Near Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 3 roundabouts, 10 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 18 navigation steps.
This is an independent 35.3 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 Chester Road and Spitfire 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, 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, shops and schools, 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 69-step drive on real, named roads (about 35.3 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 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 Road174 m
Turn left onto Heathlands Road.
Heathlands Road286 m
Turn right onto Redacre Road.
Redacre Road121 m
Turn left onto Boldmere Road/B4142.
Boldmere Road126 m
Turn left onto Jockey Road/A453.
Jockey Road599 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto College Road/A453.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto College Road/A453.
College Road1.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto College Road/A453.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto College Road/A453.
College Road358 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 Road1.0 km
Turn left onto Rough Road.
Rough Road508 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Kings Road/B4149.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Kings Road/B4149. Continue on B4149.
B41492.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Jockey Road/A453.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Jockey Road/A453.
Jockey Road1.0 km
Turn right onto Frederick Road.
Frederick Road792 m
Turn left onto Jockey Road/A453.
Jockey Road1.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto College Road/A453.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto College Road/A453.
College Road1.2 km
Turn left onto Hurstwood Road.
Hurstwood Road358 m
Move left onto Maxted Road.
Maxted Road266 m
Turn right onto Oak Drive.
Oak Drive65 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Oak Drive.
Oak Drive65 m
Turn left onto Maxted Road.
Maxted Road266 m
Move right onto Hurstwood Road.
Hurstwood Road358 m
Turn left onto College Road/A453.
College Road160 m
Turn right onto Warren Farm Road.
Warren Farm Road189 m
Turn right onto Finchley Road.
Finchley Road882 m
Turn left onto Kings Road/B4149.
Kings Road721 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Kingstanding Road/B4138.
108 m
Exit the roundabout onto Kingstanding Road/B4138. Continue on B4138.
B41381.1 km
Turn left onto Donegal Road.
Donegal Road226 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Donegal Road.
63 m
Exit the roundabout onto Donegal Road.
Donegal Road210 m
Turn right onto Queslett Road East.
Queslett Road East125 m
Turn right onto Bakers Lane.
Bakers Lane693 m
Turn right onto A452/Chester Road North. Continue on A452.
A4525.0 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.
A4522.2 km
Turn right onto Antrobus Road.
Antrobus Road753 m
Turn right onto Boldmere Road/B4142.
Boldmere Road125 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) · 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.
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 9.9 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.
Cask & Craft Bar & Bottle Shop
Continue to Cask & Craft Bar & Bottle Shop.
A1 Convenience Store
Continue to A1 Convenience Store.
Christ the King Catholic Church
Continue to Christ the King Catholic Church.
Christ The King Catholic Primary School
Continue to Christ The King Catholic Primary School.
Building Blocks Nursery
Continue to Building Blocks Nursery.
Beggars Bush
Continue to Beggars Bush.
Sutton Park
Continue to Sutton Park.
Good News Centre
Continue to Good News Centre.
Kings Road Methodist Church
Continue to Kings Road Methodist Church.
Ruby
Continue to Ruby.
Kutchenhaus
Continue to Kutchenhaus.
Chester Road Baptist Church
Continue to Chester Road Baptist Church.
Livingwell Centre
Continue to Livingwell Centre.
Butterfly Day Nursery
Continue to Butterfly Day Nursery.
Chester Road
Continue to Chester Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Spitfire Island
Continue to Spitfire Island, taking the junction with good observation.
Tyburn House
Continue to Tyburn House.
Pype Hayes United Reformed Church
Continue to Pype Hayes United Reformed Church.
Balti Hut
Finish back near Balti Hut, 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 35.3 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.