Near Dunoon test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 1 roundabout, 23 turns and 1 signalled junction across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 36.6 km practice route near Dunoon 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.
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 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 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 64-step drive on real, named roads (about 36.6 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 right onto Milton Road.
Milton Road95 m
Turn right onto Alexandra Parade/A815.
Alexandra Parade267 m
Turn right onto A885.
A885387 m
Turn left onto Alfred Street.
Alfred Street84 m
Turn left onto Victoria Road/B8042.
Victoria Road135 m
Turn right onto John Street.
John Street140 m
Turn right onto Edward Street.
Edward Street129 m
Turn right onto Alfred Street.
Alfred Street205 m
Turn left onto Argyll Street/A885.
Argyll Street768 m
Turn right 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.
A8851.3 km
Turn right onto Ferry Road.
Ferry Road1.1 km
Turn right onto C8.
C8371 m
Turn left onto Ferry Road.
Ferry Road163 m
Turn left onto Shore Road/A815.
Shore Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Ferguslie Street.
Ferguslie Street178 m
Turn left onto High Road/A885. Continue on A885.
A885630 m
Turn left onto Highland Avenue.
Highland Avenue263 m
Move right to stay on Highland Avenue.
Highland Avenue136 m
Turn left to stay on Highland Avenue.
Highland Avenue775 m
Turn right onto A885.
A885629 m
Turn right onto Ferguslie Street.
Ferguslie Street178 m
Turn left onto Shore Road/A815.
Shore Road211 m
Turn left onto Rankin's Brae/A815.
Rankin's Brae112 m
Turn left onto High Road/A885. Continue on A885.
A8852.2 km
Keep left to take Ardenslate Road.
Ardenslate Road1.5 km
Turn right onto Alexandra Parade/A815.
Alexandra Parade1.0 km
Turn right onto Port Riddell.
Port Riddell16 m
Turn left onto Alexandra Parade.
Alexandra Parade560 m
Turn right onto A885.
A8851.2 km
Turn right onto Bencorrum Brae.
Bencorrum Brae265 m
Move right onto Ardenslate Road.
Ardenslate Road1.2 km
Turn right onto Alexandra Parade/A815. Continue on A815.
A8152.0 km
Turn right onto Argyll Street/A885.
Argyll Street57 m
Turn left onto Kirk Brae.
Kirk Brae121 m
Turn right onto Kirk Street.
Kirk Street27 m
Turn right onto School Brae.
School Brae63 m
Turn right onto Ferry Brae.
Ferry Brae62 m
Move left onto Argyll Street/A885. Continue on A885.
A8852.6 km
Turn right onto Ferry Road.
Ferry Road1.2 km
Turn left onto Shore Road/A815.
Shore Road524 m
Turn left onto Ferguslie Street.
Ferguslie Street178 m
Turn left onto High Road/A885. Continue on A885.
A8853.7 km
Turn right onto A815.
A815431 m
Turn right onto Argyll Street/A885.
Argyll Street283 m
Turn right onto Moir Street.
Moir Street117 m
Turn left onto A815.
A815559 m
Move left onto 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 6 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
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.
British Red Cross
Start near British Red Cross.
Dunoon Police office
Continue to Dunoon Police office.
Lorne
Continue to Lorne.
Morrisons
Continue to Morrisons.
Studio Cinema Dunoon
Continue to Studio Cinema Dunoon.
Road Policing/Accomodation
Continue to Road Policing/Accomodation.
Lazaretto Cockle Shell Heroes
Continue to Lazaretto Cockle Shell Heroes.
Sandbank War Memorial
Continue to Sandbank War Memorial.
J P Carpets
Continue to J P Carpets.
Cards & Gifts
Continue to Cards & Gifts.
Cowal Cottage Bakery
Continue to Cowal Cottage Bakery.
Barnardo's
Continue to Barnardo's.
Bookpoint
Continue to Bookpoint.
Dunoon Baptist Church
Continue to Dunoon Baptist Church.
Dunoon Turkish Barber
Continue to Dunoon Turkish Barber.
High Kirk Dunoon
Continue to High Kirk Dunoon.
Ingram's Bar
Continue to Ingram's Bar.
Kents of Dunoon
Continue to Kents of Dunoon.
Wee Shop
Continue to Wee Shop.
Dunoon Leisure Centre
Finish back near Dunoon Leisure Centre, completing the loop.
1 roundabout · 22 turns
1 roundabout · 26 turns · 1 set of lights
3 roundabouts · 27 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 36.6 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Dunoon test centre, not an official DVSA route.