Near Currie test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 16 roundabouts and 18 turns across 46 navigation steps.
This is an independent 23.4 km practice loop near Currie test centre, taking roughly 26 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. 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 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, named junctions, stations 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 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 46-step drive on real, named roads (about 23.4 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 Riccarton Mains Road and take the 2nd exit onto Riccarton Avenue.
Riccarton Mains Road52 m
Exit the roundabout onto Riccarton Avenue.
Riccarton Avenue331 m
Turn right onto Curriehill Road.
Curriehill Road112 m
Turn left onto Forth View Crescent.
Forth View Crescent373 m
Turn right.
7 m
Make a right U-turn.
7 m
Turn left onto Currievale Drive.
Currievale Drive373 m
Turn left onto Curriehill Road.
Curriehill Road2.3 km
Turn right onto A71.
A711.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Edinburgh/City Bypass/M8.
71 m
Exit the roundabout towards Edinburgh/City Bypass/M8.
Calder Road524 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A720.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto A720.
A720312 m
Keep right to take City of Edinburgh Bypass/A720/E 15.
City of Edinburgh Bypass2.2 km
Enter Gogar Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto E 15.
Gogar Roundabout213 m
Exit the roundabout onto Glasgow Road/A8.
Glasgow Road675 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Glasgow Road/A8.
Glasgow Road431 m
Take the Gogar Roundabout exit onto A720 towards City Bypass/The South and East/South Gyle.
E 1593 m
Keep right to take E 15.
E 15119 m
Enter Gogar Roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards City Bypass/The South and East.
Gogar Roundabout81 m
Exit the roundabout towards City Bypass/The South and East.
City of Edinburgh Bypass949 m
Take the Hermiston Gait exit.
A720355 m
Keep left to take A720.
A7201.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards West Calder/Heriot-Watt University.
194 m
Exit the roundabout towards West Calder/Heriot-Watt University.
Calder Road532 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Calder Road/A71.
89 m
Exit the roundabout onto Calder Road/A71. Continue on A71.
A711.5 km
Turn left onto Curriehill Road.
Curriehill Road638 m
Turn right onto Warriston Farm Road.
Warriston Farm Road1.2 km
Turn right onto Long Dalmahoy Road.
Long Dalmahoy Road961 m
Turn left onto Ravelrig Road.
Ravelrig Road1.3 km
Turn left onto Lanark Road West/A70.
Lanark Road West897 m
Turn left onto Newmills Road.
Newmills Road407 m
Turn right onto Newmills Avenue.
Newmills Avenue109 m
Turn right onto Curriehill Castle Drive.
Curriehill Castle Drive227 m
Turn left to stay on Curriehill Castle Drive.
Curriehill Castle Drive99 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Curriehill Castle Drive.
Curriehill Castle Drive99 m
Turn right to stay on Curriehill Castle Drive.
Curriehill Castle Drive227 m
Turn left onto Newmills Avenue.
Newmills Avenue109 m
Turn left onto Newmills Road.
Newmills Road407 m
Turn left towards Currie/Edinburgh.
Lanark Road West1.6 km
Turn left onto Riccarton Mains Road.
Riccarton Mains Road364 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Bryce Road.
76 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bryce Road.
Bryce Road68 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Currie · Residential + A-road 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.
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.
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.
Hairtech
Start near Hairtech.
Riccarton Mains Road
Continue to Riccarton Mains Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Curriehill
Continue to Curriehill.
Jigsaw Childcare
Continue to Jigsaw Childcare.
Krispy Kreme
Continue to Krispy Kreme.
War Memorial
Continue to War Memorial.
Hermiston Park and Ride
Continue to Hermiston Park and Ride.
Hermiston Park & Ride
Continue to Hermiston Park & Ride.
ABC Chiropractic
Continue to ABC Chiropractic.
Pentland Carpet's
Continue to Pentland Carpet's.
Williams Purves Funeral Directors
Continue to Williams Purves Funeral Directors.
Bees Knees Nursery
Continue to Bees Knees Nursery.
King George V Park
Continue to King George V Park.
Bayne's
Continue to Bayne's.
Domino's
Continue to Domino's.
Gift Stop
Continue to Gift Stop.
Platinum Barbers
Continue to Platinum Barbers.
Riccarton Inn
Continue to Riccarton Inn.
Scotmid
Continue to Scotmid.
Sofia's
Finish back near Sofia's, completing the loop.
34 roundabouts · 14 turns
30 roundabouts · 9 turns
6 roundabouts · 17 turns
16 roundabouts · 3 turns
This route is 23.4 km and takes about 26 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Currie test centre, not an official DVSA route.