Near Campbeltown test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 1 roundabout and 26 turns across 30 navigation steps.
This is an independent 12.3 km practice loop near Campbeltown 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.
Along the way you'll meet Old Quay Head and Main Street. 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 and independent driving. 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 schools, named junctions, shops and parks, 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 Campbeltown 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 70-step drive on real, named roads (about 12.3 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southwest on St John Street.
St John Street10 m
Turn right onto Hall Street/C19.
Hall Street117 m
Enter Old Quay Head and take the 2nd exit onto Main Street/B842.
Old Quay Head22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Main Street/B842.
Main Street14 m
Turn left to stay on Main Street/B842.
Main Street174 m
Move left onto Castlehill.
Castlehill87 m
Turn left.
63 m
Move right onto Ralston Road.
Ralston Road328 m
Turn right onto Meadows Avenue.
Meadows Avenue489 m
Turn left onto Tomaig Road.
Tomaig Road144 m
Turn left onto Ralston Road.
Ralston Road356 m
Turn left onto Range Road.
Range Road69 m
Turn left onto Crosshill Avenue.
Crosshill Avenue269 m
Turn right onto Tomaig Road.
Tomaig Road379 m
Turn right onto Witchburn Road/B842. Continue on B842.
B842492 m
Turn left onto Main Street/B842.
Main Street193 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A83/Kinloch Road.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto A83/Kinloch Road.
A83290 m
Turn right to stay on Kinloch Road.
Kinloch Road126 m
Turn right onto Lochend Street/B842. Continue on B842.
B842309 m
Turn right onto High Street/B842.
High Street269 m
Turn right onto George Street.
George Street52 m
Turn right onto Queen Street.
Queen Street114 m
Turn right onto Prince's Street.
Prince's Street52 m
Turn right onto High Street/B842.
High Street116 m
Turn right onto George Street.
George Street52 m
Turn right onto Queen Street.
Queen Street114 m
Turn left onto Prince's Street.
Prince's Street55 m
Turn left onto North Shore Street.
North Shore Street115 m
Turn left to stay on North Shore Street.
North Shore Street104 m
Turn left onto High Street/B842.
High Street453 m
Turn left onto Broad Street.
Broad Street86 m
Turn right onto Mill Street.
Mill Street91 m
Turn right.
86 m
Turn right onto Dalaruan Street/C64.
Dalaruan Street19 m
Turn left to stay on Dalaruan Street.
Dalaruan Street124 m
Turn left onto Craiggowan Road.
Craiggowan Road25 m
Turn right onto Dalaruan Street/C64.
Dalaruan Street101 m
Turn left onto A83/Millknowe Road.
A83201 m
Turn left onto Mill Street.
Mill Street17 m
Turn left onto Millknowe Road.
Millknowe Road147 m
Turn left onto A83/Millknowe Road.
A8314 m
Turn right onto Hillside Road.
Hillside Road1.3 km
Make a right U-turn to stay on Hillside Road.
Hillside Road1.2 km
Turn right onto Calton Avenue.
Calton Avenue402 m
Turn left onto Davaar Avenue.
Davaar Avenue206 m
Turn right onto Roading.
Roading120 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Roading.
Roading466 m
Turn left onto Albyn Road.
Albyn Road69 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Albyn Road.
Albyn Road69 m
Turn left onto Roading.
Roading83 m
Turn left onto Glengyle Road.
Glengyle Road42 m
Turn right onto A83/Millknowe Road.
A83154 m
Turn right onto Long Row.
Long Row257 m
Turn left onto Burnbank Street.
Burnbank Street138 m
Turn right onto A83/Kinloch Road.
A83134 m
Enter Old Quay Head and take the 3rd exit onto Main Street/B842.
Old Quay Head69 m
Exit the roundabout onto Main Street/B842.
Main Street14 m
Turn left to stay on Main Street/B842.
Main Street118 m
Turn left onto Kirk Street.
Kirk Street153 m
Turn left onto St John Street.
St John Street82 m
Turn left onto Hall Street/C19.
Hall Street117 m
Enter Old Quay Head and take the 1st exit onto Old Quay Street.
Old Quay Head4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Old Quay Street.
Old Quay Street47 m
Turn left onto Shore Street.
Shore Street124 m
Turn right onto St John Street.
St John Street131 m
Turn right onto Argyll Street/C19.
Argyll Street141 m
Turn right onto Main Street/B842.
Main Street138 m
Turn right onto Shore Street.
Shore Street122 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Campbeltown · Route 1 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.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
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 0.8 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.
Castlehill Primary School
Start near Castlehill Primary School.
Old Quay Head
Continue to Old Quay Head, taking the junction with good observation.
M & R Motors
Continue to M & R Motors.
Kirkland Park
Continue to Kirkland Park.
Black Sheep
Continue to Black Sheep.
Main Street
Continue to Main Street, taking the junction with good observation.
Bus Terminus Park
Continue to Bus Terminus Park.
D. McNair & Son (Yard)
Continue to D. McNair & Son (Yard).
Kinloch Bar
Continue to Kinloch Bar.
Free Church
Continue to Free Church.
Dalintober Primary School
Continue to Dalintober Primary School.
A. Glen Mech
Continue to A. Glen Mech.
Argyll College UHI - Campbeltown Learning Centre
Continue to Argyll College UHI - Campbeltown Learning Centre.
Springbank Evangelical Church
Continue to Springbank Evangelical Church.
Burnside Bar
Continue to Burnside Bar.
Salvation Army Hall
Continue to Salvation Army Hall.
St Kieran's School
Continue to St Kieran's School.
St. Kiaran’s Episcopal Church
Continue to St. Kiaran’s Episcopal Church.
St Kieran's RC Church
Continue to St Kieran's RC Church.
Whisky Mac's
Finish back near Whisky Mac's, completing the loop.
This route is 12.3 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Campbeltown test centre, not an official DVSA route.