Near Dundee test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 17 turns and 5 signalled junctions across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 34.0 km practice route near Dundee 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 Strathmore Avenue, Swallow Roundabout, Coupar Angus Interchange, Kingsway West and Strathmartine Roundabout and 1 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, 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 shops, named junctions, churches and pubs, 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 105-step drive on real, named roads (about 34.0 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 right onto King's Cross Road.
King's Cross Road601 m
Turn left onto Harefield Road.
Harefield Road112 m
Turn right onto Balfield Road.
Balfield Road406 m
Turn right onto Loon's Road.
Loon's Road240 m
Turn left onto Coupar Street.
Coupar Street177 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Coupar Street.
Coupar Street177 m
Turn right onto Loon's Road.
Loon's Road842 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Strathmore Avenue.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Strathmore Avenue.
Strathmore Avenue553 m
Turn left onto Hospital Street.
Hospital Street322 m
Turn right onto Clepington Road/B960. Continue on Clepington Road.
Clepington Road292 m
Turn right onto Caird Terrace.
Caird Terrace168 m
Turn left onto Wedderburn Street.
Wedderburn Street99 m
Turn right onto Caird Avenue.
Caird Avenue133 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 Street177 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Coupar Street.
Coupar Street177 m
Turn left onto Loon's Road.
Loon's Road107 m
Make a sharp left onto Logie Street/A923. Continue on A923.
A923224 m
Move right onto City Road.
City Road709 m
Turn right onto Scott Street.
Scott Street487 m
Turn left onto Pentland Avenue.
Pentland Avenue69 m
Move left onto Balgay Road.
Balgay Road210 m
Turn right onto Blackness Road.
Blackness Road229 m
Turn left onto Marchfield Road.
Marchfield Road86 m
Turn left onto Hillcrest Road.
Hillcrest Road231 m
Turn right onto Blackness Avenue.
Blackness Avenue275 m
Turn right onto Seymour Street.
Seymour Street153 m
Turn right onto Speed Street.
Speed Street64 m
Turn right onto Hyndford Place.
Hyndford Place204 m
Turn left onto Blackness Avenue.
Blackness Avenue266 m
Turn left onto Blackness Road.
Blackness Road229 m
Turn left onto Marchfield Road.
Marchfield Road86 m
Turn left onto Hillcrest Road.
Hillcrest Road231 m
Turn left onto Blackness Avenue.
Blackness Avenue77 m
Turn left onto Blackness Road.
Blackness Road229 m
Turn left onto Marchfield Road.
Marchfield Road247 m
Turn left onto Rockfield Crescent.
Rockfield Crescent312 m
Turn left onto Hyndford Street.
Hyndford Street72 m
Turn left onto Middlebank Crescent.
Middlebank Crescent325 m
Turn right onto Marchfield Road.
Marchfield Road81 m
Turn right onto Hillcrest Road.
Hillcrest Road231 m
Turn right onto Blackness Avenue.
Blackness Avenue111 m
Turn right onto Hyndford Street.
Hyndford Street141 m
Turn right onto Rockfield Crescent.
Rockfield Crescent168 m
Turn left onto Rockfield Street.
Rockfield Street165 m
Turn left onto Shaftesbury Road.
Shaftesbury Road167 m
Turn left onto Hyndford Street.
Hyndford Street297 m
Turn left onto Blackness Avenue.
Blackness Avenue188 m
Turn left onto Blackness Road.
Blackness Road229 m
Turn left onto Marchfield Road.
Marchfield Road86 m
Turn left onto Hillcrest Road.
Hillcrest Road231 m
Turn right onto Blackness Avenue.
Blackness Avenue428 m
Turn left onto Corso Street.
Corso Street252 m
Turn right onto Peddie Street.
Peddie Street256 m
Turn left onto Hawkhill.
Hawkhill725 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Hawkhill.
89 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hawkhill.
Hawkhill2.8 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 3rd exit onto Riverside Avenue/A85.
60 m
Exit the roundabout onto Riverside Avenue/A85.
Riverside Avenue2.7 km
Enter Swallow Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A90/Kingsway West.
Swallow Roundabout83 m
Exit the roundabout onto A90/Kingsway West.
A901.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards A90/Aberdeen/Forfar.
68 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 3rd exit onto Strathmartine Road.
Strathmartine Roundabout69 m
Exit the roundabout onto Strathmartine Road.
Strathmartine Road394 m
Turn left onto Camperdown Road.
Camperdown Road840 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto MacAlpine Road.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto MacAlpine Road.
MacAlpine Road169 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto MacAlpine Road.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto MacAlpine Road.
MacAlpine Road428 m
Turn left onto St Fillans Place.
St Fillans Place170 m
Turn left onto St Fillans Road.
St Fillans Road101 m
Turn right onto MacAlpine Road.
MacAlpine Road343 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto MacAlpine Road.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto MacAlpine Road.
MacAlpine Road129 m
Turn right onto Turnberry Avenue.
Turnberry Avenue94 m
Turn left onto Gullane Road.
Gullane Road97 m
Turn right to stay on Gullane Road.
Gullane Road71 m
Turn left onto Gullane Place.
Gullane Place136 m
Turn left onto Rosemount Road.
Rosemount Road100 m
Turn left onto Staffa Place.
Staffa Place125 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Staffa Place.
Staffa Place125 m
Turn left onto Rosemount Road.
Rosemount Road59 m
Turn right onto Telford Road.
Telford Road111 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Dundee · Route 7 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 Swallow Roundabout, Strathmartine Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 7.7 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 (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.
Vauxhall - Dundee
Start near Vauxhall - Dundee.
Strathmore Avenue
Continue to Strathmore Avenue, taking the junction with good observation.
Dundee United Free Church
Continue to Dundee United Free Church.
Trinity Baptist Church
Continue to Trinity Baptist Church.
Paradise
Continue to Paradise.
Ancrum Arms
Continue to Ancrum Arms.
Logie Bar
Continue to Logie Bar.
City Church Dundee
Continue to City Church Dundee.
Blackness Primary School
Continue to Blackness Primary School.
Al-Maktoum Mosque
Continue to Al-Maktoum Mosque.
Wellcome Trust Biocentre
Continue to Wellcome Trust Biocentre.
Campbeltown Bar
Continue to Campbeltown Bar.
Botanic Community Garden
Continue to Botanic Community Garden.
Swallow Roundabout
Continue to Swallow Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Subway
Continue to Subway.
Coupar Angus Interchange
Continue to Coupar Angus Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Kingsway West
Continue to Kingsway West, taking the junction with good observation.
Strathmartine Roundabout
Continue to Strathmartine Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
MacAlpine Road
Continue to MacAlpine Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Car One
Finish back near Car One, completing the loop.
10 roundabouts · 7 turns · 3 sets of lights
10 roundabouts · 16 turns · 3 sets of lights
8 roundabouts · 12 turns · 3 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 18 turns · 3 sets of lights
This route is 34.0 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Dundee test centre, not an official DVSA route.