Near Arbroath test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts, 17 turns and 1 signalled junction across 23 navigation steps.
This is an independent 24.7 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 Elliot Roundabout and Montrose Road 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, 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 shops, parks, churches 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 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 58-step drive on real, named roads (about 24.6 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.
Westway1.7 km
Turn right onto Keptie Road/B9095.
Keptie Road684 m
Turn right onto Arbirlot Road/B9127.
Arbirlot Road518 m
Turn left onto Monymusk Road.
Monymusk Road550 m
Turn right onto Warslap Avenue.
Warslap Avenue53 m
Turn right onto Bishoploch Road.
Bishoploch Road304 m
Turn left onto Monymusk Road.
Monymusk Road245 m
Turn right onto Arbirlot Road/B9127.
Arbirlot Road286 m
Turn right onto Viewfield Road.
Viewfield Road50 m
Turn right.
44 m
Make a right U-turn.
44 m
Turn right onto Viewfield Road.
Viewfield Road631 m
Turn left onto Infirmary Brae/B964. Continue on B964.
B964261 m
Turn left onto Nolt Loan Road.
Nolt Loan Road1.3 km
Turn left onto Westway/A933.
Westway159 m
Turn left onto Gallowden Road.
Gallowden Road258 m
Turn right onto Keptie Road/B9095.
Keptie Road557 m
Turn left onto Keptie Road/B9095. Continue on B9095.
B9095746 m
Turn left onto Catherine Street.
Catherine Street252 m
Turn right onto Burnside Drive/A92.
Burnside Drive323 m
Turn left onto East Grimsby.
East Grimsby76 m
Turn left onto Ladybridge Street.
Ladybridge Street76 m
Turn left onto Marketgate.
Marketgate183 m
Turn left onto Brothock Bridge.
Brothock Bridge71 m
Turn right onto Burnside Drive/A92.
Burnside Drive537 m
Enter Guthrie Port Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Guthrie Port.
Guthrie Port Roundabout66 m
Exit the roundabout onto Guthrie Port.
Guthrie Port147 m
Turn left onto Hamilton Green.
Hamilton Green57 m
Move left onto North Port.
North Port155 m
Turn right onto Leonard Street.
Leonard Street201 m
Turn left onto Ernest Street.
Ernest Street168 m
Turn left onto Carnegie Street.
Carnegie Street189 m
Turn left onto Strachan Street.
Strachan Street75 m
Turn left onto Culloden Road.
Culloden Road28 m
Move right onto Sidney Street.
Sidney Street28 m
Turn left to stay on Sidney Street.
Sidney Street151 m
Turn left onto Ernest Street.
Ernest Street205 m
Turn left onto Hayshead Road.
Hayshead Road301 m
Turn right onto St. Abb's Road.
St. Abb's Road322 m
Turn right onto Horologe Hill.
Horologe Hill166 m
Turn left onto Seaton Road.
Seaton Road314 m
Turn left onto Linton Road.
Linton Road517 m
Turn left onto Montrose Road.
Montrose Road34 m
Turn right.
21 m
Turn left onto Montrose Road/A92. Continue on A92.
A92889 m
Enter Guthrie Port Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Burnside Drive/A92.
Guthrie Port Roundabout31 m
Exit the roundabout onto Burnside Drive/A92. Continue on A92.
A923.5 km
Enter Elliot Roundabout and take the 4th exit towards A92/Montrose/Arbroath.
Elliot Roundabout138 m
Exit the roundabout towards A92/Montrose/Arbroath.
A923.5 km
Enter Guthrie Port Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Fisheracre/A92.
Guthrie Port Roundabout39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Fisheracre/A92. Continue on A92.
A921.5 km
Enter Montrose Road Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Montrose Road/A92.
Montrose Road Roundabout86 m
Exit the roundabout onto Montrose Road/A92. Continue on A92.
A921.5 km
Enter Guthrie Port Roundabout and take the 1st exit.
Guthrie Port Roundabout6 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Arbroath · 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.
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 Elliot Roundabout, Montrose Road 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 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.
KFC
Start near KFC.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Annesley Rest Garden
Continue to Annesley Rest Garden.
Bonnie Locks
Continue to Bonnie Locks.
Arbroath Fish Bar
Continue to Arbroath Fish Bar.
Arbroath West Kirk
Continue to Arbroath West Kirk.
Dundee and Angus College - Arbroath Campus
Continue to Dundee and Angus College - Arbroath Campus.
Arbroath
Continue to Arbroath.
Arbroath Bus Station
Continue to Arbroath Bus Station.
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
Continue to Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Salvation Army Citadel
Continue to Salvation Army Citadel.
Hayswell Park
Continue to Hayswell Park.
Spider's Web
Continue to Spider's Web.
Kawa Barber
Continue to Kawa Barber.
New Style Turkish Barbers
Continue to New Style Turkish Barbers.
Cheers Plus Convenience Store
Continue to Cheers Plus Convenience Store.
Tuttie's Neuk
Continue to Tuttie's Neuk.
Elliot Roundabout
Continue to Elliot Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Puff Daddy Vape
Continue to Puff Daddy Vape.
Montrose Road Roundabout
Finish back near Montrose Road Roundabout, completing the loop.
2 roundabouts · 20 turns
2 roundabouts · 17 turns · 2 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 19 turns · 3 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 19 turns
This route is 24.7 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.