Near Edinburgh (Musselburgh) test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 16 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 46.9 km practice loop near Edinburgh (Musselburgh) 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.
Along the way you'll meet Newcraighall Road and Whitehill Farm 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, 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 churches, schools, shops and pubs, 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 77-step drive on real, named roads (about 46.9 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. Continue on A199.
A1991.2 km
Turn left onto High Street/A199. Continue on A199.
A1991.4 km
Turn right onto Ashgrove.
Ashgrove429 m
Turn right onto Pinkie Road/B6454.
B64541.1 km
Turn right onto Dalrymple Loan/A6124.
Dalrymple Loan301 m
Turn left onto High Street/A199.
High Street29 m
Turn right to stay on A199.
A1991.8 km
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 2nd exit onto A1.
57 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1.
A18.3 km
Take the A199 exit towards Tranent.
A1345 m
Turn left onto A199.
A199204 m
Turn right.
65 m
Turn right.
112 m
Turn right.
34 m
Turn left onto A199.
A199305 m
Turn right to take the A1 ramp.
A18.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Milton Link/A1.
65 m
Exit the roundabout onto Milton Link/A1.
Milton Link433 m
Turn right onto Milton Road East/A199. Continue on A199.
A1992.3 km
Turn right onto Newhailes Road/B6415.
Newhailes Road267 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Olive Bank Road/A6095.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Olive Bank Road/A6095.
Olive Bank Road541 m
Turn right onto Eskview Terrace/B6415. Continue on B6415.
B64151.4 km
Turn right onto Craighall Drive.
Craighall Drive102 m
Turn left onto Craighall Avenue.
Craighall Avenue83 m
Turn left to stay on Craighall Avenue.
Craighall Avenue110 m
Turn left to stay on Craighall Avenue.
Craighall Avenue67 m
Turn left onto B6415.
B64151.5 km
Turn left onto Olive Bank Road/A6095.
Olive Bank Road542 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 Road1.8 km
Turn left onto Seaview Crescent.
Seaview Crescent554 m
Turn right onto Seaview Terrace/B6415.
B64151.3 km
Turn right onto Newhailes Road/B6415.
Newhailes Road267 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Olive Bank Road/A6095.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Olive Bank Road/A6095.
Olive Bank Road541 m
Turn right onto Eskview Terrace/B6415. Continue on B6415.
B6415832 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 right onto Clayknowes Crescent.
Clayknowes Crescent268 m
Turn right onto Newhailes Road/A6095.
Newhailes Road292 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Olive Bank Road/A6095.
60 m
Exit the roundabout onto Olive Bank Road/A6095.
Olive Bank Road541 m
Turn right onto Eskview Terrace/B6415.
Eskview Terrace58 m
Turn right onto Eskview Road.
Eskview Road155 m
Turn left onto Eskview Grove.
Eskview Grove134 m
Turn left onto Eskview Crescent.
Eskview Crescent109 m
Turn left onto Eskview Avenue.
Eskview Avenue206 m
Turn left onto Eskview Road.
Eskview Road75 m
Turn left onto Eskview Grove.
Eskview Grove134 m
Turn left onto Eskview Crescent.
Eskview Crescent207 m
Turn left onto Eskview Terrace/B6415.
Eskview Terrace288 m
Turn left onto Olive Bank Road/A6095.
Olive Bank Road542 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 9 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.
Dual-carriageway join
About 10.9 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, 50, 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.
Northesk Parish Church
Start near Northesk Parish Church.
Spark of Genius Musselburgh Learning Centre
Continue to Spark of Genius Musselburgh Learning Centre.
St Peter's Episcopal Church
Continue to St Peter's Episcopal Church.
Good Catch
Continue to Good Catch.
Horseshoe Inn
Continue to Horseshoe Inn.
QwikLube
Continue to QwikLube.
Anchor Bar
Continue to Anchor Bar.
Hope Hub
Continue to Hope Hub.
Scott Vehicle Services
Continue to Scott Vehicle Services.
Tiger In
Continue to Tiger In.
DFS
Continue to DFS.
Primary Colours Hair
Continue to Primary Colours Hair.
Eskview Wines
Continue to Eskview Wines.
Newcraighall Road
Continue to Newcraighall Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Haugh Park
Continue to Haugh Park.
Eastfield Newsagent General Store
Continue to Eastfield Newsagent General Store.
Joppa Pans
Continue to Joppa Pans.
Musselburgh Private Nursery
Continue to Musselburgh Private Nursery.
Whitehill Farm Road
Continue to Whitehill Farm Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Co-op Food
Finish back near Co-op Food, completing the loop.
7 roundabouts · 13 turns · 4 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 18 turns · 7 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 16 turns · 4 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 19 turns · 8 sets of lights
This route is 46.9 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Edinburgh (Musselburgh) test centre, not an official DVSA route.