m
Turn left onto Catherine Street.
Catherine Street252 m
Turn right onto Keptie Street/B9095. Continue on B9095.
B9095745 m
Turn right onto Keptie Road/B9095. Continue on Keptie Road.
Keptie Road1.0 km
Turn right onto Cairnie Road/A933.
Cairnie Road821 m
Turn right onto Lochlands Drive.
Lochlands Drive230 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Arbroath · 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.
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 Guthrie Port Roundabout, Elliot 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, 70 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.
Annesley Rest Garden
Start near Annesley Rest Garden.
Nisa Local
Continue to Nisa Local.
Blossom Lounge
Continue to Blossom Lounge.
Cairnie Brae Self Storage
Continue to Cairnie Brae Self Storage.
Corner Bar
Continue to Corner Bar.
Touch of Poland
Continue to Touch of Poland.
Arbroath Town Mission
Continue to Arbroath Town Mission.
Knox's Church
Continue to Knox's Church.
Arbroath Party Time
Continue to Arbroath Party Time.
Guthrie Port Roundabout
Continue to Guthrie Port Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Lochlands Bar
Continue to Lochlands Bar.
Declaration of Arbroath Monument
Continue to Declaration of Arbroath Monument.
Elliot Roundabout
Continue to Elliot Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Arbroath Mini Lighthouse
Continue to Arbroath Mini Lighthouse.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Arbroath
Continue to Arbroath.
Dundee and Angus College - Arbroath Campus
Continue to Dundee and Angus College - Arbroath Campus.
Arbroath Bus Station
Continue to Arbroath Bus Station.
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
Continue to Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Arbroath West Kirk
Finish back near Arbroath West Kirk, completing the loop.
2 roundabouts · 20 turns
4 roundabouts · 17 turns · 1 set of lights
4 roundabouts · 19 turns · 3 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 19 turns
This route is 39.3 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Arbroath test centre, not an official DVSA route.