Near Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 7 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 15 navigation steps.
This is an independent 26.3 km practice loop near Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) test centre, taking roughly 20 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 Tyburn House Island, Spitfire Island and Fort Parkway. 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 churches, pubs, named junctions and shops, 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 (Sutton Coldfield) 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 73-step drive on real, named roads (about 26.3 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive east.
21 m
Turn right onto Boldmere Road/B4142.
Boldmere Road1.2 km
Turn left onto A452/Chester Road.
A452916 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A452/Chester Road.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A452/Chester Road.
A4521.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A452/Chester Road.
42 m
Exit the roundabout onto A452/Chester Road.
A452560 m
Enter Tyburn House Island and take the 2nd exit onto A452/Chester Road.
Tyburn House Island61 m
Exit the roundabout onto A452/Chester Road.
A452592 m
Enter Spitfire Island and take the 4th exit onto A452/Chester Road.
Spitfire Island250 m
Exit the roundabout onto A452/Chester Road.
A452256 m
Keep left to stay on A452/Chester Road.
A452339 m
Enter Tyburn House Island and take the 3rd exit onto A452/Chester Road.
Tyburn House Island65 m
Exit the roundabout onto A452/Chester Road.
A452558 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A452/Chester Road.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto A452/Chester Road.
A4521.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A452/Chester Road.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A452/Chester Road.
A452321 m
Turn left onto Sutton Road/A5127.
Sutton Road606 m
Turn left onto Orchard Road.
Orchard Road486 m
Turn right onto Holliday Road.
Holliday Road198 m
Turn right onto Edwards Road.
Edwards Road232 m
Turn left onto Orphanage Road.
Orphanage Road142 m
Turn left onto Mason Road.
Mason Road268 m
Move right onto Edwards Road.
Edwards Road196 m
Turn left onto Moor End Lane.
Moor End Lane130 m
Turn right onto Berkswell Road.
Berkswell Road184 m
Turn left onto Allman Road.
Allman Road348 m
Turn right onto Holly Lane.
Holly Lane328 m
Turn left onto Woodacre Road.
Woodacre Road218 m
Turn right onto Westmead Crescent.
Westmead Crescent185 m
Turn right onto Paget Road.
Paget Road198 m
Turn left onto Kingsbury Avenue.
Kingsbury Avenue105 m
Turn right onto Pype Hayes Road.
Pype Hayes Road107 m
Turn right onto Tyburn Road/B4148.
Tyburn Road346 m
Turn right onto Kingsbury Road.
Kingsbury Road295 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Holly Lane.
70 m
Exit the roundabout onto Holly Lane.
Holly Lane1.1 km
Turn left onto Moor End Lane.
Moor End Lane555 m
Move left onto Spring Lane.
Spring Lane642 m
Turn right onto Kingsbury Road.
Kingsbury Road303 m
Turn left onto Bromford Lane/A4040.
Bromford Lane725 m
Turn left.
36 m
Move left onto Wood Lane.
Wood Lane620 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Wood Lane.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wood Lane.
Wood Lane106 m
Turn right onto Wingfoot Way.
Wingfoot Way275 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
28 m
Exit the roundabout.
23 m
Move left onto Wingfoot Close.
Wingfoot Close302 m
Turn right to stay on Wingfoot Close.
Wingfoot Close291 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Wingfoot Close.
Wingfoot Close291 m
Turn left to stay on Wingfoot Close.
Wingfoot Close325 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Wingfoot Way.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wingfoot Way.
Wingfoot Way185 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Fort Parkway/A47.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Fort Parkway/A47.
Fort Parkway788 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Fort Parkway/A47.
51 m
Exit the roundabout onto Fort Parkway/A47.
Fort Parkway628 m
Turn left onto A452/Chester Road.
A452396 m
Keep right to stay on A452.
A45269 m
Make a right U-turn at A452 onto A452/Chester Road.
A452332 m
Enter Spitfire Island and take the 4th exit onto A452/Chester Road.
Spitfire Island250 m
Exit the roundabout onto A452/Chester Road.
A452256 m
Keep left to stay on A452/Chester Road.
A452339 m
Enter Tyburn House Island and take the 3rd exit onto A452/Chester Road.
Tyburn House Island65 m
Exit the roundabout onto A452/Chester Road.
A452558 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A452/Chester Road.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto A452/Chester Road.
A4521.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A452/Chester Road.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A452/Chester Road.
A452922 m
Turn right onto Boldmere Road/B4142.
Boldmere Road1.1 km
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) · Route 13 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.
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 11.9 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.
Boldmere Methodist Church
Start near Boldmere Methodist Church.
Chester Road Baptist Church
Continue to Chester Road Baptist Church.
Tyburn House
Continue to Tyburn House.
Tyburn House Island
Continue to Tyburn House Island, taking the junction with good observation.
Halfords
Continue to Halfords.
Spitfire Island
Continue to Spitfire Island, taking the junction with good observation.
Pype Hayes United Reformed Church
Continue to Pype Hayes United Reformed Church.
Reed Square Fish Bar
Continue to Reed Square Fish Bar.
HQ Bar
Continue to HQ Bar.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
Georges Express
Continue to Georges Express.
Harts Textiles
Continue to Harts Textiles.
Bromford News
Continue to Bromford News.
Lad in the Lane
Continue to Lad in the Lane.
JD Sports
Continue to JD Sports.
Sandwich Hut
Continue to Sandwich Hut.
Bentley
Continue to Bentley.
Fort Parkway
Continue to Fort Parkway, taking the junction with good observation.
Pizza Rapido
Continue to Pizza Rapido.
Boldmere Oak
Finish back near Boldmere Oak, completing the loop.
3 roundabouts · 13 turns · 6 sets of lights
6 roundabouts · 10 turns · 4 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 8 turns · 3 sets of lights
5 roundabouts · 13 turns · 5 sets of lights
This route is 26.3 km and takes about 20 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) test centre, not an official DVSA route.