Near Edinburgh (Musselburgh) test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 10 roundabouts, 13 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 27 navigation steps.
This is an independent 34.3 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 Newcraighall Road, Whitehill Farm Road, Sherrifhall Roundabout and Dalkeith Bypass. 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, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and independent driving. 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 named junctions, schools, shops and parks, 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 80-step drive on real, named roads (about 34.3 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 right onto Edinburgh Road/A199.
Edinburgh Road324 m
Turn right onto Newhailes Road/B6415.
Newhailes Road267 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Newhailes Road/A6095.
57 m
Exit the roundabout onto Newhailes Road/A6095.
Newhailes Road292 m
Turn left onto Clayknowes Crescent.
Clayknowes Crescent435 m
Turn left onto Clayknowes Avenue.
Clayknowes Avenue178 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Clayknowes Avenue.
Clayknowes Avenue178 m
Turn left onto Clayknowes Crescent.
Clayknowes Crescent450 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Whitehill Farm Road.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto Whitehill Farm Road.
Whitehill Farm Road579 m
Turn right onto Monktonhall Terrace/B6415.
Monktonhall Terrace430 m
Turn right onto Mayfield Crescent.
Mayfield Crescent504 m
Move right onto Stoneybank Avenue.
Stoneybank Avenue254 m
Turn left onto Stoneybank Crescent.
Stoneybank Crescent89 m
Turn left onto Stoneybank Terrace.
Stoneybank Terrace465 m
Enter Whitehill Farm Road and take the 2nd exit onto Clayknowes Crescent.
Whitehill Farm Road47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Clayknowes Crescent.
Clayknowes Crescent616 m
Turn right onto Stoneybank Gardens.
Stoneybank Gardens368 m
Turn right onto Stoneybank Drive.
Stoneybank Drive143 m
Turn right to stay on Stoneybank Drive.
Stoneybank Drive35 m
Turn left to stay on Stoneybank Drive.
Stoneybank Drive126 m
Turn left onto Stoneybank Gardens.
Stoneybank Gardens368 m
Turn left onto Clayknowes Crescent.
Clayknowes Crescent616 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Whitehill Farm Road.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto Whitehill Farm Road.
Whitehill Farm Road466 m
Turn right onto Stoneybank Crescent.
Stoneybank Crescent89 m
Turn right onto Stoneybank Avenue.
Stoneybank Avenue254 m
Move left onto Mayfield Crescent.
Mayfield Crescent504 m
Turn left onto Monktonhall Terrace/B6415. Continue on B6415.
B6415774 m
Turn left onto Eskview Road.
Eskview Road80 m
Turn left onto Eskview Avenue.
Eskview Avenue206 m
Turn left onto Eskview Crescent.
Eskview Crescent98 m
Turn right onto Eskview Terrace/B6415. Continue on B6415.
B64151.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto B6415.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto B6415.
B6415392 m
Enter Old Craighall Junction and take the 2nd exit onto A720/E 15/City of Edinburgh Bypass.
Old Craighall Junction161 m
Exit the roundabout onto A720/E 15/City of Edinburgh Bypass.
A7203.5 km
Enter Sherrifhall Roundabout and take the 6th exit towards A720(E).
Sherrifhall Roundabout217 m
Exit the roundabout towards A720(E).
A7201.8 km
Take the Millerhill Junction exit onto A68 towards Jedburgh.
379 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A68/Dalkeith Bypass.
78 m
Exit the roundabout onto A68/Dalkeith Bypass.
A6885 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A68/Dalkeith Bypass.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto A68/Dalkeith Bypass.
A684.6 km
Take the Fordel Mains Junction exit.
A6106326 m
Turn right onto A6124.
A61241.4 km
Turn left to stay on A6124.
A6124694 m
Turn right to stay on A6124.
A612433 m
Turn left to stay on A6124.
A61242.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A6094.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6094.
A6094537 m
Turn left onto Whitecraig Crescent.
Whitecraig Crescent119 m
Turn left to stay on Whitecraig Crescent.
Whitecraig Crescent298 m
Turn left.
22 m
Turn right onto Whitecraig Road/A6094. Continue on A6094.
A6094328 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Carberry Road/A6124.
8 m
Exit the roundabout onto Carberry Road/A6124. Continue on A6124.
A61242.2 km
Turn left onto Inveresk Road/A6124. Continue on Inveresk Road.
Inveresk Road426 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Inveresk Road.
Inveresk Road186 m
Turn left onto Dalrymple Loan/A6124.
Dalrymple Loan172 m
Turn right onto Mansfield Road.
Mansfield Road109 m
Turn right onto Mansfield Avenue.
Mansfield Avenue160 m
Turn left onto Inveresk Road/A6124.
Inveresk Road201 m
Turn left onto Newbigging.
Newbigging311 m
Turn left onto High Street/A199.
High Street405 m
Move left onto Mall Avenue/A6095. Continue on A6095.
A6095306 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Olive Bank Road/A6095.
47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Olive Bank Road/A6095.
Olive Bank Road702 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Newhailes Road/B6415.
59 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 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.
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 Sherrifhall Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 11.0 km of this loop is dual carriageway. Build your speed on the slip road, take an effective rearward observation, and merge without forcing other traffic to brake.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 60, 70 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.
Newcraighall Road
Start near Newcraighall Road.
Spark of Genius Musselburgh Learning Centre
Continue to Spark of Genius Musselburgh Learning Centre.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
Whitehill Farm Road
Continue to Whitehill Farm Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Haugh Park
Continue to Haugh Park.
Musselburgh Private Nursery
Continue to Musselburgh Private Nursery.
Classic Cuts
Continue to Classic Cuts.
Happy House
Continue to Happy House.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Miss Millie's Awesome Chicken
Continue to Miss Millie's Awesome Chicken.
Sherrifhall Roundabout
Continue to Sherrifhall Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Dalkeith Bypass
Continue to Dalkeith Bypass, taking the junction with good observation.
Grandisons
Continue to Grandisons.
Mercat Grill
Continue to Mercat Grill.
Musselburgh Sports Centre
Continue to Musselburgh Sports Centre.
Loretto RC Primary School
Continue to Loretto RC Primary School.
Musselburgh Burgh Primary School
Continue to Musselburgh Burgh Primary School.
Our Lady of Loretto Church
Continue to Our Lady of Loretto Church.
River Esk Park
Continue to River Esk Park.
Riverside Tavern
Finish back near Riverside Tavern, 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 34.3 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.