Near Edinburgh (Musselburgh) test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts, 12 turns and 10 signalled junctions across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 21.6 km practice loop near Edinburgh (Musselburgh) test centre, taking roughly 40 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 Duddingston Park South and Newcraighall 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, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, independent driving 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, schools, parks 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 Edinburgh (Musselburgh) 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 21.6 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive south.
57 m
Turn right.
75 m
Turn right onto Newhailes Road/B6415.
Newhailes Road150 m
Turn left onto Edinburgh Road/A199.
Edinburgh Road62 m
Turn left onto Newhailes Avenue.
Newhailes Avenue179 m
Turn right onto Newhailes Crescent.
Newhailes Crescent247 m
Turn right onto Maitland Park Road.
Maitland Park Road122 m
Turn left onto Edinburgh Road/A199.
Edinburgh Road544 m
Move left onto Milton Road East/A199.
Milton Road East443 m
Turn right onto Milton Terrace.
Milton Terrace101 m
Turn left onto Coillesdene Avenue.
Coillesdene Avenue198 m
Turn left onto Milton Drive.
Milton Drive156 m
Turn right onto Milton Road East/A199.
Milton Road East2.0 km
Turn right onto Mountcastle Drive South.
Mountcastle Drive South86 m
Turn right onto Durham Drive.
Durham Drive254 m
Turn left onto Durham Road.
Durham Road519 m
Turn left onto Duddingston Road.
Duddingston Road504 m
Turn left onto Duddingston Gardens North.
Duddingston Gardens North85 m
Turn left onto Durham Terrace.
Durham Terrace183 m
Turn right onto Mountcastle Drive South.
Mountcastle Drive South493 m
Turn left onto Milton Road West/A1.
A12.2 km
Turn left onto Milton Terrace.
Milton Terrace101 m
Turn left onto Coillesdene Avenue.
Coillesdene Avenue198 m
Turn left onto Milton Drive.
Milton Drive156 m
Turn right onto Milton Road East/A199.
Milton Road East2.4 km
Turn left onto Duddingston Row.
Duddingston Row459 m
Turn left onto Bingham Avenue.
Bingham Avenue450 m
Turn right onto Mountcastle Drive South.
Mountcastle Drive South260 m
Turn left onto Duddingston Park South/A6106. Continue on A6106.
A6106516 m
Turn right onto Park Lane.
Park Lane79 m
Turn right onto Park Avenue.
Park Avenue195 m
Turn right onto Milton Road/A1. Continue on A1.
A181 m
Turn left onto Duddingston Park South/A6106.
Duddingston Park South559 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Duddingston Park South/A6106.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Duddingston Park South/A6106.
Duddingston Park South542 m
Turn left onto Newcraighall Road/A6095.
Newcraighall Road537 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Newcraighall Road/A6095.
40 m
Exit the roundabout onto Newcraighall Road/A6095. Continue on A6095.
A6095303 m
Enter Newcraighall Road and take the 3rd exit onto Newcraighall Road/A6095.
Newcraighall Road41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Newcraighall Road/A6095. Continue on A6095.
A60951.4 km
Enter Newcraighall Road and take the 2nd exit onto Newhailes Road/A6095.
Newcraighall Road23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Newhailes Road/A6095.
Newhailes Road708 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Newhailes Road/A6095.
78 m
Exit the roundabout onto Newhailes Road/A6095.
Newhailes Road711 m
Enter Newcraighall Road and take the 2nd exit onto Newhailes Road/A6095.
Newcraighall Road24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Newhailes Road/A6095. Continue on A6095.
A6095597 m
Turn left onto Whitehill Street.
Whitehill Street171 m
Turn left onto Grassie Avenue.
Grassie Avenue89 m
Turn left onto Glennie Road.
Glennie Road63 m
Turn left onto Wantonwalls View.
Wantonwalls View68 m
Turn right onto Maingait Medway.
Maingait Medway102 m
Turn right onto Whitehill Street/A6095. Continue on A6095.
A6095592 m
Enter Newcraighall Road and take the 2nd exit onto Newhailes Road/A6095.
Newcraighall Road23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Newhailes Road/A6095.
Newhailes Road708 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Newhailes Road/B6415.
119 m
Exit the roundabout onto Newhailes Road/B6415.
Newhailes Road267 m
Turn left onto Edinburgh Road/A199.
Edinburgh Road62 m
Turn left onto Newhailes Avenue.
Newhailes Avenue102 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Edinburgh (Musselburgh) · Route 2 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.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
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 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.
Lidl
Start near Lidl.
Spark of Genius Musselburgh Learning Centre
Continue to Spark of Genius Musselburgh Learning Centre.
Eastfield Newsagent General Store
Continue to Eastfield Newsagent General Store.
Scott Vehicle Services
Continue to Scott Vehicle Services.
Ali & Son Newsagent
Continue to Ali & Son Newsagent.
Brunstane Kitchens
Continue to Brunstane Kitchens.
be beautiful
Continue to be beautiful.
Lindsay Smith
Continue to Lindsay Smith.
St John's RC Primary School
Continue to St John's RC Primary School.
Elvis Barbers
Continue to Elvis Barbers.
National Tyres and Autocare
Continue to National Tyres and Autocare.
Primary Colours Hair
Continue to Primary Colours Hair.
Bingham Neighbourhood Garden
Continue to Bingham Neighbourhood Garden.
St Mary Magdalene
Continue to St Mary Magdalene.
Canton Cuisine
Continue to Canton Cuisine.
Hope Church Bingham
Continue to Hope Church Bingham.
Duddingston Park South
Continue to Duddingston Park South, taking the junction with good observation.
Craigmillar Community Art Centre
Continue to Craigmillar Community Art Centre.
Newcraighall Road
Continue to Newcraighall Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Wellsprings
Finish back near Wellsprings, completing the loop.
7 roundabouts · 13 turns · 4 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 18 turns · 7 sets of lights
6 roundabouts · 16 turns · 4 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 16 turns · 4 sets of lights
This route is 21.6 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Edinburgh (Musselburgh) test centre, not an official DVSA route.