Near Birmingham (South Yardley) test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts, 10 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 34.6 km practice loop near Birmingham (South Yardley) test centre, taking roughly 35 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 Shirley Road. 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, shops, 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 (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 34.5 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.
A45578 m
Take the exit on the right.
62 m
Turn right onto A45/Coventry Road.
A45171 m
Turn left onto Clay Lane.
Clay Lane913 m
Turn left to stay on Clay Lane.
Clay Lane199 m
Turn left onto Bosworth Road.
Bosworth Road678 m
Turn left onto Pierce Avenue.
Pierce Avenue552 m
Turn right onto Richmond Road.
Richmond Road380 m
Turn left onto Lyndon Road.
Lyndon Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Barn Lane.
Barn Lane219 m
Turn left onto Richmond Road.
Richmond Road947 m
Turn left onto Barrington Road.
Barrington Road331 m
Turn left onto Lyndon Road.
Lyndon Road181 m
Turn right onto Richmond Road.
Richmond Road380 m
Turn left onto Pierce Avenue.
Pierce Avenue552 m
Turn left onto Lincoln Road North.
Lincoln Road North203 m
Turn left onto The Avenue.
The Avenue61 m
Turn right onto Lincoln Road.
Lincoln Road272 m
Turn left onto A41/Warwick Road.
A4180 m
Turn right onto Olton Court.
Olton Court154 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Olton Court.
Olton Court154 m
Turn left onto A41/Warwick Road.
A41967 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Olton Boulevard East/B4514.
79 m
Exit the roundabout onto Olton Boulevard East/B4514.
Olton Boulevard East532 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Fox Hollies Road/A4040.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Fox Hollies Road/A4040.
Fox Hollies Road555 m
Make a right U-turn at York Road to stay on Fox Hollies Road/A4040.
Fox Hollies Road166 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Fox Hollies Road/A4040.
Fox Hollies Road680 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto School Road.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto School Road.
School Road304 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Shirley Road.
76 m
Exit the roundabout onto Shirley Road.
Shirley Road90 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Shirley Road.
33 m
Exit the roundabout onto Shirley Road.
Shirley Road975 m
Enter Robin Hood Island and take the 2nd exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
Robin Hood Island77 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Stratford Road.
A341.7 km
Make a right U-turn to stay on A34/Stratford Road.
A341.7 km
Enter Robin Hood Island and take the 3rd exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
Robin Hood Island92 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Stratford Road.
A34848 m
Turn right onto Fox Hollies Road/A4040.
Fox Hollies Road620 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Fox Hollies Road/A4040.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Fox Hollies Road/A4040.
Fox Hollies Road657 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Fox Hollies Road/A4040.
Fox Hollies Road680 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Fox Hollies Road/A4040.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Fox Hollies Road/A4040.
Fox Hollies Road159 m
Turn left onto Lakey Lane.
Lakey Lane349 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Lakey Lane.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lakey Lane.
Lakey Lane163 m
Turn left to stay on Lakey Lane.
Lakey Lane21 m
Turn left onto School Road.
School Road184 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Shirley Road.
81 m
Exit the roundabout onto Shirley Road.
Shirley Road419 m
Turn right to stay on Shirley Road.
Shirley Road44 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Shirley Road.
Shirley Road44 m
Turn right to stay on Shirley Road.
Shirley Road439 m
Keep right to take Dolphin Lane.
Dolphin Lane867 m
Move left to stay on Dolphin Lane.
Dolphin Lane35 m
Turn right onto Olton Boulevard East/B4514.
Olton Boulevard East338 m
Turn left to stay on Olton Boulevard East/B4514.
Olton Boulevard East41 m
Turn right onto A41/Warwick Road.
A412.9 km
Keep right to stay on Warwick Road.
Warwick Road492 m
Turn right onto Ashleigh Road.
Ashleigh Road383 m
Turn right onto Streetsbrook Road/B4025.
Streetsbrook Road229 m
Move right onto Broad Oaks Road.
Broad Oaks Road935 m
Turn left onto A41/Warwick Road. Continue on A41.
A412.5 km
Turn right onto A41/Gospel Lane. Continue on A41.
A41289 m
Turn right onto Woodcock Lane.
Woodcock Lane317 m
Turn left onto The Avenue.
The Avenue232 m
Turn left onto Roberts Road.
Roberts Road184 m
Turn left onto Oxford Road.
Oxford Road280 m
Turn left onto A41/Warwick Road.
A41451 m
Turn left onto Lincoln Road.
Lincoln Road272 m
Turn left onto The Avenue.
The Avenue61 m
Turn right onto Lincoln Road.
Lincoln Road881 m
Turn right onto Clay Lane.
Clay Lane199 m
Turn right to stay on Clay Lane.
Clay Lane302 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Birmingham (South Yardley) · Route 8 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 10.9 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.
Acrewood Nursery & Pre-school
Continue to Acrewood Nursery & Pre-school.
Premier
Continue to Premier.
Mucky Pups Day Nursery
Continue to Mucky Pups Day Nursery.
Happy Eating
Continue to Happy Eating.
Drinkbuster
Continue to Drinkbuster.
Casey Joe's
Continue to Casey Joe's.
Fox Hollies Childrens Centre
Continue to Fox Hollies Childrens Centre.
Shirley Road
Continue to Shirley Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Honeypot House
Continue to Honeypot House.
Shirley Baptist Church
Continue to Shirley Baptist Church.
Rosslyn School
Continue to Rosslyn School.
Church of the Ascension
Continue to Church of the Ascension.
Maggies
Continue to Maggies.
Oaklands Primary School
Continue to Oaklands Primary School.
Dovehouse Nursery
Continue to Dovehouse Nursery.
Aesthetics Hair & Beauty
Continue to Aesthetics Hair & Beauty.
St Margaret's Parish Church
Continue to St Margaret's Parish Church.
Olton Tyres & Puncture Repairs
Continue to Olton Tyres & Puncture Repairs.
Goodfellas Barber Shop
Finish back near Goodfellas Barber Shop, 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 34.6 km and takes about 35 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.