Near Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 10 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 18 navigation steps.
This is an independent 44.4 km practice loop near Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) test centre, taking roughly 25 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 100-step drive on real, named roads (about 44.3 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 Road392 m
Turn left onto Holly Lane.
Holly Lane296 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Orphanage Road.
12 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 1st exit onto Orphanage Road.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Orphanage Road.
Orphanage Road545 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A452/Chester Road.
65 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.
A452275 m
Turn right onto Humberstone Road.
Humberstone Road430 m
Turn left onto Eachelhurst Road/B4148.
Eachelhurst Road17 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Eachelhurst Road/B4148.
Eachelhurst Road787 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Eachelhurst Road/B4148.
Eachelhurst Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Tyburn Road/B4148.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tyburn Road/B4148. Continue on Tyburn Road.
Tyburn Road2.3 km
Make a right U-turn at Bromford Lane/A4040 onto A38/Tyburn Road.
A381.2 km
Turn left onto Kingsbury Road.
Kingsbury Road10 m
Turn right onto Tyburn Road/B4148.
Tyburn Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A452/Chester Road.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto A452/Chester Road.
A452393 m
Move left onto Pype Hayes Road.
Pype Hayes Road63 m
Move right onto Paget Road.
Paget Road108 m
Turn right onto Hayes Drive.
Hayes Drive41 m
Turn left to stay on Hayes Drive.
Hayes Drive13 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Hayes Drive.
Hayes Drive13 m
Turn right to stay on Hayes Drive.
Hayes Drive41 m
Turn left onto Paget Road.
Paget Road108 m
Move left onto Pype Hayes Road.
Pype Hayes Road67 m
Move left onto A452/Chester Road.
A45211 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on A452/Chester Road.
A452451 m
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 1st exit onto Orphanage Road.
16 m
Exit the roundabout onto Orphanage Road.
Orphanage Road545 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Holly Lane.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Holly Lane.
Holly Lane296 m
Turn right onto Sutton Road/A5127. Continue on A5127.
A5127763 m
Turn right onto Penns Lane/B4148.
Penns Lane1.0 km
Turn left.
85 m
Turn right onto Penns Lane/B4148.
Penns Lane992 m
Turn right onto Birmingham Road/A5127.
Birmingham Road2.0 km
Turn right onto Pilkington Avenue.
Pilkington Avenue391 m
Turn right onto Monkseaton Road.
Monkseaton Road157 m
Turn left onto Birmingham Road/A5127. Continue on A5127.
A51272.1 km
Turn left onto A452/Chester Road.
A452318 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.
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 4 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 23.4 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.
Hair Cut Sir
Continue to Hair Cut Sir.
Pype Hayes United Reformed Church
Continue to Pype Hayes United Reformed Church.
Erdington United Reformed Church
Continue to Erdington United Reformed Church.
Nisa
Continue to Nisa.
Therapy
Continue to Therapy.
Erdington Elim Pentecostal Church
Continue to Erdington Elim Pentecostal Church.
S&M Butchers
Continue to S&M Butchers.
Birches Green Evangelical Free Church
Continue to Birches Green Evangelical Free Church.
Lighthouse Church | St Mary's
Continue to Lighthouse Church | St Mary's.
Card Express
Continue to Card Express.
St Giles shop
Continue to St Giles shop.
Emmanuel, Parish Church of Wylde Green
Continue to Emmanuel, Parish Church of Wylde Green.
Horse and Jockey
Continue to Horse and Jockey.
Yenton
Continue to Yenton.
Express Wines
Continue to Express Wines.
Boldmere Oak
Finish back near Boldmere Oak, completing the loop.
3 roundabouts · 13 turns · 6 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 8 turns · 3 sets of lights
5 roundabouts · 13 turns · 5 sets of lights
3 roundabouts · 16 turns · 5 sets of lights
This route is 44.4 km and takes about 25 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.