Near Elgin test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts and 16 turns across 23 navigation steps.
This is an independent 19.0 km practice loop near Elgin test centre, taking roughly 30 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 Alexandra 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, 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 named junctions, stations, 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 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 77-step drive on real, named roads (about 19.0 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.
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 3rd exit onto A96.
40 m
Exit the roundabout onto A96.
A96447 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Greyfriars Street.
49 m
Exit the roundabout onto Greyfriars Street.
Greyfriars Street312 m
Turn left onto Moss Street.
Moss Street266 m
Turn right onto Alma Place.
Alma Place126 m
Turn right onto Reidhaven Street.
Reidhaven Street178 m
Turn left onto Moray Street.
Moray Street487 m
Turn left onto St Catherine's Place.
St Catherine's Place200 m
Turn right onto Wards Road.
Wards Road566 m
Move right onto Wittet Drive.
Wittet Drive449 m
Turn right onto Bruceland Road.
Bruceland Road80 m
Turn right onto Double Dykes Road.
Double Dykes Road163 m
Turn left onto Pluscarden Road/B9010.
Pluscarden Road248 m
Turn right onto Pluscarden Place.
Pluscarden Place30 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Pluscarden Place.
Pluscarden Place30 m
Turn left onto Pluscarden Road/B9010.
Pluscarden Road453 m
Turn left onto Fleurs Road.
Fleurs Road247 m
Turn left onto Mayne Road.
Mayne Road75 m
Turn left onto Wittet Drive.
Wittet Drive594 m
Turn right onto A96/West Road.
A96475 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto A96/West Road.
46 m
Exit the roundabout onto A96/West Road.
A961.2 km
Turn right onto Morriston Road.
Morriston Road684 m
Move right onto Moriston Road.
Moriston Road718 m
Turn left onto Quarry Road.
Quarry Road11 m
Turn left onto Morriston Road.
Morriston Road87 m
Turn left.
10 m
Turn right onto Morriston Road.
Morriston Road629 m
Turn right onto Moriston Road.
Moriston Road27 m
Turn left onto Brumley Brae.
Brumley Brae296 m
Turn right onto Hamilton Drive.
Hamilton Drive206 m
Turn right onto Duncan Drive.
Duncan Drive791 m
Turn right onto Quarry Road.
Quarry Road49 m
Turn right onto Smith Drive.
Smith Drive614 m
Turn left onto Moriston Road.
Moriston Road16 m
Move left onto Morriston Road.
Morriston Road120 m
Turn right.
10 m
Turn left onto Morriston Road.
Morriston Road1.1 km
Turn right onto North Street/A941. Continue on A941.
A941770 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A96/Alexandra Road.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto A96/Alexandra Road.
A96232 m
Turn left.
20 m
Turn right onto Ladyhill Road.
Ladyhill Road83 m
Turn left.
25 m
Make a right U-turn.
25 m
Turn right onto Ladyhill Road.
Ladyhill Road76 m
Turn left.
21 m
Turn left onto A96/Alexandra Road.
A9662 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A96/Alexandra Road.
83 m
Exit the roundabout onto A96/Alexandra Road.
A96309 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Cumming Street/A941.
2 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cumming Street/A941. Continue on A941.
A941772 m
Turn left onto Morriston Road/B9012.
Morriston Road210 m
Turn right onto Duffus Road/B9012.
Duffus Road76 m
Turn right onto Spynie Street.
Spynie Street137 m
Turn right to stay on Spynie Street.
Spynie Street528 m
Turn right onto Spynie Road.
Spynie Road85 m
Turn left onto Cameron Road.
Cameron Road50 m
Turn left onto Covesea Road.
Covesea Road200 m
Turn right onto Esmonde Gardens.
Esmonde Gardens120 m
Turn left to stay on Esmonde Gardens.
Esmonde Gardens194 m
Turn right onto Lossiemouth Road.
Lossiemouth Road340 m
Turn left onto Covesea Road.
Covesea Road32 m
Turn right onto North Street/A941. Continue on A941.
A941961 m
Turn right onto Boroughbriggs Road.
Boroughbriggs Road210 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Elgin · 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.
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 3.4 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 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.
Alexandra Road
Start near Alexandra Road.
Elgin Bus Station
Continue to Elgin Bus Station.
St. Giles Shopping Centre
Continue to St. Giles Shopping Centre.
Tesco
Continue to Tesco.
Convent Rose Garden
Continue to Convent Rose Garden.
Elgin Museum
Continue to Elgin Museum.
Furniture Outlet
Continue to Furniture Outlet.
Academy Block
Continue to Academy Block.
Elgin Baptist Church
Continue to Elgin Baptist Church.
Moray School of Art
Continue to Moray School of Art.
River Church
Continue to River Church.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Dunbarney House
Continue to Dunbarney House.
Bishopmill Primary School
Continue to Bishopmill Primary School.
Scotmid
Continue to Scotmid.
Dicey Rileys
Continue to Dicey Rileys.
Halfords
Continue to Halfords.
M&S Foodhall
Continue to M&S Foodhall.
Natural Spice
Finish back near Natural Spice, completing the loop.
2 roundabouts · 16 turns
15 roundabouts · 15 turns
14 turns
9 roundabouts · 17 turns
This route is 19.0 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Elgin test centre, not an official DVSA route.