Near Arbroath test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts and 19 turns across 26 navigation steps.
This is an independent 20.5 km practice route near Arbroath test centre, taking roughly 35 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, churches, schools and parks, 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 52-step drive on real, named roads (about 20.5 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 Road759 m
Turn left onto Keptie Road/B9095. Continue on B9095.
B9095425 m
Turn right onto Addison Place/B964.
Addison Place515 m
Turn right onto Nolt Loan Road.
Nolt Loan Road182 m
Turn left onto Morley Place.
Morley Place56 m
Turn right onto Rose Street.
Rose Street202 m
Turn left onto Salisbury Place.
Salisbury Place94 m
Turn right onto Viewfield Road.
Viewfield Road245 m
Turn left.
44 m
Make a right U-turn.
44 m
Turn left onto Viewfield Road.
Viewfield Road50 m
Turn left onto Arbirlot Road/B9127.
Arbirlot Road459 m
Turn left onto Westway/A933.
Westway641 m
Turn right onto Peasiehill Road.
Peasiehill Road104 m
Turn left onto Westway Park.
Westway Park131 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Westway Park.
Westway Park131 m
Turn right onto Peasiehill Road.
Peasiehill Road104 m
Turn left onto Westway/A933.
Westway1.3 km
Turn left onto Gallowden Road.
Gallowden Road39 m
Turn left onto Gallowden Avenue.
Gallowden Avenue134 m
Turn right to stay on Gallowden Avenue.
Gallowden Avenue252 m
Turn right onto East Muirlands Road.
East Muirlands Road116 m
Turn right onto Gallowden Road.
Gallowden Road216 m
Turn right onto Westway/A933.
Westway1.6 km
Turn right onto Dundee Road/A92. Continue on A92.
A92957 m
Enter Elliot Roundabout and take the 4th exit towards A92/Montrose/Arbroath.
Elliot Roundabout138 m
Exit the roundabout towards A92/Montrose/Arbroath.
A922.8 km
Turn right onto East Grimsby.
East Grimsby76 m
Turn left onto Ladybridge Street.
Ladybridge Street188 m
Keep left to stay on Ladybridge Street.
Ladybridge Street26 m
Turn left onto High Street.
High Street291 m
Turn right onto Kirk Square.
Kirk Square547 m
Turn left onto Hayshead Road.
Hayshead Road459 m
Turn left onto Hayswell Road.
Hayswell Road182 m
Turn left onto Montrose Road/A92. Continue on A92.
A92165 m
Turn right onto Brechin Road.
Brechin Road81 m
Turn right onto Culloden Crescent.
Culloden Crescent114 m
Turn left onto Montrose Road/A92.
Montrose Road1.2 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 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.
Cairnie Street338 m
Turn left onto Lochlands Drive.
Lochlands Drive583 m
Turn right onto Keptie Road/B9095.
Keptie Road154 m
Turn right to stay on Keptie Road/B9095.
Keptie Road443 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Arbroath · Route 5 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.
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.
War Memorial
Continue to War Memorial.
Arbroath West Kirk
Continue to Arbroath West Kirk.
Esk Building
Continue to Esk Building.
Annesley Rest Garden
Continue to Annesley Rest Garden.
Arbroath Fish Bar
Continue to Arbroath Fish Bar.
Wolseley
Continue to Wolseley.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Elliot Roundabout
Continue to Elliot Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Declaration of Arbroath Monument
Continue to Declaration of Arbroath Monument.
Tuttie's Neuk
Continue to Tuttie's Neuk.
Erskine House
Continue to Erskine House.
Lorne Bar
Continue to Lorne Bar.
Arbroath ACCESS Office
Continue to Arbroath ACCESS Office.
Springfield Gospel Hall
Continue to Springfield Gospel Hall.
Arbroath Party Time
Continue to Arbroath Party Time.
Montrose Road Roundabout
Continue to Montrose Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Knox's Church
Continue to Knox's Church.
Paddy the Dog Memorial
Finish back near Paddy the Dog Memorial, completing the loop.
2 roundabouts · 20 turns
2 roundabouts · 17 turns · 2 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 17 turns · 1 set of lights
4 roundabouts · 19 turns · 3 sets of lights
This route is 20.5 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Arbroath test centre, not an official DVSA route.