Near Birmingham Kings Heath test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts and 18 turns across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 43.3 km practice loop near Birmingham Kings Heath test centre, taking roughly 40 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, 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, schools, pubs and named junctions, 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 74-step drive on real, named roads (about 43.2 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 Road465 m
Turn right onto A435/Alcester Road South. Continue on A435.
A4351.2 km
Turn right.
25 m
Turn left.
20 m
Turn left.
25 m
Turn left onto A435/Alcester Road South. Continue on A435.
A4351.8 km
Enter The Maypole and take the 4th exit onto Druids Lane.
The Maypole110 m
Exit the roundabout onto Druids Lane.
Druids Lane350 m
Turn left to stay on Druids Lane.
Druids Lane482 m
Turn right onto Pound Road.
Pound Road176 m
Turn left to stay on Pound Road.
Pound Road46 m
Turn right to stay on Pound Road.
Pound Road43 m
Turn right onto Bells Lane.
Bells Lane89 m
Turn left onto Manningford Road.
Manningford Road1.3 km
Turn left to stay on Manningford Road.
Manningford Road119 m
Turn right onto A435/Alcester Road South.
A435412 m
Enter The Maypole and take the 4th exit onto Druids Lane.
The Maypole110 m
Exit the roundabout onto Druids Lane.
Druids Lane2.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Parsons Hill.
12 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 3rd exit onto The Green.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto The Green.
The Green290 m
Turn left onto Rednal Road.
Rednal Road622 m
Turn left onto Grange Hill Road.
Grange Hill Road328 m
Turn right onto A441/Redditch Road. Continue on Redditch Road.
Redditch Road673 m
Make a right U-turn onto A441/Redditch Road.
A441861 m
Turn right onto Foyle Road.
Foyle Road289 m
Turn left onto Dornie Drive.
Dornie Drive112 m
Turn right to stay on Dornie Drive.
Dornie Drive134 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Dornie Drive.
Dornie Drive134 m
Turn left to stay on Dornie Drive.
Dornie Drive112 m
Turn right onto Foyle Road.
Foyle Road289 m
Turn right onto A441/Redditch Road.
A441867 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Wharf Road.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wharf Road.
Wharf Road763 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Monyhull Hall Road.
31 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 2nd exit onto A441/Redditch Road.
14 m
Exit the roundabout onto A441/Redditch Road. Continue on Redditch Road.
Redditch Road1.5 km
Turn left onto Branch Road.
Branch Road25 m
Turn left to stay on Branch Road.
Branch Road60 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Longdales Road.
123 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 lane134 m
Turn right onto Brockhill Lane.
Brockhill Lane1.6 km
Turn left onto Hill Lane.
Hill Lane1.7 km
Continue on A435.
A435615 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A435/Hollywood By-Pass.
79 m
Exit the roundabout onto A435/Hollywood By-Pass.
A4353.8 km
Enter The Maypole and take the 5th exit onto A435/Hollywood By-Pass.
The Maypole142 m
Exit the roundabout onto A435/Hollywood By-Pass.
A4353.7 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto A435/Hollywood By-Pass.
249 m
Exit the roundabout onto A435/Hollywood By-Pass.
A4353.8 km
Enter The Maypole and take the 3rd exit onto Maypole Lane.
The Maypole72 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 9 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 20.2 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, 50, 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.
Hoods Carpet & Flooring
Start near Hoods Carpet & Flooring.
Millpool Campus - City of Birmingham School
Continue to Millpool Campus - City of Birmingham School.
Horseshoe
Continue to Horseshoe.
Krystal Kleen
Continue to Krystal Kleen.
Hong Kong House
Continue to Hong Kong House.
Maypole
Continue to Maypole, taking the junction with good observation.
Bells Lane Fish Bar
Continue to Bells Lane Fish Bar.
Druids Heath Tenant Management Co-operative
Continue to Druids Heath Tenant Management Co-operative.
Kings Norton Christadelphian Hall
Continue to Kings Norton Christadelphian Hall.
McColls
Continue to McColls.
Kings Norton Baptist Church
Continue to Kings Norton Baptist Church.
Navigation Inn
Continue to Navigation Inn.
Aldi
Continue to Aldi.
Norton's
Continue to Norton's.
Shooting Stars Nursery
Continue to Shooting Stars Nursery.
Sam's Wines
Continue to Sam's Wines.
One Stop
Continue to One Stop.
Natural Complexions
Continue to Natural Complexions.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
Maypole Fryer
Finish back near Maypole Fryer, completing the loop.
3 roundabouts · 18 turns
5 roundabouts · 20 turns
9 roundabouts · 19 turns
4 roundabouts · 17 turns
This route is 43.3 km and takes about 40 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.