Near Birmingham Kings Heath test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts and 15 turns across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 33.7 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 and Middle Lane. 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, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and independent driving. 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, named junctions, churches and pubs, 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 82-step drive on real, named roads (about 33.7 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 Lane152 m
Turn left onto Cotford Road.
Cotford Road340 m
Move left onto Sladepool Farm Road.
Sladepool Farm Road465 m
Turn left onto A435/Alcester Road South.
A435638 m
Enter The Maypole and take the 1st exit onto Maypole Lane.
The Maypole9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Maypole Lane.
Maypole Lane491 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Highters Heath Lane.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Highters Heath Lane.
Highters Heath Lane659 m
Turn left onto Highters Road.
Highters Road23 m
Turn left to stay on Highters Road.
Highters Road25 m
Turn right onto Highters Heath Lane.
Highters Heath Lane628 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Highters Heath Lane.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Highters Heath Lane.
Highters Heath Lane553 m
Turn left onto Alcester Road.
Alcester Road1.7 km
Turn left onto Shawhurst Lane.
Shawhurst Lane94 m
Turn left onto Paddocks Road.
Paddocks Road62 m
Turn left onto Burford Road.
Burford Road76 m
Turn right onto Alcester Road.
Alcester Road67 m
Turn right onto Danford Road.
Danford Road88 m
Turn left onto Paddocks Road.
Paddocks Road42 m
Move right onto Falstaff Avenue.
Falstaff Avenue68 m
Turn left onto Oakwood Road.
Oakwood Road379 m
Turn left onto May Lane.
May Lane116 m
Turn right onto Alcester Road.
Alcester Road1.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Alcester Road South.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto Alcester Road South.
Alcester Road South68 m
Enter The Maypole and take the 6th exit onto A435/Hollywood By-Pass.
The Maypole178 m
Exit the roundabout onto A435/Hollywood By-Pass.
A4353.7 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Middle Lane.
197 m
Exit the roundabout onto Middle Lane.
Middle Lane623 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Middle Lane.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Middle Lane.
Middle Lane1.9 km
Turn left onto Bell Green Lane.
Bell Green Lane159 m
Move right onto Headley Heath Lane.
Headley Heath Lane20 m
Turn left to stay on Headley Heath Lane.
Headley Heath Lane15 m
Turn left onto Bell Green Lane.
Bell Green Lane180 m
Turn right onto Middle Lane.
Middle Lane1.2 km
Turn left onto Silver Street.
Silver Street1.1 km
Turn right onto Alcester Road.
Alcester Road6 m
Turn left onto Houndsfield Road.
Houndsfield Road530 m
Turn left onto Sycamore Drive.
Sycamore Drive507 m
Turn right onto Oak Tree Lane.
Oak Tree Lane194 m
Turn right onto Houndsfield Road.
Houndsfield Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Alcester Road.
Alcester Road224 m
Turn right onto Shawhurst Lane.
Shawhurst Lane60 m
Turn right onto Simms Lane.
Simms Lane450 m
Turn right onto Houndsfield Road.
Houndsfield Road433 m
Turn right onto Alcester Road.
Alcester Road224 m
Turn right onto Shawhurst Lane.
Shawhurst Lane1.1 km
Turn left onto Hollywood Lane.
Hollywood Lane849 m
Turn left onto Douglas Road.
Douglas Road300 m
Turn left onto Dyas Road.
Dyas Road450 m
Turn left onto Corbett Road.
Corbett Road142 m
Turn right onto Hollywood Lane.
Hollywood Lane217 m
Turn right onto Shawhurst Lane.
Shawhurst Lane1.0 km
Turn right onto Paddocks Road.
Paddocks Road62 m
Turn left onto Burford Road.
Burford Road76 m
Turn right onto Alcester Road.
Alcester Road67 m
Turn right onto Danford Road.
Danford Road88 m
Turn left onto Paddocks Road.
Paddocks Road42 m
Move right onto Falstaff Avenue.
Falstaff Avenue68 m
Turn left onto Oakwood Road.
Oakwood Road379 m
Turn left onto May Lane.
May Lane116 m
Turn right onto Alcester Road.
Alcester Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Highters Heath Lane.
Highters Heath Lane553 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Highters Heath Lane.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Highters Heath Lane.
Highters Heath Lane317 m
Turn left onto Glenavon Road.
Glenavon Road743 m
Turn right onto A435/Alcester Road South. Continue on A435.
A4351.0 km
Turn right.
25 m
Turn left.
20 m
Turn left.
25 m
Turn left onto A435/Alcester Road South. Continue on A435.
A4351.6 km
Turn left onto Hawkhurst Road.
Hawkhurst Road132 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Birmingham Kings Heath · Route 2 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 5.2 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.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 60, 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.
Iceland
Start near Iceland.
It's a Pound
Continue to It's a Pound.
Maypole
Continue to Maypole, taking the junction with good observation.
Maypole Fryer
Continue to Maypole Fryer.
Golden City
Continue to Golden City.
Romeo & Juliet
Continue to Romeo & Juliet.
Immanuel Church Highters Heath
Continue to Immanuel Church Highters Heath.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Eye Collective
Continue to Eye Collective.
Packhorse
Continue to Packhorse.
Middle Lane
Continue to Middle Lane, taking the junction with good observation.
New Life Church Centre
Continue to New Life Church Centre.
J J's Barbers
Continue to J J's Barbers.
Hollywood Christian Life Centre
Continue to Hollywood Christian Life Centre.
Hair Loft
Continue to Hair Loft.
Ethos Hair & Beauty
Continue to Ethos Hair & Beauty.
Michaels Drinks Store
Continue to Michaels Drinks Store.
Millpool Campus - City of Birmingham School
Continue to Millpool Campus - City of Birmingham School.
Horseshoe
Continue to Horseshoe.
Alcester Convenience Store
Finish back near Alcester Convenience Store, completing the loop.
3 roundabouts · 18 turns
5 roundabouts · 20 turns
9 roundabouts · 19 turns
4 roundabouts · 17 turns
This route is 33.7 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.