Near Dunoon test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 3 roundabouts, 27 turns and 1 signalled junction across 33 navigation steps.
This is an independent 34.0 km practice route near Dunoon test centre, taking roughly 45 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.
On this route you’ll practise 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, shops, schools 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 Dunoon 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 81-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 southwest on Highland Avenue.
Highland Avenue164 m
Turn left onto A885.
A8853.0 km
Turn left onto George Street.
George Street314 m
Turn left onto Milton Road.
Milton Road167 m
Turn left onto Queen Street/B8041.
Queen Street472 m
Turn right onto Argyll Street/A885. Continue on A885.
A8853.1 km
Turn right onto Ferguslie Street.
Ferguslie Street11 m
Turn right onto Cromlech Road/C8.
Cromlech Road197 m
Turn right onto Queen's Road.
Queen's Road131 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Queen's Road.
Queen's Road131 m
Turn left onto Cromlech Road/C8.
Cromlech Road197 m
Turn left onto Ferguslie Street.
Ferguslie Street11 m
Turn left onto High Road/A885. Continue on A885.
A8852.5 km
Turn left onto Bencorrum Brae.
Bencorrum Brae265 m
Move right onto Ardenslate Road.
Ardenslate Road851 m
Turn right onto Hunter Street/C60.
Hunter Street254 m
Turn right onto Dixon Avenue.
Dixon Avenue200 m
Turn right onto Argyll Road.
Argyll Road199 m
Turn left onto Ardenslate Road.
Ardenslate Road567 m
Move left onto Bencorrum Brae.
Bencorrum Brae265 m
Turn right onto Sandbank Road/A885. Continue on A885.
A8852.5 km
Turn right onto Ferguslie Street.
Ferguslie Street11 m
Turn right onto Cromlech Road/C8.
Cromlech Road197 m
Move left onto Pier Road/C8.
Pier Road250 m
Turn left onto Shore Road/A815.
Shore Road250 m
Turn left onto Ferguslie Street.
Ferguslie Street178 m
Turn left onto High Road/A885. Continue on A885.
A8853.2 km
Turn right onto McArthur Street/B8042.
McArthur Street123 m
Turn left onto Victoria Road/B8042.
Victoria Road792 m
Turn left onto Tom-A-Mhoid Road/A815. Continue on A815.
A815717 m
Turn left onto Argyll Street/A885.
Argyll Street57 m
Turn left onto Kirk Brae.
Kirk Brae121 m
Turn right onto Kirk Street.
Kirk Street85 m
Move left onto Ferry Brae.
Ferry Brae20 m
Turn left onto Milton Avenue.
Milton Avenue155 m
Turn left onto Tom-A-Mhoid Road/A815. Continue on A815.
A8151.3 km
Turn left onto Milton Road.
Milton Road262 m
Turn left onto Queen Street/B8041.
Queen Street472 m
Turn left onto Argyll Street/A885.
Argyll Street94 m
Turn right onto McArthur Street/B8042.
McArthur Street123 m
Turn left onto Victoria Road/B8042.
Victoria Road407 m
Turn left onto Royal Crescent.
Royal Crescent411 m
Turn right onto Victoria Road/B8042.
Victoria Road667 m
Turn left onto McArthur Street.
McArthur Street238 m
Turn left onto Alexander Street.
Alexander Street628 m
Turn left onto Mary Street.
Mary Street216 m
Turn left onto Edward Street.
Edward Street131 m
Turn left onto Hill Street.
Hill Street226 m
Turn right onto Alexander Street.
Alexander Street300 m
Turn right onto Alfred Street.
Alfred Street84 m
Turn right onto King Street.
King Street131 m
Turn right onto John Street.
John Street83 m
Turn left onto Alexander Street.
Alexander Street524 m
Turn left onto William Street.
William Street307 m
Turn left onto Wellington Street/A815.
Wellington Street219 m
Turn left onto Victoria Road/B8042.
Victoria Road792 m
Turn right onto McArthur Street/B8042.
McArthur Street123 m
Turn right onto Argyll Street/A885. Continue on A885.
A885504 m
Turn right onto A815.
A815431 m
Turn right onto Argyll Street/A885.
Argyll Street57 m
Turn left onto Kirk Brae.
Kirk Brae121 m
Move left onto Kirk Street.
Kirk Street18 m
Move left onto Church Square.
Church Square17 m
Move left onto Kirk Street.
Kirk Street126 m
Make a sharp right onto Tom-A-Mhoid Road/A815.
Tom-A-Mhoid Road190 m
Turn right onto Hillfoot Street.
Hillfoot Street155 m
Turn right onto Ferry Brae.
Ferry Brae20 m
Move right onto Kirk Street.
Kirk Street58 m
Turn left onto School Brae.
School Brae63 m
Turn right onto Ferry Brae.
Ferry Brae62 m
Move left onto Argyll Street/A885.
Argyll Street703 m
Turn right onto Queen Street/B8041.
Queen Street672 m
Turn left onto Alexandra Parade/A815.
Alexandra Parade28 m
Move left to stay on Alexandra Parade.
Alexandra Parade142 m
Turn right onto Port Riddell.
Port Riddell16 m
Turn right onto Alexandra Parade/A815. Continue on A815.
A815652 m
Turn right onto Church Street.
Church Street158 m
Turn right onto Argyll Street/A885.
Argyll Street116 m
Turn right to stay on A885.
A885156 m
Turn left onto George Street.
George Street213 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Dunoon · 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.
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.
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.
Dunoon Police office
Start near Dunoon Police office.
Lorne
Continue to Lorne.
British Red Cross
Continue to British Red Cross.
Morrisons
Continue to Morrisons.
Studio Cinema Dunoon
Continue to Studio Cinema Dunoon.
Co-operative Food
Continue to Co-operative Food.
Road Policing/Accomodation
Continue to Road Policing/Accomodation.
Argyll College UHI - Dunoon
Continue to Argyll College UHI - Dunoon.
Clan Lamont Memorial
Continue to Clan Lamont Memorial.
St John's Church
Continue to St John's Church.
Dunoon Primary School
Continue to Dunoon Primary School.
High Kirk Dunoon
Continue to High Kirk Dunoon.
Victoria Bar
Continue to Victoria Bar.
Dunoon Baptist Church
Continue to Dunoon Baptist Church.
Dunoon Leisure Centre
Continue to Dunoon Leisure Centre.
Victoria Square
Continue to Victoria Square.
Top Shop
Continue to Top Shop.
Argyll Vintners
Continue to Argyll Vintners.
Barnardo's
Continue to Barnardo's.
Ingram's Bar
Finish back near Ingram's Bar, completing the loop.
1 roundabout · 22 turns
1 roundabout · 26 turns · 1 set of lights
1 roundabout · 23 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 34.0 km and takes about 45 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Dunoon test centre, not an official DVSA route.