Near Dunfermline test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts, 10 turns and 1 signalled junction across 20 navigation steps.
This is an independent 18.8 km practice route near Dunfermline 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 Linburn Road, Bothwell Gardens Roundabout, St Leonard Roundabout and St. Margaret 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, 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 churches, shops, named junctions 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 Dunfermline 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 69-step drive on real, named roads (about 18.8 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northeast.
17 m
Turn right.
13 m
Turn left onto Garvock Hill.
Garvock Hill70 m
Turn right onto Garvock Bank.
Garvock Bank660 m
Turn left onto Woodmill Road.
Woodmill Road910 m
Turn right onto Linburn Road.
Linburn Road245 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Linburn Road.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Linburn Road.
Linburn Road825 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Masterton Road.
64 m
Exit the roundabout onto Masterton Road.
Masterton Road966 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Carnegie Avenue.
67 m
Exit the roundabout onto Carnegie Avenue.
Carnegie Avenue652 m
Turn left onto Maclean Gate.
Maclean Gate57 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Maclean Gate.
51 m
Exit the roundabout onto Maclean Gate.
Maclean Gate57 m
Turn right onto Carnegie Avenue.
Carnegie Avenue648 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Masterton Road.
11 m
Exit the roundabout onto Masterton Road.
Masterton Road783 m
Turn left onto Morrison Drive.
Morrison Drive265 m
Turn left onto Pitcorthie Drive.
Pitcorthie Drive741 m
Turn right onto Poplar Grove.
Poplar Grove90 m
Turn left onto Lilac Grove.
Lilac Grove134 m
Turn left onto Ash Grove.
Ash Grove76 m
Turn left onto Pitcorthie Drive.
Pitcorthie Drive277 m
Turn left onto Mulberry Drive.
Mulberry Drive377 m
Turn left onto Evershed Drive.
Evershed Drive471 m
Turn right onto Glen Nevis Drive.
Glen Nevis Drive131 m
Turn left onto Aberdour Road/B916.
Aberdour Road210 m
Turn right onto Blacklaw Road.
Blacklaw Road935 m
Turn right onto Woodmill Road.
Woodmill Road253 m
Turn right to stay on Woodmill Road.
Woodmill Road108 m
Turn left to stay on Woodmill Road.
Woodmill Road1.1 km
Enter Bothwell Gardens Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Nethertown Broad Street/B9156.
Bothwell Gardens Roundabout57 m
Exit the roundabout onto Nethertown Broad Street/B9156.
Nethertown Broad Street289 m
Turn right onto Moodie Street.
Moodie Street195 m
Turn left onto Priory Lane.
Priory Lane32 m
Turn right.
54 m
Turn left onto Buchanan Street.
Buchanan Street51 m
Turn left onto St Margaret Street.
St Margaret Street138 m
Turn right onto Moodie Street.
Moodie Street196 m
Turn left onto Nethertown Broad Street/B9156.
Nethertown Broad Street288 m
Enter Bothwell Gardens Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Bothwell Street/A823.
Bothwell Gardens Roundabout87 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bothwell Street/A823. Continue on A823.
A823398 m
Enter St Leonard Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hospital Hill/A823.
St Leonard Roundabout30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hospital Hill/A823. Continue on A823.
A823827 m
Enter King Malcolm Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Grange Drive.
King Malcolm Roundabout131 m
Exit the roundabout onto Grange Drive.
Grange Drive96 m
Make a right U-turn at Grange Wynd to stay on Grange Drive.
Grange Drive109 m
Enter King Malcolm Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Queensferry Road/A823.
King Malcolm Roundabout114 m
Exit the roundabout onto Queensferry Road/A823.
Queensferry Road1.0 km
Enter St. Margaret Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Queensferry Road/A823.
St. Margaret Roundabout49 m
Exit the roundabout onto Queensferry Road/A823.
Queensferry Road295 m
Enter Pitreavie Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Queensferry Road/B980.
Pitreavie Roundabout174 m
Exit the roundabout onto Queensferry Road/B980.
Queensferry Road202 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Primrose Lane.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Primrose Lane.
Primrose Lane540 m
Turn left to stay on Primrose Lane.
Primrose Lane76 m
Turn left onto Booth Avenue.
Booth Avenue79 m
Turn left onto Primrose Avenue.
Primrose Avenue164 m
Turn left onto Anderson Lane.
Anderson Lane92 m
Turn right onto Primrose Lane.
Primrose Lane442 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Queensferry Road/B980.
8 m
Exit the roundabout onto Queensferry Road/B980.
Queensferry Road210 m
Enter Pitreavie Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Queensferry Road/A823.
Pitreavie Roundabout137 m
Exit the roundabout onto Queensferry Road/A823.
Queensferry Road314 m
Enter St. Margaret Roundabout and take the 1st exit.
St. Margaret Roundabout3 m
Exit the roundabout.
273 m
Turn left onto Pitreavie Drive.
Pitreavie Drive264 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Dunfermline · Route 5 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.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Bothwell Gardens Roundabout, St Leonard Roundabout, St. Margaret 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.
Vine Church
Start near Vine Church.
Curry Pot
Continue to Curry Pot.
Linburn Road
Continue to Linburn Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Barley Sheaf
Continue to Barley Sheaf.
Ladbrokes
Continue to Ladbrokes.
K.S. Store
Continue to K.S. Store.
Our Lady of Lourdes Church
Continue to Our Lady of Lourdes Church.
Morrisons Daily
Continue to Morrisons Daily.
Rex Park
Continue to Rex Park.
St Leonard's Parish Church
Continue to St Leonard's Parish Church.
Bothwell Gardens Roundabout
Continue to Bothwell Gardens Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
J&W Carpets
Continue to J&W Carpets.
St Leonard Roundabout
Continue to St Leonard Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Edwards Bar and Grill
Continue to Edwards Bar and Grill.
Hospital Hill Gospel Hall
Continue to Hospital Hill Gospel Hall.
Rosyth
Continue to Rosyth.
St. Margaret Roundabout
Continue to St. Margaret Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Cottars
Continue to Cottars.
Revolution Laundry
Continue to Revolution Laundry.
Pitreavie Kindergarten
Finish back near Pitreavie Kindergarten, completing the loop.
7 roundabouts · 8 turns · 3 sets of lights
8 roundabouts · 6 turns · 5 sets of lights
8 roundabouts · 12 turns
11 roundabouts · 8 turns
This route is 18.8 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Dunfermline test centre, not an official DVSA route.