Near Dundee test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts, 13 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 23 navigation steps.
This is an independent 31.5 km practice route near Dundee test centre, taking roughly 35 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, MacAlpine Road, Strathmore Avenue, Glamis Road and Strathmartine Roundabout. 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, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres 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 named junctions, shops, pubs 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 111-step drive on real, named roads (about 31.5 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 2nd exit onto MacAlpine Road.
Kingsway West135 m
Exit the roundabout onto MacAlpine Road.
MacAlpine Road254 m
Turn left onto Rosemount Road.
Rosemount Road224 m
Turn left onto Telford Road.
Telford Road111 m
Turn right onto Faraday Street.
Faraday Street664 m
Turn right onto Harrison Road.
Harrison Road296 m
Turn right onto Rosemount Road.
Rosemount Road701 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 Road282 m
Turn left onto MacAlpine Road.
MacAlpine Road333 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto MacAlpine Road.
20 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 Road169 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto MacAlpine Road.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto MacAlpine Road.
MacAlpine Road589 m
Enter Kingsway West and take the 2nd exit onto Clepington Road/B960.
Kingsway West146 m
Exit the roundabout onto Clepington Road/B960.
Clepington Road475 m
Turn right onto Johnston Avenue.
Johnston Avenue561 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Strathmore Avenue.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Strathmore Avenue.
Strathmore Avenue363 m
Turn left.
18 m
Turn right.
31 m
Turn right.
18 m
Turn right onto Strathmore Avenue.
Strathmore Avenue393 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Brantwood Avenue.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brantwood Avenue.
Brantwood Avenue253 m
Turn right onto Alpin Road.
Alpin Road112 m
Turn left onto Glenisla Terrace.
Glenisla Terrace81 m
Turn left onto Glenesk Avenue.
Glenesk Avenue157 m
Turn left onto Loon's Road.
Loon's Road111 m
Turn left onto Alpin Road.
Alpin Road250 m
Turn right onto Strathmore Avenue.
Strathmore Avenue129 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Strathmore Avenue.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto Strathmore Avenue.
Strathmore Avenue553 m
Turn left onto Hospital Street.
Hospital Street322 m
Turn left onto Clepington Road/B960.
Clepington Road300 m
Turn left onto Glenprosen Terrace.
Glenprosen Terrace431 m
Turn left onto Strathmore Avenue.
Strathmore Avenue314 m
Turn left onto Hospital Street.
Hospital Street322 m
Turn right onto Clepington Road/B960. Continue on Clepington Road.
Clepington Road527 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Clepington Road.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto Clepington Road.
Clepington Road333 m
Turn right onto Hindmarsh Avenue.
Hindmarsh Avenue21 m
Turn right to stay on Hindmarsh Avenue.
Hindmarsh Avenue46 m
Turn left onto Clepington Road.
Clepington Road300 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Clepington Road.
4 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 Avenue948 m
Make a sharp left onto Logie Street/A923.
Logie Street145 m
Turn right onto Ancrum Road.
Ancrum Road657 m
Move left onto Glamis Road.
Glamis Road865 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Glamis Road.
14 m
Exit the roundabout onto Glamis Road.
Glamis Road444 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Glamis Road.
69 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 Drive515 m
Turn left onto Muirton Road.
Muirton Road83 m
Turn right to stay on Muirton Road.
Muirton Road458 m
Turn left onto Balfield Road.
Balfield Road406 m
Turn left onto Harefield Road.
Harefield Road112 m
Turn right onto King's Cross Road.
King's Cross Road777 m
Enter Kingsway West and take the 2nd exit onto MacAlpine Road.
Kingsway West135 m
Exit the roundabout onto MacAlpine Road.
MacAlpine Road587 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto MacAlpine Road.
20 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 Road818 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Laird Street.
90 m
Exit the roundabout onto Laird Street.
Laird Street251 m
Turn left onto Harestane Place.
Harestane Place105 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Harestane Place.
Harestane Place105 m
Turn left onto Harestane Road.
Harestane Road415 m
Turn right onto Burn Street.
Burn Street518 m
Turn right onto Baldovan Road.
Baldovan Road392 m
Turn left onto Harestane Road.
Harestane Road358 m
Turn left onto Strathmartine Road.
Strathmartine Road171 m
Turn left to stay on Strathmartine Road.
Strathmartine Road82 m
Turn left onto Loftus Street.
Loftus Street52 m
Turn right onto Loftus Road.
Loftus Road79 m
Turn right onto Baldovan Road.
Baldovan Road162 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Strathmartine Road.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto Strathmartine Road.
Strathmartine Road1.0 km
Enter Strathmartine Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Strathmartine Road.
Strathmartine Roundabout116 m
Exit the roundabout onto Strathmartine Road.
Strathmartine Road1.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Strathmartine Road.
65 m
Exit the roundabout onto Strathmartine Road.
Strathmartine Road409 m
Turn left onto Laird Street.
Laird Street224 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Laird Street.
63 m
Exit the roundabout onto Laird Street.
Laird Street988 m
Move left onto Dalmahoy Drive.
Dalmahoy Drive2.2 km
Turn right onto Telford Road.
Telford Road111 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Dundee · Route 9 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.
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 Strathmartine Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40 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.
Kingsway West
Start near Kingsway West.
MacAlpine Road
Continue to MacAlpine Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Topps Tiles
Continue to Topps Tiles.
Strathmore Avenue
Continue to Strathmore Avenue, taking the junction with good observation.
Yummies Deli
Continue to Yummies Deli.
Ambassador Bar
Continue to Ambassador Bar.
Glens
Continue to Glens.
Dundee United Free Church
Continue to Dundee United Free Church.
Trinity Baptist Church
Continue to Trinity Baptist Church.
Arnold Clark
Continue to Arnold Clark.
Ancrum Road
Continue to Ancrum Road.
Ancrum Road Primary School
Continue to Ancrum Road Primary School.
Glamis Road
Continue to Glamis Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Fiat - Dundee
Continue to Fiat - Dundee.
John Clark BMW
Continue to John Clark BMW.
St Luke's Cafe Church
Continue to St Luke's Cafe Church.
Strathmartine Roundabout
Continue to Strathmartine Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Premier Downfield Store
Continue to Premier Downfield Store.
Nine Maidens
Finish back near Nine Maidens, 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 31.5 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Dundee test centre, not an official DVSA route.