Near Currie test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 16 roundabouts and 3 turns across 21 navigation steps.
This is an independent 12.8 km practice loop near Currie test centre, taking roughly 17 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 Riccarton Mains Road and Calder Road. 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 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 named junctions, stations, shops and churches, 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 Currie 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:
The full 21-step drive on real, named roads (about 12.8 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west on Bryce Road.
Bryce Road68 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Riccarton Mains Road.
78 m
Exit the roundabout onto Riccarton Mains Road.
Riccarton Mains Road1.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Edinburgh/City Bypass.
90 m
Exit the roundabout towards Edinburgh/City Bypass.
Riccarton Mains Road307 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Edinburgh/City Bypass/M8.
31 m
Exit the roundabout towards Edinburgh/City Bypass/M8.
Riccarton Mains Road244 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards Edinburgh/City Bypass/M8.
149 m
Exit the roundabout towards Edinburgh/City Bypass/M8.
Calder Road524 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards City Centre.
120 m
Exit the roundabout towards City Centre.
Calder Road802 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards City Centre.
57 m
Exit the roundabout towards City Centre.
Calder Road617 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards City Centre.
76 m
Exit the roundabout towards City Centre.
Calder Road677 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards City Centre.
65 m
Exit the roundabout towards City Centre.
A711.2 km
Turn right onto Chesser Avenue.
Chesser Avenue732 m
Turn right onto Slateford Road/A70. Continue on A70.
A705.1 km
Turn right onto Bryce Road.
Bryce Road412 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Currie · Dual-carriageway practice loop 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
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.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Riccarton Mains Road
Start near Riccarton Mains Road.
Hermiston Park and Ride
Continue to Hermiston Park and Ride.
Topps Tiles
Continue to Topps Tiles.
Edinburgh Car Store
Continue to Edinburgh Car Store.
Subway
Continue to Subway.
Calder Road
Continue to Calder Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Day-Today
Continue to Day-Today.
Premier Calder Road Foodstore
Continue to Premier Calder Road Foodstore.
Gds Church
Continue to Gds Church.
Dhamma Padipa Temple
Continue to Dhamma Padipa Temple.
Slateford
Continue to Slateford.
Domino's
Continue to Domino's.
Tracey Victoria Interiors
Continue to Tracey Victoria Interiors.
Cranley Nursery
Continue to Cranley Nursery.
Tanners
Continue to Tanners.
Juniper Green Parish Church
Continue to Juniper Green Parish Church.
Kinleith Mill
Continue to Kinleith Mill.
Sainsbury's Local
Continue to Sainsbury's Local.
Clearview Opticians
Continue to Clearview Opticians.
Co-op Food
Finish back near Co-op Food, completing the loop.
16 roundabouts · 18 turns
34 roundabouts · 14 turns
30 roundabouts · 9 turns
6 roundabouts · 17 turns
This route is 12.8 km and takes about 17 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Currie test centre, not an official DVSA route.