Near Birmingham (South Yardley) test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 19 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 31 navigation steps.
This is an independent 36.0 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.
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, shops, churches 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 (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 74-step drive on real, named roads (about 36.0 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.
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 Road667 m
Turn right onto Lincoln Close.
Lincoln Close94 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Lincoln Close.
Lincoln Close94 m
Turn right onto Lincoln Road North.
Lincoln Road North214 m
Turn left onto The Avenue.
The Avenue61 m
Turn right onto Lincoln Road.
Lincoln Road272 m
Turn left onto A41/Warwick Road.
A412.8 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.
A41581 m
Turn left onto Grange Road.
Grange Road789 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Kineton Green Road.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Kineton Green Road.
Kineton Green Road1.4 km
Turn right onto A41/Warwick Road.
A412.1 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.
A41801 m
Turn right onto Westbourne Road.
Westbourne Road116 m
Turn left onto Bourton Road.
Bourton Road412 m
Turn left onto Ulverley Green Road.
Ulverley Green Road214 m
Turn right onto Castle Lane.
Castle Lane922 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 6th exit onto Castle Lane.
254 m
Exit the roundabout onto Castle Lane.
Castle Lane390 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Old Lode Lane.
49 m
Exit the roundabout onto Old Lode Lane.
Old Lode Lane675 m
Turn right onto Tanhouse Farm Road.
Tanhouse Farm Road489 m
Turn left onto Elmdon Park Road.
Elmdon Park Road483 m
Turn left onto Fallowfield Road.
Fallowfield Road156 m
Turn right onto Tanford Road.
Tanford Road103 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Ventnor Road.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ventnor Road.
Ventnor Road451 m
Turn right onto Valley Road.
Valley Road502 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Glencroft Road.
18 m
Exit the roundabout onto Glencroft Road.
Glencroft Road76 m
Turn left onto A45/Coventry Road.
A45615 m
Turn left onto Wells Road.
Wells Road153 m
Turn right onto Valley Road.
Valley Road274 m
Turn right onto Old Lode Lane.
Old Lode Lane370 m
Turn right onto Hobs Moat Road/B425.
Hobs Moat Road115 m
Turn left onto A45/Coventry Road. Continue on A45.
A453.2 km
Turn left onto Forest Road.
Forest Road98 m
Move left onto Waterloo Road.
Waterloo Road401 m
Turn right onto Stockfield Road/A4040.
Stockfield Road91 m
Turn left onto Mansfield Road.
Mansfield Road224 m
Turn right onto Yardley Road/B4146.
Yardley Road748 m
Turn left onto The Avenue.
The Avenue751 m
Turn right to stay on The Avenue.
The Avenue102 m
Turn left onto Lincoln Road.
Lincoln Road555 m
Turn right onto Barn Lane.
Barn Lane359 m
Turn left onto Amberley Road.
Amberley Road253 m
Turn left onto Wagon Lane.
Wagon Lane268 m
Turn right onto Wells Green Road.
Wells Green Road103 m
Turn left onto Keswick Road.
Keswick Road304 m
Turn right onto Wells Green Road.
Wells Green Road101 m
Turn right to stay on Wells Green Road.
Wells Green Road493 m
Turn right onto Wagon Lane.
Wagon Lane242 m
Turn left onto Marcot Road.
Marcot Road1.6 km
Turn left onto Gilbertstone Avenue.
Gilbertstone Avenue756 m
Turn left onto A45/Coventry Road.
A45657 m
Turn left onto Clay Lane.
Clay Lane610 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Birmingham (South Yardley) · Route 9 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 10.8 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.
Costcutter
Continue to Costcutter.
Acrewood Nursery & Pre-school
Continue to Acrewood Nursery & Pre-school.
Dovehouse Nursery
Continue to Dovehouse Nursery.
Bentleys
Continue to Bentleys.
Solihull Fire Station
Continue to Solihull Fire Station.
Classic Kitchens
Continue to Classic Kitchens.
Olton Project
Continue to Olton Project.
St Margaret's Parish Church
Continue to St Margaret's Parish Church.
Solihull Mercedes Benz
Continue to Solihull Mercedes Benz.
Tender Years
Continue to Tender Years.
Harvester
Continue to Harvester.
Valley Primary
Continue to Valley Primary.
Buttercups & Dandelions Day Nursery
Continue to Buttercups & Dandelions Day Nursery.
Manarat Foundation
Continue to Manarat Foundation.
Whitworths
Continue to Whitworths.
South Yardley Methodist Church
Continue to South Yardley Methodist Church.
Hay Mills Congregational Church
Continue to Hay Mills Congregational Church.
Acocks Green Baptist Church
Continue to Acocks Green Baptist Church.
Pickles
Finish back near Pickles, 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 36.0 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.