Near Forfar test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 13 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 21.6 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, pubs and schools, 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 71-step drive on real, named roads (about 21.5 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. Continue on South Street.
South Street644 m
Turn right onto East High Street/A932.
East High Street87 m
Turn left onto Prior Road/B9134. Continue on B9134.
B9134911 m
Turn left onto Station Road.
Station Road980 m
Turn left onto North Street.
North Street242 m
Turn left onto Roberts Street.
Roberts Street256 m
Turn right onto Wyllie Street.
Wyllie Street251 m
Turn right onto Prior Road/B9134.
Prior Road175 m
Turn right onto East High Street/A932.
East High Street88 m
Turn right onto North Street/B9128.
North Street284 m
Turn left onto Victoria Street/B9128. Continue on B9128.
B9128370 m
Turn left onto Castle Street.
Castle Street241 m
Turn right onto Myre Road.
Myre Road429 m
Turn right onto Craig O'Loch Road/A926. Continue on A926.
A926733 m
Turn left onto Castle Street/A926. Continue on A926.
A926598 m
Turn left onto Kirriemuir Road/A926.
Kirriemuir Road1.0 km
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 Road770 m
Turn right onto Brechin Road/A926.
Brechin Road203 m
Turn right onto Taylor Street.
Taylor Street879 m
Turn left onto Turfbeg Road.
Turfbeg Road280 m
Turn right onto Inchgarth Street.
Inchgarth Street216 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Inchgarth Street.
Inchgarth Street216 m
Turn right onto Turfbeg Road.
Turfbeg Road58 m
Move left onto North Loch Road.
North Loch Road741 m
Turn right onto Castle Street/A926.
Castle Street136 m
Turn right onto Queenswell Road/A926. Continue on A926.
A926946 m
Turn right onto Glamis Road/A94.
Glamis Road34 m
Make a sharp right.
47 m
Move left onto Craig O'Loch Road/A926. Continue on A926.
A926911 m
Turn right onto Castle Street/B9128. Continue on Castle Street.
Castle Street381 m
Turn right onto West High Street.
West High Street907 m
Turn right onto Lochview Terrace.
Lochview Terrace187 m
Turn right onto Graham Crescent.
Graham Crescent49 m
Turn right to stay on Graham Crescent.
Graham Crescent201 m
Turn right to stay on Graham Crescent.
Graham Crescent170 m
Turn left onto Glamis Road/A94.
Glamis Road258 m
Turn right onto Dundee Loan/A926.
Dundee Loan318 m
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.
A932550 m
Turn left 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 Street89 m
Turn left onto Academy Court.
Academy Court22 m
Turn left to stay on Academy Court.
Academy Court31 m
Turn right to stay on Academy Court.
Academy Court30 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Academy Court.
Academy Court30 m
Turn left to stay on Academy Court.
Academy Court31 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'en169 m
Turn left onto Kings Road.
Kings Road7 m
Turn left onto South Street/B9128.
South Street1.2 km
Turn right onto Market Street.
Market Street110 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Forfar · Route 3 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.
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.
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. John's Scottish Episcopal Church
Continue to St. John's Scottish Episcopal Church.
Lordburn Park
Continue to Lordburn Park.
Whitehills Health & Community Care Centre
Continue to Whitehills Health & Community Care Centre.
Railway
Continue to Railway.
Wendyhouse
Continue to Wendyhouse.
Forfar Community Church
Continue to Forfar Community Church.
Drunken Monkey
Continue to Drunken Monkey.
Forfar Botanists Garden
Continue to Forfar Botanists Garden.
Fiskens of Forfar
Continue to Fiskens of Forfar.
Zoar Inn
Continue to Zoar Inn.
Forfar Open Garden
Continue to Forfar Open Garden.
Farmland in Town
Continue to Farmland in Town.
Stag
Continue to Stag.
St. Margaret's Parish Church
Continue to St. Margaret's Parish Church.
West End Bar
Continue to West End Bar.
Graham Crescent Park
Continue to Graham Crescent Park.
Victoria Bar
Continue to Victoria Bar.
Wash Me
Continue to Wash Me.
Wrap & Roll
Finish back near Wrap & Roll, 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 21.6 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.