Near Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts, 16 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 27 navigation steps.
This is an independent 34.6 km practice loop near Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) 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, 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, schools, pubs 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 86-step drive on real, named roads (about 34.6 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 Road337 m
Turn left onto Beacon Road.
Beacon Road151 m
Turn left onto Wrekin Road.
Wrekin Road236 m
Turn left onto Highbridge Road.
Highbridge Road328 m
Turn right onto Ivy Road.
Ivy Road293 m
Turn left onto Redacre Road.
Redacre Road188 m
Turn left onto Oakwood Road.
Oakwood Road348 m
Turn left onto Antrobus Road.
Antrobus Road91 m
Turn left onto Ivy Road.
Ivy Road293 m
Turn left onto Redacre Road.
Redacre Road188 m
Turn left onto Oakwood Road.
Oakwood Road348 m
Turn right onto Antrobus Road.
Antrobus Road460 m
Turn left onto A452/Chester Road.
A4522.2 km
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.
A4521.7 km
Turn left onto Sycamore Road.
Sycamore Road473 m
Turn left onto Goosemoor Lane.
Goosemoor Lane665 m
Turn left.
22 m
Turn right onto Gravelly Lane/B4142.
Gravelly Lane60 m
Turn right onto Jarvis Road.
Jarvis Road517 m
Turn right onto Court Lane.
Court Lane615 m
Turn left onto Witton Lodge Road.
Witton Lodge Road129 m
Turn left onto Chipstead Road.
Chipstead Road324 m
Turn left onto Flackwell Road.
Flackwell Road94 m
Turn right onto Jerry's Lane.
Jerry's Lane414 m
Turn right onto Sheddington Road.
Sheddington Road342 m
Turn left onto Witton Lodge Road.
Witton Lodge Road401 m
Turn right onto Dovedale Road.
Dovedale Road250 m
Turn right onto Hurstwood Road.
Hurstwood Road211 m
Turn right onto Maxted Road.
Maxted Road339 m
Turn right onto Witton Lodge Road.
Witton Lodge Road214 m
Turn left onto Capilano Road.
Capilano Road77 m
Turn left onto Kittiwake Drive.
Kittiwake Drive91 m
Turn left onto Dovedale Road.
Dovedale Road133 m
Turn right onto Witton Lodge Road.
Witton Lodge Road135 m
Turn left onto Maxted Road.
Maxted Road339 m
Turn left onto Hurstwood Road.
Hurstwood Road249 m
Turn right onto Jackdaw Road.
Jackdaw Road388 m
Turn left onto Weycroft Road.
Weycroft Road78 m
Turn right onto Hastings Road.
Hastings Road32 m
Make a sharp left onto Weycroft Road.
Weycroft Road42 m
Turn left to stay on Weycroft Road.
Weycroft Road24 m
Turn right to stay on Weycroft Road.
Weycroft Road156 m
Turn left onto College Road/A453.
College Road124 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on College Road/A453.
College Road373 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Brackenbury Road.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brackenbury Road.
Brackenbury Road454 m
Move left onto Warren Farm Road.
Warren Farm Road382 m
Turn right to stay on Warren Farm Road.
Warren Farm Road383 m
Move left onto Ellerton Road.
Ellerton Road494 m
Turn left onto Finchley Road.
Finchley Road230 m
Turn left onto Sidcup Road.
Sidcup Road623 m
Turn right to stay on Sidcup Road.
Sidcup Road27 m
Move left to stay on Sidcup Road.
Sidcup Road94 m
Turn left onto Cranbourne Road.
Cranbourne Road624 m
Turn right onto Charlton Road.
Charlton Road233 m
Turn left onto Hawthorn Road.
Hawthorn Road1.8 km
Turn right onto Streetly Road.
Streetly Road1.0 km
Turn right onto Kings Road.
Kings Road303 m
Turn left onto Queens Road.
Queens Road95 m
Turn left onto Frances Road.
Frances Road294 m
Turn left onto Slade Road.
Slade Road443 m
Keep right to take Streetly Road.
Streetly Road32 m
Turn right onto Marsh Lane/B4531. Continue on B4531.
B45311.3 km
Turn left onto Gravelly Lane/B4142. Continue on B4142.
B41422.6 km
Turn left onto Jockey Road/A453.
Jockey Road436 m
Turn left onto Oakwood Road.
Oakwood Road465 m
Turn right onto Antrobus Road.
Antrobus Road460 m
Turn left onto A452/Chester Road.
A452567 m
Turn left onto Church Road.
Church Road399 m
Turn left onto Boldmere Road/B4142.
Boldmere Road435 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) · Route 6 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 9.8 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.
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.
Livingwell Centre
Continue to Livingwell Centre.
Butterfly Day Nursery
Continue to Butterfly Day Nursery.
Tyburn House
Continue to Tyburn House.
Halfords
Continue to Halfords.
Pype Hayes United Reformed Church
Continue to Pype Hayes United Reformed Church.
Pizza Rapido
Continue to Pizza Rapido.
Travis Perkins
Continue to Travis Perkins.
New Testament Church
Continue to New Testament Church.
St Margaret's
Continue to St Margaret's.
Story Wood School
Continue to Story Wood School.
Christ the King Catholic Church
Continue to Christ the King Catholic Church.
Charlton Road Christian Church
Continue to Charlton Road Christian Church.
Rapid Home Care
Continue to Rapid Home Care.
Crystal Nails Studio
Continue to Crystal Nails Studio.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Boldmere Oak
Continue to Boldmere Oak.
Bishop Vesey
Continue to Bishop Vesey.
St Michaels Church Boldmere
Finish back near St Michaels Church Boldmere, 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 34.6 km and takes about 40 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.