Near Birmingham (South Yardley) test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 11 roundabouts and 13 turns across 26 navigation steps.
This is an independent 30.0 km practice loop near Birmingham (South Yardley) 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 Castle Lane. 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, 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, pubs, shops and churches, 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 (South Yardley) 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 91-step drive on real, named roads (about 30.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north on Clay Lane.
Clay Lane727 m
Turn left onto A45/Coventry Road.
A4595 m
Move left.
347 m
Enter Swan Island and take the 4th exit onto A45/Coventry Road.
Swan Island187 m
Exit the roundabout onto A45/Coventry Road.
A451.1 km
Take the exit on the right.
72 m
Turn right onto Gilbertstone Avenue.
Gilbertstone Avenue842 m
Turn right onto Clay Lane.
Clay Lane670 m
Turn left onto A45/Coventry Road.
A45923 m
Move right.
97 m
Turn right onto Holder Road.
Holder Road6 m
Turn right onto A45/Coventry Road. Continue on A45.
A45283 m
Move left.
233 m
Enter Swan Island and take the 1st exit onto Church Road/A4040.
Swan Island30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Church Road/A4040.
Church Road430 m
Move left to stay on Church Road/A4040.
Church Road112 m
Move left to stay on Church Road/A4040.
Church Road202 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Church Road.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Church Road.
Church Road808 m
Turn left onto Blakesley Road.
Blakesley Road139 m
Turn left.
91 m
Move right onto Blakesley Road.
Blakesley Road55 m
Turn right onto Church Road.
Church Road129 m
Turn left onto Barrows Lane.
Barrows Lane728 m
Turn left to stay on Barrows Lane.
Barrows Lane254 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Barrows Lane.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Barrows Lane.
Barrows Lane175 m
Turn left.
56 m
Turn left onto Langham Close.
Langham Close45 m
Turn right onto Barrows Lane.
Barrows Lane125 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Ollerton Road.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ollerton Road.
Ollerton Road648 m
Turn left onto Sunnymead Road.
Sunnymead Road773 m
Turn right onto Wensley Road.
Wensley Road417 m
Turn right onto Herondale Road.
Herondale Road281 m
Turn right.
19 m
Turn left onto Sunnymead Road.
Sunnymead Road24 m
Turn left onto Herondale Road.
Herondale Road447 m
Turn left onto Brays Road.
Brays Road387 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Brays Road.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brays Road.
Brays Road376 m
Turn right onto Weaver Avenue.
Weaver Avenue82 m
Move left onto Edendale Road.
Edendale Road76 m
Turn left onto Bincomb Avenue.
Bincomb Avenue92 m
Turn left onto Brays Road.
Brays Road447 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Brays Road.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brays Road.
Brays Road497 m
Turn right onto A45/Coventry Road.
A451.8 km
Move right.
97 m
Turn right onto Holder Road.
Holder Road6 m
Turn right onto A45/Coventry Road. Continue on A45.
A452.6 km
Take the exit on the right.
Coventry Road140 m
Turn right onto Lyndon Road.
Lyndon Road233 m
Turn left onto Melton Avenue.
Melton Avenue599 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hobs Moat Road/B425.
47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hobs Moat Road/B425.
Hobs Moat Road59 m
Turn left.
11 m
Turn right onto Hobs Moat Road.
Hobs Moat Road358 m
Turn left onto Merevale Road.
Merevale Road293 m
Turn right onto Old Lode Lane.
Old Lode Lane394 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Castle Lane.
54 m
Exit the roundabout onto Castle Lane.
Castle Lane389 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Moordown Avenue.
109 m
Exit the roundabout onto Moordown Avenue.
Moordown Avenue386 m
Turn left onto Ulleries Road.
Ulleries Road483 m
Turn right onto Lyndon Road.
Lyndon Road523 m
Turn left onto Barn Lane.
Barn Lane540 m
Turn right onto Shalford Road.
Shalford Road413 m
Turn left to stay on Shalford Road.
Shalford Road93 m
Turn left onto Hardwick Road.
Hardwick Road206 m
Turn right onto Shalford Road.
Shalford Road114 m
Turn left onto Barn Lane.
Barn Lane308 m
Turn left onto Wagon Lane.
Wagon Lane202 m
Turn left onto Amberley Road.
Amberley Road253 m
Turn right onto Barn Lane.
Barn Lane359 m
Turn right onto Bosworth Road.
Bosworth Road326 m
Turn right onto Clay Lane.
Clay Lane199 m
Turn right to stay on Clay Lane.
Clay Lane913 m
Turn left onto A45/Coventry Road.
A4595 m
Move left.
347 m
Enter Swan Island and take the 4th exit onto A45/Coventry Road.
Swan Island187 m
Exit the roundabout onto A45/Coventry Road.
A45578 m
Take the exit on the right.
62 m
Turn right onto A45/Coventry Road.
A45171 m
Turn left onto Clay Lane.
Clay Lane1.3 km
Turn left onto The Vineries.
The Vineries181 m
Turn left onto Clay Lane.
Clay Lane27 m
Turn right to stay on Clay Lane.
Clay Lane30 m
Turn right onto The Vineries.
The Vineries210 m
Turn right onto Woodcock Lane North.
Woodcock Lane North673 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Birmingham (South Yardley) · Route 16 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 6.7 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.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
EBN Academy
Start near EBN Academy.
New Inn
Continue to New Inn.
Desi Foods Kebab House
Continue to Desi Foods Kebab House.
Yardley Fish Bar
Continue to Yardley Fish Bar.
Old Bill and Bull
Continue to Old Bill and Bull.
South Yardley Methodist Church
Continue to South Yardley Methodist Church.
Clumsy Swan
Continue to Clumsy Swan.
William Tyler
Continue to William Tyler.
Patel's
Continue to Patel's.
Stella's Fish Bar
Continue to Stella's Fish Bar.
Joan's Florist
Continue to Joan's Florist.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Lyndon Methodist Church
Continue to Lyndon Methodist Church.
Heron Foods
Continue to Heron Foods.
Castle Lane
Continue to Castle Lane, taking the junction with good observation.
Mucky Pups Day Nursery
Continue to Mucky Pups Day Nursery.
St Margaret's Pre-school at Chapelfields
Continue to St Margaret's Pre-school at Chapelfields.
Acrewood Nursery & Pre-school
Continue to Acrewood Nursery & Pre-school.
Journey's End
Continue to Journey's End.
C K News
Finish back near C K News, completing the loop.
4 roundabouts · 25 turns · 3 sets of lights
6 roundabouts · 18 turns · 3 sets of lights
10 roundabouts · 13 turns · 4 sets of lights
8 roundabouts · 17 turns · 2 sets of lights
This route is 30.0 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Birmingham (South Yardley) test centre, not an official DVSA route.