Near Birmingham Kings Heath test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts, 19 turns and 1 signalled junction across 26 navigation steps.
This is an independent 35.2 km practice loop near Birmingham Kings Heath 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 Maypole. 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, dual-carriageway joins, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, 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, pubs, 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 Birmingham Kings Heath 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 78-step drive on real, named roads (about 35.2 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north.
33 m
Turn right onto Hawkhurst Road.
Hawkhurst Road233 m
Turn right onto Henlow Road.
Henlow Road312 m
Turn left onto Maypole Lane.
Maypole Lane152 m
Turn left onto Cotford Road.
Cotford Road340 m
Move left onto Sladepool Farm Road.
Sladepool Farm Road242 m
Turn left onto Henlow Road.
Henlow Road531 m
Turn left onto Maypole Lane.
Maypole Lane291 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Highters Heath Lane.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Highters Heath Lane.
Highters Heath Lane317 m
Turn left onto Glenavon Road.
Glenavon Road511 m
Turn right onto Grendon Road.
Grendon Road353 m
Turn left onto Warstock Road.
Warstock Road224 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Warstock Road.
Warstock Road564 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Warstock Road.
Warstock Road600 m
Turn right onto A435/Alcester Road South. Continue on A435.
A435763 m
Turn right.
25 m
Turn left.
20 m
Turn left.
25 m
Turn left onto A435/Alcester Road South.
A435447 m
Turn right onto Broad Lane.
Broad Lane1.1 km
Move left onto Monyhull Hall Road.
Monyhull Hall Road39 m
Turn left onto Brandwood Crescent.
Brandwood Crescent305 m
Turn left onto St Francis Drive.
St Francis Drive136 m
Turn right onto Haselwell Drive.
Haselwell Drive65 m
Turn right onto Southern Drive.
Southern Drive38 m
Turn right.
88 m
Make a right U-turn.
88 m
Turn left onto Southern Drive.
Southern Drive38 m
Turn left onto Haselwell Drive.
Haselwell Drive65 m
Turn left onto St Francis Drive.
St Francis Drive136 m
Turn left onto Brandwood Crescent.
Brandwood Crescent140 m
Move left onto Earlswood Road.
Earlswood Road100 m
Turn left onto Monyhull Hall Road.
Monyhull Hall Road841 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Parsons Hill.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto Parsons Hill.
Parsons Hill76 m
Turn right to stay on Parsons Hill.
Parsons Hill690 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Masshouse Lane.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Masshouse Lane.
Masshouse Lane1.2 km
Turn left onto Longdales Road.
Longdales Road331 m
Move left onto Icknield Street.
Icknield Street896 m
Move right onto Harbinger Road.
Harbinger Road253 m
Turn left onto Bells Lane.
Bells Lane285 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Monyhull Hall Road.
61 m
Exit the roundabout onto Monyhull Hall Road.
Monyhull Hall Road2.0 km
Turn right onto Hannon Road.
Hannon Road267 m
Turn right onto Woodthorpe Road.
Woodthorpe Road206 m
Keep left to stay on Woodthorpe Road.
Woodthorpe Road49 m
Move left onto Brandwood Road.
Brandwood Road1.7 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Parsons Hill.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto Parsons Hill.
Parsons Hill766 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Masshouse Lane.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Masshouse Lane.
Masshouse Lane697 m
Turn right onto Shannon Road.
Shannon Road193 m
Turn left onto Meadowsweet Avenue.
Meadowsweet Avenue499 m
Turn right onto Longdales Road.
Longdales Road2.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Green Lane.
65 m
Exit the roundabout onto Green Lane.
Green Lane415 m
Turn right onto Shannon Road.
Shannon Road287 m
Turn left onto Old Portway.
Old Portway218 m
Turn left onto Edgewood Road.
Edgewood Road492 m
Turn right onto Longdales Road.
Longdales Road2.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Longdales Road.
152 m
Exit the roundabout onto Longdales Road.
Longdales Road1.0 km
Turn right onto Bracken Way.
Bracken Way171 m
Turn left onto Redhill Road.
Redhill Road2.1 km
Move left onto Clewshaw lane.
Clewshaw lane1.5 km
Turn left onto Middle Lane.
Middle Lane1.5 km
Turn right onto Dark Lane.
Dark Lane103 m
Turn left onto Crabmill Lane.
Crabmill Lane2.0 km
Turn right onto Druids Lane.
Druids Lane194 m
Enter The Maypole and take the 2nd exit onto Maypole Lane.
The Maypole45 m
Exit the roundabout onto Maypole Lane.
Maypole Lane199 m
Turn left onto Henlow Road.
Henlow Road312 m
Turn left onto Hawkhurst Road.
Hawkhurst Road293 m
Turn left onto A435/Alcester Road South.
A43576 m
Turn left onto Stotfold Road.
Stotfold Road165 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Birmingham Kings Heath · Route 16 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.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 1.2 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.
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.
A K Hair
Start near A K Hair.
Romeo & Juliet
Continue to Romeo & Juliet.
Highters Heath News & Food Store
Continue to Highters Heath News & Food Store.
Michaels Drinks Store
Continue to Michaels Drinks Store.
Horseshoe
Continue to Horseshoe.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Broad Lane Chippy
Continue to Broad Lane Chippy.
Monyhull Church
Continue to Monyhull Church.
Shooting Stars Nursery
Continue to Shooting Stars Nursery.
Kings Norton Baptist Church
Continue to Kings Norton Baptist Church.
Navigation Inn
Continue to Navigation Inn.
Premier
Continue to Premier.
T Block
Continue to T Block.
Kings Norton Christadelphian Hall
Continue to Kings Norton Christadelphian Hall.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
One Stop
Continue to One Stop.
Tunnel
Continue to Tunnel.
New Life Church Centre
Continue to New Life Church Centre.
Maypole
Continue to Maypole, taking the junction with good observation.
Iceland
Finish back near Iceland, completing the loop.
3 roundabouts · 18 turns
5 roundabouts · 20 turns
9 roundabouts · 19 turns
4 roundabouts · 17 turns
This route is 35.2 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Birmingham Kings Heath test centre, not an official DVSA route.