Near Birmingham Kings Heath test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts and 14 turns across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 39.3 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, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, 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 named junctions, churches, shops 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 101-step drive on real, named roads (about 39.3 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 Road114 m
Turn right onto Stotfold Road.
Stotfold Road302 m
Turn left onto A435/Alcester Road South.
A435195 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 Avenue308 m
Turn left onto Shawhurst Lane.
Shawhurst Lane748 m
Turn left onto Hollywood Lane.
Hollywood Lane217 m
Turn left onto Corbett Road.
Corbett Road142 m
Turn right onto Dyas Road.
Dyas Road76 m
Turn left onto Heath Road.
Heath Road222 m
Turn left onto Corbett Road.
Corbett Road399 m
Turn right onto Hollywood Lane.
Hollywood Lane217 m
Turn left onto Truemans Heath Lane.
Truemans Heath Lane1.2 km
Turn left onto Peterbrook Road.
Peterbrook Road527 m
Keep right to take Drawbridge Road.
Drawbridge Road244 m
Turn left onto Haslucks Green Road.
Haslucks Green Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Haslucks Green Road.
40 m
Exit the roundabout onto Haslucks Green Road.
Haslucks Green Road565 m
Turn left onto Newborough Road.
Newborough Road551 m
Turn right onto Blythsford Road.
Blythsford Road439 m
Move right onto Sandgate Road.
Sandgate Road106 m
Turn right onto Sandy Hill Road.
Sandy Hill Road354 m
Turn left onto Skelcher Road.
Skelcher Road341 m
Turn right onto Newborough Road.
Newborough Road453 m
Turn right onto Blythsford Road.
Blythsford Road114 m
Turn right onto Skelcher Road.
Skelcher Road109 m
Turn left onto Sandy Hill Road.
Sandy Hill Road702 m
Turn left onto A34/Stratford Road.
A34544 m
Enter Robin Hood Island and take the 3rd exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
Robin Hood Island92 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Stratford Road.
A344.2 km
Turn right onto St Johns Road.
St Johns Road91 m
Turn left onto Stratford Street.
Stratford Street76 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Stratford Street.
Stratford Street76 m
Turn right onto St Johns Road.
St Johns Road91 m
Turn left onto A34/Stratford Road.
A343.5 km
Turn right onto Highfield Road/A4040.
Highfield Road606 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Robin Hood Lane.
11 m
Exit the roundabout onto Robin Hood Lane.
Robin Hood Lane116 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Robin Hood Lane.
Robin Hood Lane138 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Highfield Road.
11 m
Exit the roundabout onto Highfield Road.
Highfield Road215 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Highfield Road.
Highfield Road237 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Robin Hood Lane/A4040.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Robin Hood Lane/A4040. Continue on Robin Hood Lane.
Robin Hood Lane685 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Robin Hood Lane/A4040.
47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Robin Hood Lane/A4040. Continue on A4040.
A4040917 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Brook Lane/A4040.
40 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 3rd exit onto Howard Road East/A4040.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Howard Road East/A4040. Continue on A4040.
A4040981 m
Turn left onto Vicarage Road/A4040.
Vicarage Road513 m
Turn right onto Priory Road.
Priory Road327 m
Turn right onto Cartland Road.
Cartland Road225 m
Turn left onto Vicarage Road/A4040.
Vicarage Road239 m
Turn right onto Howard Road/A4040. Continue on A4040.
A4040981 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Haunch Lane.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Haunch Lane.
Haunch Lane1.3 km
Turn right onto Yardley Wood Road.
Yardley Wood Road788 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto School Road.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto School Road.
School Road486 m
Turn left onto Ripon Road.
Ripon Road112 m
Turn left onto Hindhead Road.
Hindhead Road104 m
Move left onto Cleeve Road.
Cleeve Road86 m
Turn right onto School Road.
School Road369 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto School Road.
76 m
Exit the roundabout onto School Road.
School Road127 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Warstock Road.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Warstock Road.
Warstock Road578 m
Turn left onto Grendon Road.
Grendon Road353 m
Turn left onto Glenavon Road.
Glenavon Road326 m
Make a sharp left to stay on Glenavon Road.
Glenavon Road162 m
Turn left onto Highters Road.
Highters Road22 m
Turn right onto Glenavon Road.
Glenavon Road409 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 7 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 9.6 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.
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.
Maypole
Start near Maypole.
Immanuel Church Highters Heath
Continue to Immanuel Church Highters Heath.
Hair Lounge
Continue to Hair Lounge.
Ethos Hair & Beauty
Continue to Ethos Hair & Beauty.
Drawbridge
Continue to Drawbridge.
Busy Little Bees Nursery
Continue to Busy Little Bees Nursery.
Rosslyn School
Continue to Rosslyn School.
Ad Duha Institute
Continue to Ad Duha Institute.
St John's Church and the Narthex Centre
Continue to St John's Church and the Narthex Centre.
Guru Nanak Gurdwara South Birmingham Temple
Continue to Guru Nanak Gurdwara South Birmingham Temple.
Bulls Head
Continue to Bulls Head.
Little Robins Day Nursery
Continue to Little Robins Day Nursery.
ZEB's
Continue to ZEB's.
Peepo! Day Nursery
Continue to Peepo! Day Nursery.
Red Lion
Continue to Red Lion.
Busy Bees Nursery
Continue to Busy Bees Nursery.
Annies Fruit & Veg
Continue to Annies Fruit & Veg.
Christ Church
Continue to Christ Church.
Glenavon Motor Co
Continue to Glenavon Motor Co.
Millpool Campus - City of Birmingham School
Finish back near Millpool Campus - City of Birmingham School, completing the loop.
3 roundabouts · 18 turns
5 roundabouts · 20 turns
9 roundabouts · 19 turns
4 roundabouts · 17 turns
This route is 39.3 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.