Near Dundee test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 10 roundabouts, 7 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 20 navigation steps.
This is an independent 44.8 km practice route near Dundee test centre, taking roughly 30 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 Kingsway West, Coupar Angus Interchange, Old Glamis Roundabout, Explorer Road and Swallow Roundabout and 4 more named junctions. 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, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, 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 pubs, named junctions, 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 Dundee 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 107-step drive on real, named roads (about 44.8 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west.
7 m
Turn right.
19 m
Turn right onto Kilspindie Place.
Kilspindie Place111 m
Turn left onto Kilspindie Road.
Kilspindie Road132 m
Turn right onto Dunsinane Avenue.
Dunsinane Avenue297 m
Turn left onto King's Cross Road.
King's Cross Road175 m
Enter Kingsway West and take the 4th exit onto Clepington Road/B960.
Kingsway West322 m
Exit the roundabout onto Clepington Road/B960. Continue on Clepington Road.
Clepington Road1.3 km
Turn right onto Caird Terrace.
Caird Terrace85 m
Turn right onto Hepburn Street.
Hepburn Street177 m
Turn right onto Strathmartine Road/B960. Continue on Strathmartine Road.
Strathmartine Road805 m
Enter Strathmartine Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A90/Kingsway West.
Strathmartine Roundabout27 m
Exit the roundabout onto A90/Kingsway West.
A902.5 km
Take the exit.
Liff Road359 m
Turn right onto Buttar's Road.
Buttar's Road411 m
Move left onto Brownhill Road.
Brownhill Road39 m
Turn right onto Gourdie Place.
Gourdie Place181 m
Turn left onto Gourdie Street.
Gourdie Street254 m
Turn left onto Balgarthno Street.
Balgarthno Street99 m
Turn right onto Balgarthno Road.
Balgarthno Road82 m
Turn left onto Charleston Street.
Charleston Street96 m
Turn right onto Dunholm Road.
Dunholm Road526 m
Turn right onto Myrekirk Road.
Myrekirk Road104 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards A90/Aberdeen/Forfar.
99 m
Exit the roundabout towards A90/Aberdeen/Forfar.
A904.0 km
Enter Strathmartine Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A90/Kingsway.
Strathmartine Roundabout39 m
Exit the roundabout onto A90/Kingsway.
A90809 m
Enter Old Glamis Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Old Glamis Road.
Old Glamis Roundabout67 m
Exit the roundabout onto Old Glamis Road.
Old Glamis Road287 m
Turn left onto Barnes Avenue.
Barnes Avenue454 m
Turn left onto Graham Street.
Graham Street287 m
Turn left onto A90/Kingsway.
A90443 m
Enter Old Glamis Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A90/Kingsway.
Old Glamis Roundabout32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A90/Kingsway.
A90808 m
Enter Strathmartine Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A90/Kingsway West.
Strathmartine Roundabout40 m
Exit the roundabout onto A90/Kingsway West.
A904.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards A90/M90/Edinburgh.
57 m
Exit the roundabout towards A90/M90/Edinburgh.
A901.3 km
Enter Swallow Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Riverside Avenue/A85.
Swallow Roundabout13 m
Exit the roundabout onto Riverside Avenue/A85.
Riverside Avenue2.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Riverside Drive.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Riverside Drive.
Riverside Drive423 m
Turn right onto Perth Road.
Perth Road1.3 km
Turn left onto Rockfield Street.
Rockfield Street71 m
Turn left onto Shaftesbury Road.
Shaftesbury Road168 m
Turn left onto Grosvenor Road.
Grosvenor Road3 m
Turn left to stay on Grosvenor Road.
Grosvenor Road74 m
Turn right onto Perth Road.
Perth Road1.2 km
Turn left onto Riverside Drive.
Riverside Drive419 m
Turn right to stay on Riverside Drive.
Riverside Drive9 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Riverside Drive.
79 m
Exit the roundabout onto Riverside Drive.
Riverside Drive423 m
Turn right onto Perth Road.
Perth Road916 m
Turn left onto West Park Road.
West Park Road423 m
Turn left onto Blackness Road.
Blackness Road673 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Glamis Road.
44 m
Exit the roundabout onto Glamis Road.
Glamis Road436 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Glamis Road.
87 m
Exit the roundabout onto Glamis Road.
Glamis Road837 m
Turn right onto Charleston Drive.
