Near Elgin test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 9 roundabouts and 15 turns across 26 navigation steps.
This is an independent 17.4 km practice loop near Elgin 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 Laichmoray Roundabout. 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, 20 mph zones, 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 stations, pubs, churches and shops, 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 Elgin 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 82-step drive on real, named roads (about 17.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north on Trinity Road.
Trinity Road51 m
Turn left onto Boroughbriggs Road.
Boroughbriggs Road287 m
Turn left onto Haugh Road.
Haugh Road281 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A96/Alexandra Road.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto A96/Alexandra Road.
A96309 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A96/Alexandra Road.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto A96/Alexandra Road.
A96313 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A96/Alexandra Road.
11 m
Exit the roundabout onto A96/Alexandra Road.
A96127 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto High Street.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto High Street.
High Street204 m
Move right onto Batchen Street.
Batchen Street131 m
Turn left onto South Street.
South Street23 m
Turn right onto Culbard Street.
Culbard Street128 m
Turn right onto Moray Street.
Moray Street163 m
Turn right onto Gordon Street.
Gordon Street149 m
Turn right onto South Street.
South Street356 m
Turn left onto Greyfriars Street.
Greyfriars Street311 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A96/South College Street.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto A96/South College Street. Continue on A96.
A96302 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A96.
26 m
Exit the roundabout onto A96.
A96295 m
Turn right onto Ashgrove Road.
Ashgrove Road615 m
Turn left to stay on Ashgrove Road.
Ashgrove Road123 m
Turn left onto Linkwood Road.
Linkwood Road618 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Linkwood Road.
97 m
Exit the roundabout onto Linkwood Road.
Linkwood Road928 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
26 m
Exit the roundabout.
120 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Edgar Road.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Edgar Road.
Edgar Road737 m
Turn left onto Glen Lossie Drive.
Glen Lossie Drive477 m
Turn left onto Springfield Road.
Springfield Road244 m
Turn left onto Glen Moray Drive.
Glen Moray Drive439 m
Turn right onto Edgar Road.
Edgar Road26 m
Turn left onto The Wards.
The Wards386 m
Turn right onto Wards Road.
Wards Road30 m
Turn left onto Rose Avenue.
Rose Avenue226 m
Turn right onto Moray Street.
Moray Street350 m
Turn right onto South Guildry Street.
South Guildry Street381 m
Turn right onto Station Road/A941.
Station Road49 m
Turn left onto Wards Road.
Wards Road367 m
Turn left onto The Wards.
The Wards374 m
Turn left.
11 m
Turn right onto Edgar Road.
Edgar Road49 m
Turn left onto Glen Moray Drive.
Glen Moray Drive123 m
Turn left onto Springfield Drive.
Springfield Drive142 m
Turn left to stay on Springfield Drive.
Springfield Drive78 m
Make a right U-turn at Springfield Drive to stay on Springfield Drive.
Springfield Drive51 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Springfield Drive.
Springfield Drive20 m
Make a left U-turn at Springfield Drive to stay on Springfield Drive.
Springfield Drive109 m
Turn right to stay on Springfield Drive.
Springfield Drive142 m
Turn left onto Glen Moray Drive.
Glen Moray Drive316 m
Turn left onto Springfield Road.
Springfield Road32 m
Turn right onto Sandy Road.
Sandy Road406 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Birnie Road.
2 m
Exit the roundabout onto Birnie Road.
Birnie Road395 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Main Street/A941.
8 m
Exit the roundabout onto Main Street/A941.
Main Street496 m
Turn left onto Smith Street.
Smith Street96 m
Turn left onto Convener Street.
Convener Street159 m
Turn right onto Main Street/A941.
Main Street335 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Thornhill Road.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Thornhill Road.
Thornhill Road885 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Linkwood Road.
8 m
Exit the roundabout onto Linkwood Road.
Linkwood Road928 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto New Elgin Road/A941.
48 m
Exit the roundabout onto New Elgin Road/A941.
New Elgin Road259 m
Enter Laichmoray Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Moss Street.
Laichmoray Roundabout24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Moss Street.
Moss Street531 m
Turn right onto Greyfriars Street.
Greyfriars Street311 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A96/Alexandra Road.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto A96/Alexandra Road. Continue on A96.
A96446 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A96/Alexandra Road.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto A96/Alexandra Road.
A9643 m
Turn left onto St. Giles Road.
St. Giles Road130 m
Turn left onto Lossie Wynd.
Lossie Wynd56 m
Turn left onto A96.
A9635 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Cumming Street/A941.
22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cumming Street/A941.
Cumming Street233 m
Turn left onto Boroughbriggs Road.
Boroughbriggs Road210 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Elgin · 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.
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.
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 Laichmoray Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 2.0 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.
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.
Elgin Bus Station
Start near Elgin Bus Station.
Mckerron’s
Continue to Mckerron’s.
Elgin Baptist Church
Continue to Elgin Baptist Church.
Elgin Mosque
Continue to Elgin Mosque.
RCCG Jesus House Elgin, The Antioch Church
Continue to RCCG Jesus House Elgin, The Antioch Church.
River Church
Continue to River Church.
Morrisons Daily
Continue to Morrisons Daily.
Kwik Fit
Continue to Kwik Fit.
Moray College UHI - Technology Centre
Continue to Moray College UHI - Technology Centre.
National Tyres and Autocare
Continue to National Tyres and Autocare.
Sports Direct
Continue to Sports Direct.
Matalan
Continue to Matalan.
Duke of Edinburgh's Award Memorial
Continue to Duke of Edinburgh's Award Memorial.
Grange Wing
Continue to Grange Wing.
Moray Office Supplies
Continue to Moray Office Supplies.
Kirkie
Continue to Kirkie.
Cottar Hoose
Continue to Cottar Hoose.
Laichmoray Roundabout
Continue to Laichmoray Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Elgin Museum
Continue to Elgin Museum.
St. Giles Shopping Centre
Finish back near St. Giles Shopping Centre, completing the loop.
2 roundabouts · 16 turns
15 roundabouts · 15 turns
14 turns
9 roundabouts · 17 turns
This route is 17.4 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Elgin test centre, not an official DVSA route.