Near Forfar test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 9 roundabouts, 16 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 38.6 km practice route near Forfar test centre, taking roughly 40 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 Peter Pan 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 roundabout approach & exit, dual-carriageway joins, 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 pubs, churches, 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 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 26-step drive on real, named roads. An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
At end of road, turn right
Montrose Rd
At traffic lights, turn left
Arbroath Rd
At roundabout, 3rd exit, turn right
South Rd
At end of road, turn right
Easterbank
At roundabout, turn left
South Rd
At roundabout, turn right
Academy St
At end of road, turn left
Coutties Wynd
At traffic lights, go ahead
E. High St/W. High St
Take the 3rd left
Glamis Rd
At end of road, turn right
Westfield Loan
At end of road, turn left
Dundee Rd
Turn left
A90 for Dundee
Turn right
Slip Rd for Douglastown
At end of road, turn right
Douglastown
At roundabout, turn right
A94 for Forfar
Turn left
Slip Rd for A90 to Aberdeen
At roundabout, turn right
Slip Rd for Kirriemuir
At roundabout, turn right
For Forfar, Kirriemuir Rd
At roundabout, turn left
Brechin Rd
At end of road, turn left
Castle St
Turn right
High St
At roundabout, turn left
Coutties Wynd
At roundabout, turn left
Academy St
At traffic lights, turn right
South Rd
Take the 2nd left
East High St
Turn right
Prior Rd
Directions for the Forfar · Route 4 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.
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
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Peter Pan Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 2.4 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, 60, 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.
Corner House
Start near Corner House.
Forfar East and Old Parish Church
Continue to Forfar East and Old Parish Church.
Utopia Costumes
Continue to Utopia Costumes.
Wash Me
Continue to Wash Me.
St. Margaret's Parish Church
Continue to St. Margaret's Parish Church.
West End Bar
Continue to West End Bar.
Victoria Bar
Continue to Victoria Bar.
Graham Crescent Park
Continue to Graham Crescent Park.
Meraki Tattoo
Continue to Meraki Tattoo.
Farmland in Town
Continue to Farmland in Town.
Zoar Inn
Continue to Zoar Inn.
10 Cafe Bar
Continue to 10 Cafe Bar.
Stag
Continue to Stag.
Dunnichen Stone
Continue to Dunnichen Stone.
Peter Pan Roundabout
Continue to Peter Pan Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Alan Mackay Machinery
Continue to Alan Mackay Machinery.
Glengate Hall
Continue to Glengate Hall.
Glens & Kirriemuir Old Parish Church
Continue to Glens & Kirriemuir Old Parish Church.
Nail Candy by Holly
Continue to Nail Candy by Holly.
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
3 roundabouts · 8 turns · 4 sets of lights
6 roundabouts · 13 turns · 2 sets of lights
This route is 38.6 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Forfar test centre, not an official DVSA route.