Charleston Drive700 m
Turn left onto Logie Street/A923. Continue on A923.
A923275 m
Turn right onto Gray's Lane.
Gray's Lane178 m
Turn left onto Burnside Street.
Burnside Street110 m
Turn left onto High Street.
High Street616 m
Move right onto City Road.
City Road748 m
Turn left onto Blyth Street.
Blyth Street64 m
Turn right onto Fleuchar Street.
Fleuchar Street145 m
Move left onto Fyffe Street.
Fyffe Street162 m
Turn left onto Pole Park Road.
Pole Park Road38 m
Turn left onto Lochee Road/A923.
Lochee Road221 m
Move right onto Rankine Street.
Rankine Street388 m
Move left onto Gardner Street.
Gardner Street277 m
Turn left onto Kilberry Street.
Kilberry Street226 m
Turn left onto Coupar Street.
Coupar Street54 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Coupar Street.
Coupar Street177 m
Turn right onto Loon's Road.
Loon's Road240 m
Turn left onto Balfield Road.
Balfield Road406 m
Turn left onto Harefield Road.
Harefield Road249 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Harefield Road.
58 m
Exit the roundabout onto Harefield Road.
Harefield Road138 m
Turn left onto King's Cross Road.
King's Cross Road777 m
Enter Kingsway West and take the 5th exit onto Kingscross Road.
Kingsway West365 m
Exit the roundabout onto Kingscross Road.
Kingscross Road380 m
Turn left.
65 m
Turn left.
25 m
Turn left.
78 m
Turn right onto King's Cross Road.
King's Cross Road342 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A90/Kingsway West.
201 m
Exit the roundabout onto A90/Kingsway West.
A90718 m
Enter Strathmartine Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A90/Kingsway.
Strathmartine Roundabout39 m
Exit the roundabout onto A90/Kingsway.
A90809 m
Enter Old Glamis Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Old Glamis Road.
Old Glamis Roundabout67 m
Exit the roundabout onto Old Glamis Road.
Old Glamis Road287 m
Turn left onto Barnes Avenue.
Barnes Avenue454 m
Turn left onto Graham Street.
Graham Street287 m
Turn left onto A90/Kingsway.
A90443 m
Enter Old Glamis Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Old Glamis Road.
Old Glamis Roundabout5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Old Glamis Road.
Old Glamis Road585 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Clepington Road.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Clepington Road.
Clepington Road10 m
Move left onto Caird Avenue.
Caird Avenue358 m
Enter Dens Road and take the 3rd exit onto Strathmore Avenue.
Dens Road38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Strathmore Avenue.
Strathmore Avenue817 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Brantwood Avenue.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brantwood Avenue.
Brantwood Avenue841 m
Turn left onto Coupar Street.
Coupar Street130 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Dundee · Route 3 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
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Old Glamis Roundabout, Swallow Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 16.0 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.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 50, 70 mph). Watch for repeater signs and adjust early, examiners mark you down for carrying the wrong speed into a new limit.
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.
Glens
Start near Glens.
Kingsway West
Continue to Kingsway West, taking the junction with good observation.
Coupar Angus Interchange
Continue to Coupar Angus Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Domino's
Continue to Domino's.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Continue to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Old Glamis Roundabout
Continue to Old Glamis Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Explorer Road
Continue to Explorer Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Swallow Roundabout
Continue to Swallow Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Botanic Community Garden
Continue to Botanic Community Garden.
Riverside Drive
Continue to Riverside Drive, taking the junction with good observation.
Glamis Road
Continue to Glamis Road, taking the junction with good observation.
St Mary's RC Primary School
Continue to St Mary's RC Primary School.
St Mary the Immaculate Conception
Continue to St Mary the Immaculate Conception.
City Church Dundee
Continue to City Church Dundee.
Queen Anne
Continue to Queen Anne.
Harefield Road
Continue to Harefield Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Dundee United Free Church
Continue to Dundee United Free Church.
Trinity Baptist Church
Continue to Trinity Baptist Church.
Strathmore Avenue
Finish back near Strathmore Avenue, completing the loop.
10 roundabouts · 16 turns · 3 sets of lights
8 roundabouts · 12 turns · 3 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 18 turns · 3 sets of lights
8 roundabouts · 13 turns · 2 sets of lights
This route is 44.8 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Dundee test centre, not an official DVSA route.