Near Birmingham (Kingstanding) test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 19 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 29 navigation steps.
This is an independent 21.1 km practice loop near Birmingham (Kingstanding) 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.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, 20 mph zones, 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 churches, shops 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 (Kingstanding) 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 76-step drive on real, named roads (about 21.1 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north.
25 m
Turn right onto Rodlington Avenue.
Rodlington Avenue146 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Rodlington Avenue.
Rodlington Avenue179 m
Turn left onto Birdbrook Road.
Birdbrook Road81 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Birdbrook Road.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Birdbrook Road.
Birdbrook Road324 m
Turn left onto Goodway Road.
Goodway Road161 m
Turn left onto Harleston Road.
Harleston Road310 m
Turn right onto Birdbrook Road.
Birdbrook Road110 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Dyas Road.
18 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dyas Road.
Dyas Road238 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Dyas Road.
63 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dyas Road.
Dyas Road238 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Dyas Road.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dyas Road.
Dyas Road964 m
Turn right onto Warren Road.
Warren Road508 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto The Ridgeway.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto The Ridgeway.
The Ridgeway976 m
Turn left onto Farley Road.
Farley Road259 m
Turn left onto Gipsy Lane.
Gipsy Lane474 m
Turn left onto Brookvale Park Road.
Brookvale Park Road346 m
Turn left onto Farley Road.
Farley Road129 m
Turn right onto Gipsy Lane.
Gipsy Lane261 m
Turn left onto Marsh Hill/A4040.
Marsh Hill627 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Marsh Hill/A4040.
Marsh Hill347 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Marsh Hill/A4040.
Marsh Hill346 m
Turn left onto Bleak Hill Road.
Bleak Hill Road533 m
Turn right onto Marlow Road.
Marlow Road80 m
Turn right onto Crowther Road.
Crowther Road393 m
Turn left onto Dallas Road.
Dallas Road160 m
Turn left onto Streetly Road.
Streetly Road593 m
Make a right U-turn at Short Heath Road to stay on Streetly Road.
Streetly Road302 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Streetly Road.
Streetly Road297 m
Turn left onto Short Heath Road.
Short Heath Road191 m
Turn right onto Turfpits Lane.
Turfpits Lane759 m
Turn left onto Witton Lodge Road.
Witton Lodge Road267 m
Turn left onto Dovedale Road.
Dovedale Road131 m
Turn right onto Kittiwake Drive.
Kittiwake Drive91 m
Turn right onto Capilano Road.
Capilano Road284 m
Turn left onto Jackdaw Road.
Jackdaw Road182 m
Turn right onto Broomhill Road.
Broomhill Road96 m
Move left onto Dovedale Road.
Dovedale Road92 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Brackenbury Road.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brackenbury Road.
Brackenbury Road454 m
Move left onto Warren Farm Road.
Warren Farm Road89 m
Turn left onto Aylesbury Crescent.
Aylesbury Crescent233 m
Turn left onto Plumstead Road.
Plumstead Road117 m
Turn right onto Dulwich Road.
Dulwich Road143 m
Turn left onto Charlton Road.
Charlton Road233 m
Turn left onto Hawthorn Road.
Hawthorn Road112 m
Turn right onto Warren Road.
Warren Road508 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto College Road/A453.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto College Road/A453.
College Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Brackenbury Road.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brackenbury Road.
Brackenbury Road454 m
Move left onto Warren Farm Road.
Warren Farm Road89 m
Turn right onto Danesbury Crescent.
Danesbury Crescent246 m
Turn right onto Hurlingham Road.
Hurlingham Road715 m
Turn right onto Carshalton Road.
Carshalton Road249 m
Turn right onto Hornsey Road.
Hornsey Road381 m
Turn left onto Finchley Road.
Finchley Road83 m
Turn left onto Kings Road/B4149.
Kings Road721 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Kingstanding Road/B4138.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Kingstanding Road/B4138.
Kingstanding Road143 m
Turn right onto Dunedin Road.
Dunedin Road407 m
Turn left onto Weybourne Road.
Weybourne Road391 m
Turn left onto Thorncliffe Road.
Thorncliffe Road122 m
Turn left onto Southgate Road.
Southgate Road439 m
Turn left onto Dunedin Road.
Dunedin Road272 m
Turn left onto Shady Lane.
Shady Lane517 m
Turn left onto Oscott School Lane.
Oscott School Lane588 m
Turn right onto Old Oscott Hill.
Old Oscott Hill14 m
Turn left onto Birdbrook Road.
Birdbrook Road412 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Birdbrook Road.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Birdbrook Road.
Birdbrook Road110 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Birmingham (Kingstanding) · 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.
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.
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.
Goodway Evangelical Free Church
Start near Goodway Evangelical Free Church.
Co-operative Food
Continue to Co-operative Food.
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
Continue to Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Elim Church
Continue to Elim Church.
Granville Street Memorial
Continue to Granville Street Memorial.
Marsh Hill Nursery School
Continue to Marsh Hill Nursery School.
St Mark's Church
Continue to St Mark's Church.
Kwik Fit
Continue to Kwik Fit.
Lifestyle Express
Continue to Lifestyle Express.
Beacon Lighthouse
Continue to Beacon Lighthouse.
Narish Superstore
Continue to Narish Superstore.
Warren Farm Primary School
Continue to Warren Farm Primary School.
Charlton Road Christian Church
Continue to Charlton Road Christian Church.
Pizza Hot
Continue to Pizza Hot.
Men The Barbershop
Continue to Men The Barbershop.
Christ The King Catholic Primary School
Continue to Christ The King Catholic Primary School.
Opposition
Continue to Opposition.
Kings Road Methodist Church
Continue to Kings Road Methodist Church.
Spectacle Company
Continue to Spectacle Company.
Little Ripley Day Nursery
Finish back near Little Ripley Day Nursery, completing the loop.
6 roundabouts · 14 turns · 2 sets of lights
6 roundabouts · 11 turns · 6 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 12 turns · 3 sets of lights
6 roundabouts · 13 turns · 8 sets of lights
This route is 21.1 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Birmingham (Kingstanding) test centre, not an official DVSA route.