Near Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 10 turns and 7 signalled junctions across 20 navigation steps.
This is an independent 27.4 km practice loop near Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) test centre, taking roughly 30 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. 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, 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 67-step drive on real, named roads (about 27.3 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 left onto Arthur Road.
Arthur Road220 m
Turn left onto Holly Lane.
Holly Lane307 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Orphanage Road.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Orphanage Road.
Orphanage Road404 m
Turn left onto Silver Birch Road.
Silver Birch Road316 m
Turn left onto Sutton Road/A5127.
Sutton Road216 m
Turn left onto Holly Lane.
Holly Lane296 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Holly Lane.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Holly Lane.
Holly Lane1.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Holly Lane.
42 m
Exit the roundabout onto Holly Lane.
Holly Lane23 m
Turn left to stay on Holly Lane.
Holly Lane157 m
Turn right onto A38/Tyburn Road.
A381.1 km
Make a right U-turn at Bromford Lane/A4040 to stay on A38/Tyburn Road.
A38791 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on A38/Tyburn Road.
A381.0 km
Take the exit on the right.
Wheelwright Road575 m
Turn right onto Shepherds Green Road.
Shepherds Green Road344 m
Turn right onto Erdington Hall Road.
Erdington Hall Road577 m
Turn right onto Alleyne Road.
Alleyne Road345 m
Turn right onto Wheelwright Road.
Wheelwright Road192 m
Turn right onto Bracebridge Road.
Bracebridge Road358 m
Turn left onto Erdington Hall Road.
Erdington Hall Road173 m
Move right onto Lyndhurst Road.
Lyndhurst Road293 m
Turn right onto Kingsbury Road.
Kingsbury Road183 m
Turn left onto Woodend Lane.
Woodend Lane176 m
Turn right onto Jaffray Crescent.
Jaffray Crescent236 m
Turn left onto Woodend Road/A4040.
Woodend Road491 m
Enter Six Ways and take the 2nd exit onto Reservoir Road/A4040.
Six Ways23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Reservoir Road/A4040.
Reservoir Road1.0 km
Move right to stay on Reservoir Road/A4040.
Reservoir Road49 m
Turn right onto Streetly Road.
Streetly Road54 m
Keep left to stay on Streetly Road.
Streetly Road673 m
Make a right U-turn at Short Heath Road to stay on Streetly Road.
Streetly Road302 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Streetly Road.
Streetly Road297 m
Turn right onto Short Heath Road.
Short Heath Road16 m
Turn left onto Streetly Road.
Streetly Road408 m
Turn right onto Jerry's Lane.
Jerry's Lane680 m
Turn left onto Court Lane.
Court Lane217 m
Turn right onto Goosemoor Lane.
Goosemoor Lane935 m
Turn left.
22 m
Turn right onto Gravelly Lane/B4142.
Gravelly Lane554 m
Turn left onto Station Road/B4531.
Station Road57 m
Turn left onto Johnson Road.
Johnson Road118 m
Turn left onto Dean Road.
Dean Road241 m
Turn left onto Oliver Road.
Oliver Road85 m
Turn right onto Gravelly Lane/B4142. Continue on B4142.
B41421.8 km
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) · Route 14 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 10.1 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.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Halfords Autocentre
Continue to Halfords Autocentre.
Lili's Hair
Continue to Lili's Hair.
Pype Hayes United Reformed Church
Continue to Pype Hayes United Reformed Church.
Erdington United Reformed Church
Continue to Erdington United Reformed Church.
Hop Vine and Still
Continue to Hop Vine and Still.
Paulines
Continue to Paulines.
Bromford Convenience Store
Continue to Bromford Convenience Store.
Erdington Hall Primary School
Continue to Erdington Hall Primary School.
Featherstone Nursery School
Continue to Featherstone Nursery School.
Six Ways Baptist Church
Continue to Six Ways Baptist Church.
Anna Store
Continue to Anna Store.
One Stop
Continue to One Stop.
New Testament Church
Continue to New Testament Church.
Boldmere Oak
Continue to Boldmere Oak.
Rose & Crown
Finish back near Rose & Crown, 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 27.4 km and takes about 30 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.