Near Edinburgh (Musselburgh) test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts, 16 turns and 9 signalled junctions across 26 navigation steps.
This is an independent 31.6 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.
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 schools, shops, churches 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 67-step drive on real, named roads (about 31.6 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 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 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 Road868 m
Move left onto Milton Road East/A199.
Milton Road East1.4 km
Turn left onto Milton Link/A1.
Milton Link420 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Milton Link/A1.
158 m
Exit the roundabout onto Milton Link/A1.
Milton Link433 m
Turn right onto Milton Road East/A199.
Milton Road East1.0 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 East1.4 km
Turn left onto Bailie Place.
Bailie Place101 m
Turn right onto Bailie Terrace.
Bailie Terrace268 m
Turn left onto Duddingston Park South/A6106.
Duddingston Park South448 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Duddingston Park South/A6106.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Duddingston Park South/A6106.
Duddingston Park South223 m
Turn left onto Mountcastle Drive South.
Mountcastle Drive South665 m
Turn right onto Durham Drive.
Durham Drive254 m
Turn right onto Durham Road.
Durham Road87 m
Turn left onto Milton Road West/A1.
A12.0 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 left onto Mountcastle Drive South.
Mountcastle Drive South405 m
Turn right onto Durham Drive.
Durham Drive254 m
Turn right onto Durham Road.
Durham Road87 m
Turn left onto Milton Road West/A1.
A12.0 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 East1.7 km
Turn right onto Duddingston Park/A6106.
Duddingston Park664 m
Turn right onto Southfield Place.
Southfield Place537 m
Turn right onto Portobello High Street/B6415.
B64154.0 km
Turn left onto High Street/A199.
High Street406 m
Turn right onto Newbigging.
Newbigging311 m
Turn right onto Newbigging/B6454.
Newbigging293 m
Turn right onto Dalrymple Loan/A6124.
Dalrymple Loan301 m
Turn left onto High Street/A199.
High Street29 m
Turn right to stay on A199.
A199955 m
Turn left onto Newhailes Avenue.
Newhailes Avenue102 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Edinburgh (Musselburgh) · Route 7 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.
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 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.
Spark of Genius Musselburgh Learning Centre
Start near Spark of Genius Musselburgh Learning Centre.
Ali & Son Newsagent
Continue to Ali & Son Newsagent.
Primary Colours Hair
Continue to Primary Colours Hair.
Hope Church Bingham
Continue to Hope Church Bingham.
Elvis Barbers
Continue to Elvis Barbers.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
Bingham Neighbourhood Garden
Continue to Bingham Neighbourhood Garden.
St Mary Magdalene
Continue to St Mary Magdalene.
Cherrytrees Children's Nursrey
Continue to Cherrytrees Children's Nursrey.
Cherrytrees Chlildren's Nursery
Continue to Cherrytrees Chlildren's Nursery.
Portobello and Joppa Parish Church
Continue to Portobello and Joppa Parish Church.
Portobello Baptist Church
Continue to Portobello Baptist Church.
Joppa Pans
Continue to Joppa Pans.
Ormelie Tavern
Continue to Ormelie Tavern.
Ship Inn
Continue to Ship Inn.
Coach & Horses
Continue to Coach & Horses.
Northesk Parish Church
Continue to Northesk Parish Church.
Hope Hub
Continue to Hope Hub.
Our Lady of Loretto Church
Continue to Our Lady of Loretto Church.
Kohi-noor
Finish back near Kohi-noor, 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 31.6 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.