Near Buckie test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts and 18 turns across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 22.7 km practice route near Buckie test centre, taking roughly 35 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 Burns Square. 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, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads 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 shops, churches, pubs 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 Buckie 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 95-step drive on real, named roads (about 22.6 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast.
25 m
Turn left.
68 m
Turn right onto Cathcart Grove.
Cathcart Grove104 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Cathcart Grove.
Cathcart Grove171 m
Turn right onto Newland's Lane.
Newland's Lane172 m
Turn right onto Harbour Street.
Harbour Street193 m
Enter Burns Square and take the 1st exit onto Bruce Avenue.
Burns Square20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bruce Avenue.
Bruce Avenue231 m
Turn left onto Linn Crescent.
Linn Crescent305 m
Turn right onto Harbour Street.
Harbour Street159 m
Turn right onto East Church Street.
East Church Street421 m
Turn left onto Freuchny Road.
Freuchny Road108 m
Turn right onto Commercial Road/A942. Continue on A942.
A942166 m
Turn right onto March Street.
March Street75 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on March Street.
March Street75 m
Turn left onto Rathburn Street/A942. Continue on A942.
A942230 m
Keep right to take Commercial Road/A942.
Commercial Road805 m
Turn left onto North High Street/A942.
North High Street166 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto High Street/A942.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto High Street/A942.
High Street323 m
Turn left onto Freuchny Lane.
Freuchny Lane63 m
Turn left onto Garden Lane.
Garden Lane187 m
Turn right onto East Cathcart Street.
East Cathcart Street188 m
Turn left onto Cathcart Grove.
Cathcart Grove140 m
Turn right onto East Church Street.
East Church Street597 m
Turn left onto Freuchny Road.
Freuchny Road108 m
Turn right onto Commercial Road/A942. Continue on A942.
A942664 m
Keep left to stay on A942.
A942712 m
Turn right.
37 m
Turn right onto Chapel Street.
Chapel Street130 m
Turn left onto Chancellor Road.
Chancellor Road24 m
Keep left to stay on Chancellor Road.
Chancellor Road84 m
Turn left onto Station Road.
Station Road136 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Station Road.
Station Road137 m
Turn right onto Chancellor Road.
Chancellor Road108 m
Turn right onto Chapel Street.
Chapel Street57 m
Move right to stay on Chapel Street.
Chapel Street72 m
Turn left.
37 m
Turn left onto Great Eastern Road/A942.
Great Eastern Road600 m
Keep right to stay on A942.
A942222 m
Keep right to stay on A942.
A9421.4 km
Turn right onto Bank Street/A990. Continue on A990.
A990314 m
Keep right to take Yardie/A990.
Yardie100 m
Keep straight to stay on A990.
A990223 m
Turn left onto Bridge End.
Bridge End209 m
Move right onto Gibb's Lane.
Gibb's Lane114 m
Turn right onto Main Street/A990. Continue on A990.
A990459 m
Keep left to take Yardie/A990.
Yardie100 m
Keep left to stay on A990.
A990208 m
Keep left to stay on A990.
A990230 m
Keep left to take Low Street/A942.
Low Street106 m
Keep left to stay on A942.
A942574 m
Keep right to stay on A942.
A942727 m
Keep left to stay on A942.
A942711 m
Turn right.
37 m
Turn right onto Chapel Street.
Chapel Street130 m
Turn left onto Chancellor Road.
Chancellor Road24 m
Keep left to stay on Chancellor Road.
Chancellor Road84 m
Turn left onto Station Road.
Station Road136 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Station Road.
Station Road137 m
Turn left onto Chancellor Road.
Chancellor Road419 m
Turn right.
125 m
Keep right at the fork.
177 m
Keep right to take Bede Road.
Bede Road406 m
Turn right.
578 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto March Road.
87 m
Exit the roundabout onto March Road.
March Road635 m
Turn right onto Freuchny Road.
Freuchny Road108 m
Turn left onto Commercial Road/A942. Continue on A942.
A942870 m
Turn right onto Bank Street/A990. Continue on A990.
A990314 m
Keep right to take Yardie/A990.
Yardie100 m
Keep straight to stay on A990.
A990579 m
Turn right onto Bowie's Lane.
Bowie's Lane41 m
Turn right onto Harbour Head.
Harbour Head32 m
Turn right to stay on Harbour Head.
Harbour Head43 m
Turn left onto Main Street/A990.
Main Street123 m
Keep right to stay on A990.
A990554 m
Keep left to stay on A990.
A990118 m
Keep left to stay on A990.
A990169 m
Turn right onto North High Street/A942.
North High Street166 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Cluny Square.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cluny Square.
Cluny Square502 m
Turn right.
88 m
Turn left onto Linn Avenue.
Linn Avenue230 m
Turn left.
67 m
Turn left onto Cliff Terrace.
Cliff Terrace249 m
Turn right.
23 m
Turn left onto East Church Street.
East Church Street72 m
Turn left onto Harbour Street.
Harbour Street267 m
Enter Burns Square and take the 4th exit onto Harbour Street.
Burns Square81 m
Exit the roundabout onto Harbour Street.
Harbour Street267 m
Turn left onto East Church Street.
East Church Street431 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto High Street/A942.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto High Street/A942.
High Street505 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Buckie · 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.
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.
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.
Buckie Community Fire Station
Start near Buckie Community Fire Station.
Original Factory Shop
Continue to Original Factory Shop.
Tred Rite
Continue to Tred Rite.
Eat mare fish
Continue to Eat mare fish.
Boda Flowers
Continue to Boda Flowers.
Buckie Home Hardware
Continue to Buckie Home Hardware.
Buckie South and West Church of Scotland
Continue to Buckie South and West Church of Scotland.
Pub in the Square
Continue to Pub in the Square.
Star Inn
Continue to Star Inn.
Addison Tyres
Continue to Addison Tyres.
Moray College UHI - Buckie Learning Centre
Continue to Moray College UHI - Buckie Learning Centre.
Harbour Bar
Continue to Harbour Bar.
Fry Inn
Continue to Fry Inn.
Moments
Continue to Moments.
North Church
Continue to North Church.
Riverside Christian Church
Continue to Riverside Christian Church.
Blythswood Care Charity Shop
Continue to Blythswood Care Charity Shop.
Burns Square
Continue to Burns Square, taking the junction with good observation.
Home Bakery
Continue to Home Bakery.
Subway
Finish back near Subway, completing the loop.
4 roundabouts · 17 turns
5 roundabouts · 19 turns
2 roundabouts · 14 turns
This route is 22.7 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Buckie test centre, not an official DVSA route.