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Practice route
Challenging

Glasgow (Shieldhall) · Route 13 · variant 2

Near Glasgow (Shieldhall) test centre

24.7 km
Distance
20 min
Duration
Challenging
Difficulty
19
Manoeuvres
Difficulty: Easy

Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts, 7 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 13 navigation steps.

How this route is examined

This is an independent 24.7 km practice route near Glasgow (Shieldhall) test centre, taking roughly 20 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 Alderman Road. 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 multiple roundabouts, 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 named junctions, 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 Glasgow (Shieldhall) 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.

Manoeuvre breakdown

What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.

3
Left turns
4
Right turns
4
Roundabouts
4
Traffic lights
13
Total steps

Skills & features

14
Roundabouts
20, 30, 40 mph
Speed limits
20
Landmarks

This route helps you practise:

  • Multiple roundabouts
  • 20 mph zones
  • Changing speed limits
  • Residential manoeuvres
  • Busy A-roads
  • Sustained concentration

Road mix

  • A-roads 12.9 km
  • Minor roads 5.3 km
  • Residential 2.6 km
  • B-roads 1.0 km
  • service_other 0.2 km

Turn-by-turn directions

The full 39-step drive on real, named roads (about 24.7 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.

  1. Depart:

    Drive north on Ryvra Road.

    Ryvra Road29 m

  2. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Anniesland Road.

    Anniesland Road254 m

  3. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Alderman Road.

    Alderman Road61 m

  4. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Alderman Road.

    19 m

  5. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Alderman Road.

    Alderman Road137 m

  6. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Alderman Place.

    Alderman Place322 m

  7. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Alderman Road.

    Alderman Road807 m

  8. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Alderman Road.

    6 m

  9. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Alderman Road.

    Alderman Road648 m

  10. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Carlibar Avenue.

    Carlibar Avenue295 m

  11. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Dunwan Avenue.

    Dunwan Avenue225 m

  12. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Dyke Road.

    Dyke Road666 m

  13. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Dumbarton Road/A814. Continue on Dumbarton Road.

    Dumbarton Road1.8 km

  14. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Duncan Avenue.

    Duncan Avenue414 m

  15. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Danes Drive.

    Danes Drive494 m

  16. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Queen Victoria Drive.

    Queen Victoria Drive764 m

  17. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Alderman Road.

    Alderman Road551 m

  18. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Alderman Road.

    6 m

  19. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Alderman Road.

    Alderman Road794 m

  20. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Kelso Street.

    26 m

  21. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Kelso Street.

    Kelso Street64 m

  22. Turn right:

    Turn right to stay on Kelso Street.

    Kelso Street310 m

  23. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Halley Street.

    Halley Street10 m

  24. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Kelso Street.

    Kelso Street464 m

  25. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Dumbarton Road/A814. Continue on Dumbarton Road.

    Dumbarton Road2.5 km

  26. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Dumbarton Road/A814.

    42 m

  27. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Dumbarton Road/A814. Continue on A814.

    A8144.7 km

  28. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Kilbowie Road/A8014.

    Kilbowie Road1.1 km

  29. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Drumry Road/B8055.

    Drumry Road998 m

  30. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Great Western Road/A82.

    118 m

  31. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Great Western Road/A82.

    Great Western Road4.4 km

  32. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Crow Road/A739.

    Crow Road202 m

  33. Turn right:

    Move right.

    92 m

  34. Keep right:

    Keep right at the fork.

    68 m

  35. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Anniesland Road.

    Anniesland Road23 m

  36. Turn left:

    Turn left towards A82.

    Great Western Road980 m

  37. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Baldwin Avenue.

    Baldwin Avenue53 m

  38. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Knightswood Road.

    Knightswood Road306 m

  39. Arrive:

    You have arrived at your destination.

Directions for the Glasgow (Shieldhall) · Route 13 · variant 2 loop. Always drive to the road and conditions you see, not the list — signs, signals and other traffic take priority.

Local roads & landmarks

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.

Junctions & roundabouts

Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.

  • Alderman Road

Stations

Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.

  • Singer

Schools

Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.

  • Scotstoun Primary School
  • St Ninian's Primary School
  • All Tots Day Care Centre

Churches

Useful navigation anchors on the loop.

  • Corpus Christi RC Church
  • St Brendan's Church Hall
  • St Brendan's RC Church
  • Yoker Evangelical Church
  • Yoker Parish Church

Pubs

Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.

  • Gulf of Corryvrechan
  • McNabb's
  • Leven Valley

Shops & parades

Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.

  • Day-Today
  • HOT!

Watch out for

  • Multiple roundabouts

    Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.

  • Changing speed limits

    Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40 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.

Drive it: landmark by landmark

Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.

  1. Alderman Road

    Start near Alderman Road.

  2. Gulf of Corryvrechan

    Continue to Gulf of Corryvrechan.

  3. McNabb's

    Continue to McNabb's.

  4. Corpus Christi RC Church

    Continue to Corpus Christi RC Church.

  5. Scotstoun Primary School

    Continue to Scotstoun Primary School.

  6. St Brendan's Church Hall

    Continue to St Brendan's Church Hall.

  7. St Brendan's RC Church

    Continue to St Brendan's RC Church.

  8. Day-Today

    Continue to Day-Today.

  9. HOT!

    Continue to HOT!.

  10. Yoker Evangelical Church

    Continue to Yoker Evangelical Church.

  11. Yoker Parish Church

    Continue to Yoker Parish Church.

  12. Our Holy Redeemer RC Church

    Continue to Our Holy Redeemer RC Church.

  13. Singer

    Continue to Singer.

  14. Leven Valley

    Continue to Leven Valley.

  15. Knightswood Church

    Continue to Knightswood Church.

  16. St Ninian's Primary School

    Continue to St Ninian's Primary School.

  17. All Tots Day Care Centre

    Continue to All Tots Day Care Centre.

  18. Knightswood St Margaret's Parish Church

    Continue to Knightswood St Margaret's Parish Church.

  19. Knightswood Baptist Church

    Continue to Knightswood Baptist Church.

  20. St Ninian's Roman Catholic Church

    Finish back near St Ninian's Roman Catholic Church, completing the loop.

More routes at Glasgow (Shieldhall) test centre

Route FAQs

This route is 24.7 km and takes about 20 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Glasgow (Shieldhall) test centre, not an official DVSA route.