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Practice route
ChallengingLoop

Birmingham (Kingstanding) · Route 7

Near Birmingham (Kingstanding) test centre

24.8 km
Distance
30 min
Duration
Challenging
Difficulty
19
Manoeuvres
Difficulty: Easy

Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 7 turns and 5 signalled junctions across 19 navigation steps.

How this route is examined

This is an independent 24.8 km practice loop near Birmingham (Kingstanding) test centre, taking roughly 30 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, 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 schools, 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 (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.

Manoeuvre breakdown

What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.

4
Left turns
3
Right turns
6
Roundabouts
5
Traffic lights
19
Total steps

Skills & features

13
Roundabouts
8.7 km
Dual carriageway
20, 30 mph
Speed limits
20
Landmarks

This route helps you practise:

  • Multiple roundabouts
  • Dual-carriageway joins
  • 20 mph zones
  • Residential manoeuvres
  • Busy A-roads
  • Independent driving
  • Sustained concentration

Road mix

  • Trunk roads 8.7 km
  • B-roads 4.8 km
  • Residential 3.9 km
  • Minor roads 3.1 km
  • A-roads 1.8 km
  • Unclassified 0.7 km
  • service_other 0.2 km

Turn-by-turn directions

The full 49-step drive on real, named roads (about 24.8 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.

  1. Depart:

    Drive north.

    25 m

  2. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Rodlington Avenue.

    Rodlington Avenue146 m

  3. U-turn:

    Make a right U-turn to stay on Rodlington Avenue.

    Rodlington Avenue179 m

  4. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Birdbrook Road.

    Birdbrook Road81 m

  5. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Birdbrook Road.

    36 m

  6. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Birdbrook Road.

    Birdbrook Road110 m

  7. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Harleston Road.

    Harleston Road310 m

  8. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Goodway Road.

    Goodway Road296 m

  9. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Kingstanding Road/B4138.

    Kingstanding Road1.5 km

  10. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Kings Road/B4149.

    131 m

  11. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Kings Road/B4149.

    Kings Road714 m

  12. U-turn:

    Make a right U-turn to stay on Kings Road/B4149.

    Kings Road731 m

  13. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Kingstanding Road/B4138.

    108 m

  14. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Kingstanding Road/B4138. Continue on B4138.

    B41381.6 km

  15. Turn left:

    Move left onto A452/Chester Road North.

    A452157 m

  16. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A452/Chester Road.

    43 m

  17. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A452/Chester Road.

    A4522.4 km

  18. Turn right:

    Turn right to stay on Chester Road.

    Chester Road17 m

  19. Turn left:

    Turn left to stay on Chester Road.

    Chester Road189 m

  20. U-turn:

    Make a left U-turn at Chester Road onto A452/Chester Road.

    A4522.6 km

  21. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A452/Chester Road North.

    59 m

  22. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto A452/Chester Road North. Continue on A452.

    A4523.5 km

  23. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Court Lane.

    Court Lane924 m

  24. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Jerry's Lane.

    Jerry's Lane250 m

  25. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Flackwell Road.

    Flackwell Road372 m

  26. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Witton Lodge Road.

    Witton Lodge Road671 m

  27. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Dovedale Road.

    Dovedale Road250 m

  28. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Hurstwood Road.

    Hurstwood Road211 m

  29. Turn left:

    Turn left to stay on Hurstwood Road.

    Hurstwood Road358 m

  30. Turn left:

    Turn left onto College Road/A453.

    College Road448 m

  31. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto College Road/A453.

    32 m

  32. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto College Road/A453.

    College Road358 m

  33. U-turn:

    Make a right U-turn to stay on College Road/A453.

    College Road138 m

  34. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Weycroft Road.

    Weycroft Road89 m

  35. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Broomhill Road.

    Broomhill Road388 m

  36. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Hurstwood Road.

    Hurstwood Road38 m

  37. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Dovedale Road.

    Dovedale Road796 m

  38. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Perry Common Road.

    Perry Common Road736 m

  39. Turn right:

    Turn right onto College Road/A453.

    College Road408 m

  40. U-turn:

    Make a right U-turn to stay on College Road/A453.

    College Road846 m

  41. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Warren Road.

    72 m

  42. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Warren Road.

    Warren Road527 m

  43. Turn left:

    Move left onto Hawthorn Road.

    Hawthorn Road486 m

  44. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Kingstanding Road/B4138.

    Kingstanding Road560 m

  45. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Tresham Road.

    Tresham Road492 m

  46. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Birdbrook Road.

    Birdbrook Road229 m

  47. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Birdbrook Road.

    36 m

  48. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Birdbrook Road.

    Birdbrook Road110 m

  49. Arrive:

    You have arrived at your destination.

Directions for the Birmingham (Kingstanding) · Route 7 loop. Always drive to the road and conditions you see, not the list — signs, signals and other traffic take priority.

Local roads & landmarks

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.

Schools

Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.

  • Goodway Nursery School

Churches

Useful navigation anchors on the loop.

  • Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
  • Good News Centre
  • Kings Road Methodist Church
  • Elim Church

Pubs

Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.

  • Hardwick Arms
  • Beggars Bush
  • Greyhound

Shops & parades

Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.

  • Children's Society
  • Kingstanding Hardware & DIY
  • Bakers Lane Fish Bar
  • Moonlight Balti

Watch out for

  • 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 8.7 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.

Drive it: landmark by landmark

Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.

  1. Goodway Nursery School

    Start near Goodway Nursery School.

  2. Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses

    Continue to Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.

  3. Children's Society

    Continue to Children's Society.

  4. Kingstanding Hardware & DIY

    Continue to Kingstanding Hardware & DIY.

  5. Good News Centre

    Continue to Good News Centre.

  6. Kings Road Methodist Church

    Continue to Kings Road Methodist Church.

  7. Bakers Lane Fish Bar

    Continue to Bakers Lane Fish Bar.

  8. Moonlight Balti

    Continue to Moonlight Balti.

  9. Little Waitrose

    Continue to Little Waitrose.

  10. Tesco Express

    Continue to Tesco Express.

  11. Hardwick Arms

    Continue to Hardwick Arms.

  12. Nissan

    Continue to Nissan.

  13. Beggars Bush

    Continue to Beggars Bush.

  14. Marigold

    Continue to Marigold.

  15. Greyhound

    Continue to Greyhound.

  16. One Stop

    Continue to One Stop.

  17. Gill Batteries

    Continue to Gill Batteries.

  18. Furniture Kingdom

    Continue to Furniture Kingdom.

  19. Granville Street Memorial

    Continue to Granville Street Memorial.

  20. Elim Church

    Finish back near Elim Church, completing the loop.

More routes at Birmingham (Kingstanding) test centre

Route FAQs

This route is 24.8 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Birmingham (Kingstanding) test centre, not an official DVSA route.