Near Currie test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 34 roundabouts and 14 turns across 76 navigation steps.
This is an independent 21.7 km practice loop near Currie test centre, taking roughly 27 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, South Gyle Broadway 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 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 76-step drive on real, named roads (about 21.9 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 Road540 m
Keep right to stay on Riccarton Mains Road.
Riccarton Mains Road839 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Edinburgh/City Bypass.
90 m
Exit the roundabout towards Edinburgh/City Bypass.
Riccarton Mains Road183 m
Keep left to stay on Riccarton Mains Road.
Riccarton Mains Road123 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 Road165 m
Keep right to stay on Riccarton Mains Road towards Edinburgh/City Bypass/M8.
Riccarton Mains Road78 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit.
148 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.
A720244 m
Keep right to stay on A720.
A72067 m
Keep right to take City of Edinburgh Bypass/A720.
City of Edinburgh Bypass2.2 km
Enter Gogar Roundabout and take the 5th exit onto South Gyle Broadway.
Gogar Roundabout312 m
Exit the roundabout onto South Gyle Broadway.
South Gyle Broadway458 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto South Gyle Broadway.
52 m
Exit the roundabout onto South Gyle Broadway.
South Gyle Broadway509 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto South Gyle Broadway.
66 m
Exit the roundabout onto South Gyle Broadway.
South Gyle Broadway779 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Nova Scotia Place.
64 m
Exit the roundabout onto Nova Scotia Place.
Nova Scotia Place34 m
Move right.
29 m
Turn left.
242 m
Turn left.
12 m
Turn left.
34 m
Turn right.
190 m
Turn left.
119 m
Turn right.
18 m
Turn left onto South Gyle Access.
South Gyle Access293 m
Turn left onto Bankhead Drive.
Bankhead Drive365 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Broomhouse Road/B701.
55 m
Exit the roundabout onto Broomhouse Road/B701.
Broomhouse Road629 m
Enter Calder Road and take the 1st exit.
Calder Road134 m
Exit the roundabout onto Calder Road/A71.
Calder Road614 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Calder Road/A71.
61 m
Exit the roundabout onto Calder Road/A71.
Calder Road788 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards West Calder/Heriot-Watt University.
120 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.
Calder Road303 m
Keep right to stay on A71.
A71718 m
Keep straight to stay on A71.
A71495 m
Turn left onto Curriehill Road.
Curriehill Road638 m
Turn right onto Warriston Farm Road.
Warriston Farm Road39 m
Move right to stay on Warriston Farm Road.
Warriston Farm Road818 m
Keep right to stay on Warriston Farm Road.
Warriston Farm Road292 m
Turn right onto Long Dalmahoy Road.
Long Dalmahoy Road728 m
Keep right to stay on Long Dalmahoy Road.
Long Dalmahoy Road232 m
Turn left onto Ravelrig Road.
Ravelrig Road112 m
Keep straight to stay on Ravelrig Road.
Ravelrig Road133 m
Keep left to stay on Ravelrig Road.
Ravelrig Road129 m
Keep left to stay on Ravelrig Road.
Ravelrig Road164 m
Keep right to stay on Ravelrig Road.
Ravelrig Road786 m
Turn left onto Lanark Road West/A70.
Lanark Road West445 m
Turn right towards Balerno Village/Marchmont.
Bridge Road377 m
Keep straight to stay on Bridge Road.
Bridge Road70 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Main Street.
18 m
Exit the roundabout onto Main Street.
Main Street89 m
Move left onto Ladycroft.
Ladycroft53 m
Turn right.
28 m
Make a right U-turn.
28 m
Turn left onto Ladycroft.
Ladycroft53 m
Move right onto Main Street.
Main Street89 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Bridge Road.
47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bridge Road.
Bridge Road359 m
Keep right to stay on Bridge Road.
Bridge Road88 m
Turn right towards Currie/Edinburgh.
Lanark Road West11 m
Keep right to stay on Lanark Road West/A70 towards Currie/Edinburgh.
Lanark Road West2.1 km
Turn left onto Riccarton Mains Road.
Riccarton Mains Road5 m
Keep left to stay on Riccarton Mains Road.
Riccarton Mains Road358 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th 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 · School-zone 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.
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.
Gyle Centre
Continue to Gyle Centre.
South Gyle Broadway
Continue to South Gyle Broadway, taking the junction with good observation.
Morrisons Daily
Continue to Morrisons Daily.
St Augustine's RC High School
Continue to St Augustine's RC High School.
Forrester RFC
Continue to Forrester RFC.
Calder Road
Continue to Calder Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Artful Dodger
Continue to Artful Dodger.
St Nicholas Parish Church
Continue to St Nicholas Parish Church.
St Nicholas Parish Church Gardens
Continue to St Nicholas Parish Church Gardens.
Hermiston Park and Ride
Continue to Hermiston Park and Ride.
Graham's Garden
Continue to Graham's Garden.
Balerno Parish Church Hall
Continue to Balerno Parish Church Hall.
St Mungo's Episcopal Church
Continue to St Mungo's Episcopal Church.
Balerno Parish Church
Continue to Balerno Parish Church.
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.
Riccarton Inn
Finish back near Riccarton Inn, completing the loop.
16 roundabouts · 18 turns
30 roundabouts · 9 turns
6 roundabouts · 17 turns
16 roundabouts · 3 turns
This route is 21.7 km and takes about 27 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Currie test centre, not an official DVSA route.