Near Forfar test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 18 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 16.6 km practice route near Forfar 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.
On this route you’ll practise national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads 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 churches, parks, 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 Forfar 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 72-step drive on real, named roads (about 16.6 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southwest on New Road.
New Road12 m
Turn right to stay on New Road.
New Road114 m
Turn right onto West High Street.
West High Street185 m
Move right onto East High Street.
East High Street615 m
Turn left onto Montrose Road/B9113.
Montrose Road201 m
Turn right onto Yeaman Street.
Yeaman Street199 m
Turn left onto Arbroath Road/A932.
Arbroath Road154 m
Turn right onto Restenneth Drive.
Restenneth Drive415 m
Turn right onto South Street/B9128.
South Street467 m
Turn right onto Strang Street.
Strang Street157 m
Turn left onto Arbroath Road/A932. Continue on A932.
A932244 m
Turn left onto South Street/A932. Continue on South Street.
South Street492 m
Move right onto The Ha'en.
The Ha'en60 m
Keep right to stay on The Ha'en.
The Ha'en108 m
Turn left onto Kings Road.
Kings Road7 m
Turn left onto South Street/B9128.
South Street943 m
Turn left onto Victoria Street/B9128. Continue on B9128.
B9128370 m
Turn right onto Castle Street/B9128.
Castle Street174 m
Turn left onto Lochside Road.
Lochside Road741 m
Turn left onto North Loch Road/Core Path 303.
North Loch Road11 m
Keep left to stay on North Loch Road/Core Path 303.
North Loch Road51 m
Move left.
30 m
Make a right U-turn.
30 m
Move right onto North Loch Road/Core Path 303. Continue on North Loch Road.
North Loch Road295 m
Turn left onto Turfbeg Place.
Turfbeg Place43 m
Turn left.
86 m
Make a right U-turn.
86 m
Turn right onto Turfbeg Place.
Turfbeg Place43 m
Turn left onto North Loch Road.
North Loch Road509 m
Turn left onto Brechin Road/A926.
Brechin Road353 m
Turn right onto Taylor Street Gardens.
Taylor Street Gardens39 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Taylor Street Gardens.
Taylor Street Gardens39 m
Turn left onto Taylor Street.
Taylor Street94 m
Turn left onto Brechin Road/A926.
Brechin Road203 m
Turn left onto Kirriemuir Road/A926.
Kirriemuir Road13 m
Move right to stay on Kirriemuir Road/A926.
Kirriemuir Road990 m
Turn left onto Merlin Gardens.
Merlin Gardens27 m
Turn left to stay on Merlin Gardens.
Merlin Gardens231 m
Turn left onto Mallard Drive.
Mallard Drive23 m
Turn right onto Kirriemuir Road/A926.
Kirriemuir Road656 m
Keep right to stay on Kirriemuir Road/A926.
Kirriemuir Road113 m
Turn right onto Brechin Road/A926.
Brechin Road358 m
Keep left to stay on A926.
A926239 m
Turn right onto Queenswell Road/A926. Continue on A926.
A9261.3 km
Move right onto Dundee Road/A932.
Dundee Road220 m
Turn right onto Lentlands Road.
Lentlands Road15 m
Turn left.
22 m
Turn left onto Old Halkerton Road.
Old Halkerton Road10 m
Turn left onto Dundee Road/A932. Continue on A932.
A932936 m
Turn right.
21 m
Turn right onto Newmonthill.
Newmonthill20 m
Turn left onto St. James Road/A932.
St. James Road365 m
Turn right onto St James's Road.
St James's Road162 m
Turn left onto Laurel Bank.
Laurel Bank99 m
Turn left onto Lyninghills.
Lyninghills150 m
Turn left onto St. James Road/A932.
St. James Road569 m
Turn right onto Academy Street/A932.
Academy Street11 m
Keep left to stay on Academy Street/A932.
Academy Street77 m
Turn left onto Academy Court.
Academy Court22 m
Turn right to stay on Academy Court.
Academy Court22 m
Turn left onto Academy Street/A932.
Academy Street212 m
Turn right onto South Street/B9128.
South Street431 m
Move right onto The Ha'en.
The Ha'en60 m
Keep right to stay on The Ha'en.
The Ha'en108 m
Turn left onto Kings Road.
Kings Road7 m
Turn left onto South Street/B9128. Continue on South Street.
South Street659 m
Turn left onto East High Street.
East High Street276 m
Turn right onto Green Street.
Green Street91 m
Turn right onto Queen Street.
Queen Street192 m
Turn left onto East High Street.
East High Street171 m
Turn left onto Prior Road/B9134.
Prior Road215 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Forfar · Route 2 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.
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.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 60 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.
Forfar East and Old Parish Church
Start near Forfar East and Old Parish Church.
St. Margaret's Parish Church
Continue to St. Margaret's Parish Church.
Lordburn Park
Continue to Lordburn Park.
1st Stop 2 Shop
Continue to 1st Stop 2 Shop.
Sher Khan
Continue to Sher Khan.
Forfar Community Fire Station
Continue to Forfar Community Fire Station.
Colin Air
Continue to Colin Air.
North Street Chip Shop
Continue to North Street Chip Shop.
Forfar Community Church
Continue to Forfar Community Church.
Stag
Continue to Stag.
Forfar Open Garden
Continue to Forfar Open Garden.
Geo's Takeaway
Continue to Geo's Takeaway.
Zoar Inn
Continue to Zoar Inn.
Fiskens of Forfar
Continue to Fiskens of Forfar.
Farmland in Town
Continue to Farmland in Town.
West End Bar
Continue to West End Bar.
Victoria Bar
Continue to Victoria Bar.
Wash Me
Continue to Wash Me.
Academy Street Bodyshop
Continue to Academy Street Bodyshop.
St. John's Scottish Episcopal Church
Finish back near St. John's Scottish Episcopal Church, completing the loop.
4 roundabouts · 20 turns · 4 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 18 turns · 3 sets of lights
9 roundabouts · 16 turns · 3 sets of lights
3 roundabouts · 8 turns · 4 sets of lights
This route is 16.6 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Forfar test centre, not an official DVSA route.