Near Girvan test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 19 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 27 navigation steps.
This is an independent 21.6 km practice loop near Girvan 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.
Along the way you'll meet Shallochpark 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, 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 shops, pubs, churches 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 Girvan 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 21.7 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north on A77/Henrietta Street.
A77220 m
Turn right onto A77/Knockcushan Street.
A77199 m
Turn right onto A77/Dalrymple Street. Continue on A77.
A77912 m
Turn right onto George Street.
George Street217 m
Turn left onto Edmiston Drive.
Edmiston Drive377 m
Turn left onto A77/Kirkpatrick Street. Continue on A77.
A77263 m
Turn left onto George Street.
George Street129 m
Turn left onto Edmiston Drive.
Edmiston Drive81 m
Turn left onto Doune Street.
Doune Street119 m
Turn left onto A77/Henrietta Street.
A77986 m
Turn right onto A77/Knockcushan Street.
A77199 m
Turn left onto A77/Bridge Street. Continue on A77.
A77384 m
Turn right onto Montgomerie Street/B7022.
Montgomerie Street322 m
Turn right onto Church Square.
Church Square36 m
Turn left onto Hamilton Street/B7022.
Hamilton Street388 m
Turn right onto Knockcushan Street.
Knockcushan Street19 m
Turn right to stay on Knockcushan Street.
Knockcushan Street258 m
Turn left onto A77/Bridge Street. Continue on A77.
A77855 m
Stay straight to take the ramp.
40 m
Enter Shallochpark Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A77.
Shallochpark Roundabout59 m
Exit the roundabout onto A77.
A77379 m
Turn right onto B741.
B7411.7 km
Turn left onto Ladywell Avenue.
Ladywell Avenue799 m
Turn right.
125 m
Turn right.
34 m
Turn left.
27 m
Make a sharp left.
32 m
Turn right.
14 m
Turn left.
125 m
Turn left onto Ladywell Avenue.
Ladywell Avenue799 m
Turn right onto B741.
B7411.7 km
Turn left onto A77.
A77377 m
Enter Shallochpark Roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
Shallochpark Roundabout113 m
Exit the roundabout.
44 m
Move left onto A77/Vicarton Street.
A77470 m
Turn left onto Montgomerie Street/B7022.
Montgomerie Street322 m
Turn right onto Church Square.
Church Square36 m
Turn left onto Hamilton Street/B7022.
Hamilton Street128 m
Turn left onto A77/Dalrymple Street.
A77618 m
Turn left onto Wreck Road.
Wreck Road411 m
Turn right onto Motehill Road.
Motehill Road139 m
Turn left to stay on Motehill Road.
Motehill Road372 m
Turn right onto Piedmont Road.
Piedmont Road259 m
Turn right onto Roxburgh Road.
Roxburgh Road173 m
Turn right onto Fauldribbon Road.
Fauldribbon Road148 m
Turn right onto Mote Hill Crescent.
Mote Hill Crescent61 m
Turn left to stay on Mote Hill Crescent.
Mote Hill Crescent63 m
Turn right onto Motehill Road.
Motehill Road64 m
Turn left onto Todd Street.
Todd Street189 m
Turn right onto Coalpots Road/B7035.
Coalpots Road945 m
Enter Shallochpark Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A77.
Shallochpark Roundabout109 m
Exit the roundabout onto A77.
A77216 m
Turn left onto Rajput Drive.
Rajput Drive60 m
Turn left onto Ainslie Road.
Ainslie Road84 m
Turn left onto Bennane Road.
Bennane Road47 m
Turn left to stay on Bennane Road.
Bennane Road40 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Bennane Road.
Bennane Road40 m
Turn right to stay on Bennane Road.
Bennane Road47 m
Turn right onto Ainslie Road.
Ainslie Road84 m
Turn right onto Rajput Drive.
Rajput Drive60 m
Turn left onto A77/Glendoune Street. Continue on A77.
A771.0 km
Turn right onto Duncan Street.
Duncan Street185 m
Turn right onto A77/Dalrymple Street.
A77372 m
Turn left onto Piedmont Road.
Piedmont Road580 m
Turn left onto Smith Crescent.
Smith Crescent209 m
Turn left onto Todd Street.
Todd Street17 m
Turn right onto Mcculloch Road.
Mcculloch Road314 m
Turn left onto South Park Avenue.
South Park Avenue773 m
Turn right onto A77/Henrietta Street.
A77474 m
Turn left onto Ailsa Street West.
Ailsa Street West122 m
Turn left onto Louisa Drive.
Louisa Drive47 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Girvan · 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.
Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Shallochpark Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 6.5 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.
National-speed roads
Parts of this route run at the national speed limit. Keep a safe following distance and plan overtakes only where it is clearly safe and legal.
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.
Bargain Buys
Start near Bargain Buys.
Commercial Inn
Continue to Commercial Inn.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
Craft Gallery
Continue to Craft Gallery.
Flynn's Boatyard
Continue to Flynn's Boatyard.
Leith Bakery
Continue to Leith Bakery.
Methodist Church
Continue to Methodist Church.
Nisa Local
Continue to Nisa Local.
Stevenson
Continue to Stevenson.
Girvan Company Boer War Memorial
Continue to Girvan Company Boer War Memorial.
Sacred Heart Primary School
Continue to Sacred Heart Primary School.
Bob's Ice Cream Kiosk
Continue to Bob's Ice Cream Kiosk.
Mr Chips
Continue to Mr Chips.
Harbour Bar
Continue to Harbour Bar.
North Parish Church
Continue to North Parish Church.
War Memorial
Continue to War Memorial.
Milestone Christian Fellowship
Continue to Milestone Christian Fellowship.
Alexander Ross Memorial stone
Continue to Alexander Ross Memorial stone.
Shallochpark Roundabout
Continue to Shallochpark Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Girvan Fire Station
Finish back near Girvan Fire Station, completing the loop.
2 roundabouts · 14 turns · 1 set of lights
5 roundabouts · 22 turns · 1 set of lights
3 roundabouts · 17 turns · 3 sets of lights
3 roundabouts · 10 turns · 2 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 Girvan test centre, not an official DVSA route.