Near Haddington test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 19 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 29 navigation steps.
This is an independent 18.0 km practice loop near Haddington 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.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, 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 Haddington 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 77-step drive on real, named roads (about 17.7 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west.
27 m
Turn left onto Herdmanflat.
Herdmanflat28 m
Turn right onto Florabank Road.
Florabank Road293 m
Turn right onto Lydgait.
Lydgait9 m
Keep right to stay on Lydgait.
Lydgait340 m
Turn right onto Hope Park/A6137. Continue on A6137.
A6137429 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Aberlady Road/A6137.
133 m
Exit the roundabout onto Aberlady Road/A6137.
Aberlady Road170 m
Turn right onto Davidson Terrace.
Davidson Terrace98 m
Keep left to stay on Davidson Terrace.
Davidson Terrace221 m
Keep right to stay on Davidson Terrace.
Davidson Terrace259 m
Turn left onto Hospital Road.
Hospital Road645 m
Keep left to take Hopetoun Drive.
Hopetoun Drive109 m
Turn left onto Aberlady Road/A6137.
Aberlady Road372 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A199.
98 m
Exit the roundabout onto A199.
A199763 m
Turn right.
138 m
Keep left at the fork.
20 m
Move right onto Dunbar Road/A6093. Continue on A6093.
A6093564 m
Turn right onto High Street/A6093.
A6093609 m
Keep right to take B6471.
B6471509 m
Keep right to take West Road/B6471.
West Road289 m
Turn right onto Somnerfield Crescent.
Somnerfield Crescent79 m
Keep left to stay on Somnerfield Crescent.
Somnerfield Crescent25 m
Turn left onto Somnerfield Avenue.
Somnerfield Avenue121 m
Turn left onto Alderston Road.
Alderston Road117 m
Turn left onto West Road/B6471.
West Road370 m
Keep left to stay on West Road/B6471.
West Road828 m
Move left onto Market Street.
Market Street9 m
Move left to stay on Market Street.
Market Street273 m
Turn right onto Hardgate/A6093.
Hardgate85 m
Turn right onto High Street/A6093. Continue on A6093.
A6093569 m
Turn left onto Knox Place/A6093. Continue on A6093.
A6093601 m
Keep right to stay on Pencaitland Road/A6093.
Pencaitland Road118 m
Keep right to stay on Pencaitland Road/A6093.
Pencaitland Road144 m
Turn right onto Clerkington Road.
Clerkington Road224 m
Move right onto Park Lane.
Park Lane245 m
Turn right onto West Road/B6471.
West Road154 m
Keep left to stay on B6471.
B6471550 m
Turn left onto Hope Park/A6137.
Hope Park304 m
Turn left onto Hopetoun Drive.
Hopetoun Drive148 m
Turn left onto Beechwood Road.
Beechwood Road152 m
Turn right onto Station Road/B6471.
Station Road132 m
Turn right onto Hospital Road.
Hospital Road92 m
Turn right onto Hopetoun Drive.
Hopetoun Drive129 m
Turn right onto Beechwood Road.
Beechwood Road152 m
Turn left onto Station Road/B6471.
Station Road443 m
Move left onto Market Street.
Market Street282 m
Turn left onto Dunbar Road/A6093.
Dunbar Road480 m
Turn right to stay on Dunbar Road/A6093.
Dunbar Road254 m
Turn right onto Traprain Terrace.
Traprain Terrace291 m
Turn left onto Riverside Drive.
Riverside Drive306 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Riverside Drive.
Riverside Drive183 m
Turn right to stay on Riverside Drive.
Riverside Drive123 m
Turn right onto Traprain Terrace.
Traprain Terrace290 m
Turn left onto Dunbar Road/A6093.
Dunbar Road254 m
Turn right.
159 m
Turn left onto A199.
A199748 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A199.
127 m
Exit the roundabout onto A199.
A199762 m
Turn right.
138 m
Keep left at the fork.
20 m
Move right onto Dunbar Road/A6093.
Dunbar Road52 m
Turn right.
30 m
Make a right U-turn.
30 m
Turn left onto Dunbar Road/A6093.
Dunbar Road52 m
Move left.
20 m
Keep right at the fork.
80 m
Turn left.
148 m
Turn left onto Gourlaybank.
Gourlaybank148 m
Turn left to stay on Gourlaybank.
Gourlaybank11 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Gourlaybank.
Gourlaybank11 m
Turn right to stay on Gourlaybank.
Gourlaybank148 m
Turn left.
163 m
Turn right onto Herdmanflat.
Herdmanflat145 m
Turn left to stay on Herdmanflat.
Herdmanflat105 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Haddington · 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.
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.
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, 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.
Co-op Food
Start near Co-op Food.
Bayne's
Continue to Bayne's.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Marmaris
Continue to Marmaris.
Mercat Hotel
Continue to Mercat Hotel.
VPZ
Continue to VPZ.
Haddington Community Church
Continue to Haddington Community Church.
Irvines Home Hardware
Continue to Irvines Home Hardware.
Johnsons
Continue to Johnsons.
Plough Tavern Hotel
Continue to Plough Tavern Hotel.
Victoria Inn
Continue to Victoria Inn.
Compass School
Continue to Compass School.
Haddington Villa
Continue to Haddington Villa.
Aurora's
Continue to Aurora's.
Gardeners Arms
Continue to Gardeners Arms.
Haddington Dry Cleaning & Laundry Services
Continue to Haddington Dry Cleaning & Laundry Services.
Kesley’s Bookshop
Continue to Kesley’s Bookshop.
Town House Fish Bar
Continue to Town House Fish Bar.
Angle Park
Continue to Angle Park.
Halfords Autocentre
Finish back near Halfords Autocentre, completing the loop.
5 roundabouts · 17 turns
2 roundabouts · 22 turns · 2 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 12 turns · 3 sets of lights
2 roundabouts · 22 turns · 4 sets of lights
This route is 18.0 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Haddington test centre, not an official DVSA route.