Near Birmingham (South Yardley) test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 9 roundabouts, 20 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 33 navigation steps.
This is an independent 35.2 km practice loop near Birmingham (South Yardley) test centre, taking roughly 45 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, 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 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 81-step drive on real, named roads (about 35.2 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 Avenue658 m
Turn right onto Steyning Road.
Steyning Road98 m
Turn right onto Bryn Arden Road.
Bryn Arden Road444 m
Turn right onto Gotham Road.
Gotham Road702 m
Turn right onto Wagon Lane.
Wagon Lane242 m
Turn left onto Wells Green Road.
Wells Green Road493 m
Turn left to stay on Wells Green Road.
Wells Green Road101 m
Turn left onto Keswick Road.
Keswick Road304 m
Turn left onto Wells Green Road.
Wells Green Road390 m
Turn left to stay on Wells Green Road.
Wells Green Road101 m
Turn right onto Keswick Road.
Keswick Road101 m
Turn left onto A45/New Coventry Road.
A4569 m
Turn left onto Wagon Lane.
Wagon Lane662 m
Turn left onto Thurlston Avenue.
Thurlston Avenue421 m
Turn left onto Coverdale Road.
Coverdale Road323 m
Turn right onto Lyndon Road.
Lyndon Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Ulleries Road.
Ulleries Road881 m
Turn left onto Hobs Moat Road/B425.
Hobs Moat Road367 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Melton Avenue.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Melton Avenue.
Melton Avenue235 m
Turn left onto Campden Green.
Campden Green10 m
Turn right onto Melton Avenue.
Melton Avenue349 m
Turn right to stay on Melton Avenue.
Melton Avenue582 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 left onto Old Lode Lane.
Old Lode Lane1.1 km
Turn right onto Hobs Moat Road/B425.
Hobs Moat Road115 m
Turn left onto A45/Coventry Road. Continue on A45.
A453.1 km
Move right.
97 m
Turn right onto Holder Road.
Holder Road6 m
Turn right onto A45/Coventry Road. Continue on A45.
A454.0 km
Turn left onto Arden Oak Road.
Arden Oak Road316 m
Turn right onto Olorenshaw Road.
Olorenshaw Road49 m
Turn left onto Shepheard Road.
Shepheard Road188 m
Turn left onto Whitecroft Road.
Whitecroft Road344 m
Turn left onto Dovercourt Road.
Dovercourt Road145 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Dovercourt Road.
Dovercourt Road239 m
Turn right onto Cranes Park Road.
Cranes Park Road525 m
Turn left onto Mapledene Road.
Mapledene Road102 m
Turn left onto Berryfield Road.
Berryfield Road411 m
Turn left onto Parkdale Road.
Parkdale Road211 m
Turn right onto Cranes Park Road.
Cranes Park Road393 m
Move right.
25 m
Turn right onto Church Road.
Church Road184 m
Move left onto Common Lane.
Common Lane415 m
Turn right onto Hollywell Road.
Hollywell Road242 m
Turn right onto Brays Road.
Brays Road69 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 Road387 m
Turn right onto Herondale Road.
Herondale Road426 m
Turn right.
19 m
Move right onto Sunnymead Road.
Sunnymead Road646 m
Turn right onto Wensley Road.
Wensley Road417 m
Turn left onto Herondale Road.
Herondale Road145 m
Turn right onto Brays Road.
Brays Road110 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 Road1.3 km
Turn right onto Chapel Fields Road.
Chapel Fields Road238 m
Turn right onto Richmond Road.
Richmond Road94 m
Turn left onto Pierce Avenue.
Pierce Avenue552 m
Turn right onto Lincoln Road North.
Lincoln Road North352 m
Turn left onto Clay Lane.
Clay Lane293 m
Turn right onto Woodcock Lane North.
Woodcock Lane North673 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Birmingham (South Yardley) · Route 2 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.
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 12.6 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.
EBN Academy
Start near EBN Academy.
New Inn
Continue to New Inn.
Costcutter
Continue to Costcutter.
Aldi
Continue to Aldi.
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.
Hobs Meadow
Continue to Hobs Meadow.
Lyndon Methodist Church
Continue to Lyndon Methodist Church.
Buttercups & Dandelions Day Nursery
Continue to Buttercups & Dandelions Day Nursery.
Manarat Foundation
Continue to Manarat Foundation.
Nisa
Continue to Nisa.
South Yardley Methodist Church
Continue to South Yardley Methodist Church.
Chaps
Continue to Chaps.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Three Horseshoes
Continue to Three Horseshoes.
Tonka Bakery
Continue to Tonka Bakery.
Crane
Continue to Crane.
George V
Continue to George V.
Acrewood Nursery & Pre-school
Continue to Acrewood Nursery & Pre-school.
Journey's End
Finish back near Journey's End, 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 35.2 km and takes about 45 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.