Near Birmingham Kings Heath test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 10 roundabouts, 21 turns and 1 signalled junction across 34 navigation steps.
This is an independent 31.7 km practice route near Birmingham Kings Heath test centre, taking roughly 50 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.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, 20 mph zones, 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, 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 83-step drive on real, named roads (about 31.7 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 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 Lane767 m
Turn left onto Poston Croft.
Poston Croft48 m
Turn left to stay on Poston Croft.
Poston Croft87 m
Turn left to stay on Poston Croft.
Poston Croft48 m
Turn right onto Broad Lane.
Broad Lane767 m
Turn left onto A435/Alcester Road South.
A4351.2 km
Turn right onto Wheelers Lane.
Wheelers Lane312 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Wheelers Lane/A4040.
26 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wheelers Lane/A4040.
Wheelers Lane510 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Barn Lane.
16 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barn Lane.
Barn Lane329 m
Move left onto Springfield Road.
Springfield Road184 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Springfield Road.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Springfield Road.
Springfield Road224 m
Turn left onto Melton Road.
Melton Road173 m
Turn left onto Institute Road.
Institute Road149 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Billesley Lane.
18 m
Exit the roundabout onto Billesley Lane.
Billesley Lane717 m
Turn left onto Greenhill Road.
Greenhill Road161 m
Turn left onto Clarence Road.
Clarence Road501 m
Move right onto Billesley Lane.
Billesley Lane208 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Institute Road.
42 m
Exit the roundabout onto Institute Road.
Institute Road507 m
Turn left onto A435/High Street. Continue on A435.
A4352.1 km
Turn right onto Broad Lane.
Broad Lane1.1 km
Turn right onto Brandwood Road.
Brandwood Road1.2 km
Move right onto Featherstone Road.
Featherstone Road500 m
Turn left onto A435/Alcester Road South.
A435596 m
Turn right onto Addison Road/B4146.
Addison Road490 m
Turn left onto Gaddesby Road.
Gaddesby Road206 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Billesley Lane.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Billesley Lane.
Billesley Lane717 m
Turn left onto Greenhill Road.
Greenhill Road161 m
Turn left onto Clarence Road.
Clarence Road501 m
Move right onto Billesley Lane.
Billesley Lane208 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Springfield Road.
46 m
Exit the roundabout onto Springfield Road.
Springfield Road224 m
Turn left onto Melton Road.
Melton Road417 m
Turn left onto Addison Road/B4146. Continue on B4146.
B4146735 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Brook Lane/A4040.
26 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brook Lane/A4040.
Brook Lane494 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Brook Lane/A4040.
98 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brook Lane/A4040.
Brook Lane494 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Wheelers Lane/A4040.
14 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wheelers Lane/A4040.
Wheelers Lane411 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Wheelers Lane/A4040.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wheelers Lane/A4040.
Wheelers Lane513 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Wheelers Lane.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wheelers Lane.
Wheelers Lane312 m
Turn left onto A435/Alcester Road South.
A4351.2 km
Turn right onto Broad Lane.
Broad Lane767 m
Turn left onto Poston Croft.
Poston Croft48 m
Turn left to stay on Poston Croft.
Poston Croft87 m
Turn left to stay on Poston Croft.
Poston Croft48 m
Turn right onto Broad Lane.
Broad Lane767 m
Turn left onto A435/Alcester Road South.
A435784 m
Turn right onto Taylor Road.
Taylor Road509 m
Turn right onto Haunch Lane.
Haunch Lane578 m
Turn right onto Warstock Lane.
Warstock Lane909 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Warstock Road.
58 m
Exit the roundabout onto Warstock Road.
Warstock Road840 m
Turn right onto A435/Alcester Road South. Continue on A435.
A435488 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Birmingham Kings Heath · 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.
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 7.6 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.
Iceland
Start near Iceland.
Balti Hut
Continue to Balti Hut.
Screwfix
Continue to Screwfix.
Horseshoe
Continue to Horseshoe.
Green Oak Academy (Kings Heath)
Continue to Green Oak Academy (Kings Heath).
Lilliput Day Nursery
Continue to Lilliput Day Nursery.
One Stop
Continue to One Stop.
Hop & Scotch
Continue to Hop & Scotch.
Kings Heath Christadelphians
Continue to Kings Heath Christadelphians.
All Saints Parish Church
Continue to All Saints Parish Church.
Birmingham South Christadelphian Meeting Room
Continue to Birmingham South Christadelphian Meeting Room.
Kings Arms
Continue to Kings Arms.
Sam's Wines
Continue to Sam's Wines.
Boots Opticians
Continue to Boots Opticians.
Billesley
Continue to Billesley.
Hot Spot
Continue to Hot Spot.
Peepo! Day Nursery
Continue to Peepo! Day Nursery.
Istanbul Blade
Continue to Istanbul Blade.
Busy Bees Nursery
Continue to Busy Bees Nursery.
McDonald's
Finish back near McDonald's, completing the loop.
3 roundabouts · 18 turns
5 roundabouts · 20 turns
9 roundabouts · 19 turns
4 roundabouts · 17 turns
This route is 31.7 km and takes about 50 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.