Near Edinburgh (Currie) test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts, 16 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 22 navigation steps.
This is an independent 49.9 km practice route near Edinburgh (Currie) 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 Riccarton Mains Road. 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, national-speed roads, 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 stations, named junctions, shops and schools, 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 Edinburgh (Currie) 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 59-step drive on real, named roads (about 49.9 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west on Bryce Road.
Bryce Road82 m
Enter Riccarton Mains Road and take the 2nd exit onto Riccarton Avenue.
Riccarton Mains Road52 m
Exit the roundabout onto Riccarton Avenue.
Riccarton Avenue331 m
Turn left onto Curriehill Road.
Curriehill Road129 m
Turn right onto Forth View Crescent.
Forth View Crescent54 m
Turn right onto Palmer Road.
Palmer Road248 m
Turn right onto Forth View Crescent.
Forth View Crescent36 m
Turn left onto Curriehill Road.
Curriehill Road2.3 km
Turn left onto A71.
A712.2 km
Turn right onto Dalmahoy Road.
Dalmahoy Road1.7 km
Turn left onto Main Street.
Main Street2.2 km
Turn left onto Bonnington Road/B7030.
Bonnington Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Orchardfield Terrace/A71. Continue on A71.
A711.2 km
Turn right.
990 m
Turn left onto Long Dalmahoy Road.
Long Dalmahoy Road1.9 km
Turn right onto Ravelrig Road.
Ravelrig Road1.5 km
Turn right onto Ravelrig Drive.
Ravelrig Drive25 m
Turn left to stay on Ravelrig Drive.
Ravelrig Drive125 m
Turn right onto Lanark Road West/A70. Continue on A70.
A705.8 km
Turn right onto Hailes Grove.
Hailes Grove95 m
Turn left onto Hailes Terrace.
Hailes Terrace166 m
Turn left onto Hailes Avenue.
Hailes Avenue173 m
Turn left onto Lanark Road/A70. Continue on A70.
A705.5 km
Turn left towards Balerno Village/Marchmont.
Bridge Road448 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Johnsburn Road.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Johnsburn Road.
Johnsburn Road2.1 km
Turn left onto Mansfield Road.
Mansfield Road1.2 km
Turn right onto Bridge Road.
Bridge Road364 m
Turn right towards Currie/Edinburgh.
A705.4 km
Turn right onto Hailes Grove.
Hailes Grove95 m
Turn left onto Hailes Terrace.
Hailes Terrace166 m
Turn left onto Hailes Avenue.
Hailes Avenue173 m
Turn left onto Lanark Road/A70. Continue on A70.
A705.1 km
Turn right onto Newmills Court.
Newmills Court26 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Newmills Court.
Newmills Court26 m
Turn left towards Currie/Edinburgh.
Lanark Road West706 m
Turn left onto Stewart Road.
Stewart Road92 m
Turn left onto Dolphin Road.
Dolphin Road71 m
Turn left onto Stewart Avenue.
Stewart Avenue85 m
Turn right onto Cherry Tree Place.
Cherry Tree Place110 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Cherry Tree Place.
Cherry Tree Place110 m
Turn left onto Cherry Tree Crescent.
Cherry Tree Crescent85 m
Turn right onto Dolphin Road.
Dolphin Road71 m
Turn right onto Stewart Road.
Stewart Road92 m
Turn left onto Lanark Road West/A70.
Lanark Road West347 m
Turn left onto Dolphin Avenue.
Dolphin Avenue247 m
Turn right onto Dolphin Gardens East.
Dolphin Gardens East131 m
Turn right onto Pentland Avenue.
Pentland Avenue85 m
Turn right onto Pentland View.
Pentland View165 m
Turn right onto Dolphin Avenue.
Dolphin Avenue145 m
Turn right onto Dolphin Gardens East.
Dolphin Gardens East326 m
Turn left onto Pentland Place.
Pentland Place68 m
Turn right onto Forth View Crescent.
Forth View Crescent70 m
Turn left onto Curriehill Road.
Curriehill Road129 m
Turn right onto Riccarton Avenue.
Riccarton Avenue150 m
Turn right onto Riccarton Crescent.
Riccarton Crescent360 m
Turn right onto Riccarton Mains Road.
Riccarton Mains Road121 m
Turn left onto Lanark Road West/A70. Continue on A70.
A703.1 km
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Edinburgh (Currie) · Route 12 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
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 50, 60 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.
Curriehill
Start near Curriehill.
Riccarton Mains Road
Continue to Riccarton Mains Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Village Shop
Continue to Village Shop.
Angela Elizabeth Private Nursery
Continue to Angela Elizabeth Private Nursery.
Bees Knees Nursery
Continue to Bees Knees Nursery.
Sofia's
Continue to Sofia's.
Juniper Green Parish Church
Continue to Juniper Green Parish Church.
Woodhall Arms
Continue to Woodhall Arms.
Cranley Nursery
Continue to Cranley Nursery.
Tanners
Continue to Tanners.
Juniper Salon
Continue to Juniper Salon.
Pentland Fry
Continue to Pentland Fry.
King George V Park
Continue to King George V Park.
Riccarton Inn
Continue to Riccarton Inn.
Balerno Parish Church
Continue to Balerno Parish Church.
Balerno Parish Church Hall
Continue to Balerno Parish Church Hall.
St Mungo's Episcopal Church
Continue to St Mungo's Episcopal Church.
St Mungos Ministry Centre
Continue to St Mungos Ministry Centre.
Daz-L Hairdressing
Continue to Daz-L Hairdressing.
Gift Stop
Finish back near Gift Stop, completing the loop.
4 roundabouts · 16 turns · 4 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 10 turns · 2 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 14 turns · 2 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 12 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 49.9 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Edinburgh (Currie) test centre, not an official DVSA route.