Near Forfar test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 13 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 21 navigation steps.
This is an independent 14.3 km practice route near Forfar 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.
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 pubs, churches, parks 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 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 39-step drive on real, named roads (about 14.3 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 left onto East High Street.
East High Street518 m
Move left onto West High Street.
West High Street393 m
Turn left onto Dundee Loan/A926.
Dundee Loan318 m
Move right onto Dundee Road/A932.
Dundee Road592 m
Turn right onto Potters Park.
Potters Park205 m
Turn right onto Old Halkerton Road.
Old Halkerton Road120 m
Turn left onto Jeanfield Crescent.
Jeanfield Crescent162 m
Turn left onto Jeanfield Road.
Jeanfield Road120 m
Turn right onto Old Halkerton Road.
Old Halkerton Road338 m
Turn right onto Westfield Loan.
Westfield Loan805 m
Turn right onto Glamis Road/A94.
Glamis Road929 m
Turn left onto Craig O'Loch Road/A926. Continue on A926.
A926958 m
Turn right onto Castle Street/B9128. Continue on Castle Street.
Castle Street280 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 Road462 m
Turn left onto Don Street.
Don Street343 m
Turn right onto North Street.
North Street422 m
Turn right 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 8 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.
Corner House
Start near Corner House.
Forfar East and Old Parish Church
Continue to Forfar East and Old Parish Church.
Lordburn Park
Continue to Lordburn Park.
1st Stop 2 Shop
Continue to 1st Stop 2 Shop.
Sher Khan
Continue to Sher Khan.
New Hope Homestyle
Continue to New Hope Homestyle.
Old Mason's Arms
Continue to Old Mason's Arms.
St. Margaret's Parish Church
Continue to St. Margaret's Parish Church.
West End Bar
Continue to West End Bar.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Strathmore Fish Restaurant
Continue to Strathmore Fish Restaurant.
Farmland in Town
Continue to Farmland in Town.
Meraki Tattoo
Continue to Meraki Tattoo.
Drunken Monkey
Continue to Drunken Monkey.
Stag
Continue to Stag.
Forfar Botanists Garden
Continue to Forfar Botanists Garden.
Geo's Takeaway
Continue to Geo's Takeaway.
Zoar Inn
Continue to Zoar Inn.
Wendyhouse
Continue to Wendyhouse.
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 14.3 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Forfar test centre, not an official DVSA route.