Near Huntly test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts and 14 turns across 18 navigation steps.
This is an independent 29.5 km practice route near Huntly test centre, taking roughly 25 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, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 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 13 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 Huntly 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 57-step drive on real, named roads (about 29.5 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north.
22 m
Turn right onto Depot Road.
Depot Road58 m
Turn right onto Market Street.
Market Street159 m
Turn left onto George V Avenue/A97. Continue on A97.
A97460 m
Move left onto The Square.
The Square53 m
Turn left onto Castle Street.
Castle Street127 m
Turn right onto East Park Street.
East Park Street206 m
Turn right onto Park Street.
Park Street84 m
Turn right onto Old Road.
Old Road48 m
Move right onto Mc Veagh Street.
Mc Veagh Street170 m
Turn right onto Castle Street.
Castle Street101 m
Turn right onto East Park Street.
East Park Street206 m
Turn right onto Park Street.
Park Street84 m
Turn right onto Old Road.
Old Road48 m
Move right onto Mc Veagh Street.
Mc Veagh Street170 m
Turn right onto Castle Street.
Castle Street105 m
Move left.
36 m
Turn right.
37 m
Move left onto Castle Street.
Castle Street130 m
Move left onto The Square.
The Square53 m
Turn left onto Duke Street/A920.
Duke Street113 m
Turn right onto Church Street.
Church Street88 m
Turn right onto Granary Street.
Granary Street133 m
Turn left onto Gordon Street/A97. Continue on A97.
A97745 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A96.
90 m
Exit the roundabout onto A96.
A967.2 km
Turn right onto Bridge of Clochren.
Bridge of Clochren3.5 km
Turn right onto School Road.
School Road339 m
Move right.
375 m
Turn left.
272 m
Move left onto School Road.
School Road339 m
Turn left onto Bridge of Clochren.
Bridge of Clochren3.5 km
Turn left onto A96.
A967.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto George V Avenue/A97.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto George V Avenue/A97.
George V Avenue385 m
Turn left onto Market Street.
Market Street159 m
Turn left onto Depot Road.
Depot Road274 m
Turn left onto Steven Road.
Steven Road109 m
Turn left.
222 m
Turn left.
113 m
Turn left onto Depot Road.
Depot Road216 m
Turn left onto Steven Road.
Steven Road109 m
Turn left.
222 m
Turn left.
113 m
Turn right onto Depot Road.
Depot Road58 m
Turn right onto Market Street.
Market Street117 m
Turn left onto George Street.
George Street134 m
Turn left onto Littlejohn Street.
Littlejohn Street111 m
Turn right onto King Street.
King Street24 m
Turn right onto Gordon Court.
Gordon Court30 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Gordon Court.
Gordon Court30 m
Turn left onto King Street.
King Street24 m
Turn left onto Littlejohn Street.
Littlejohn Street189 m
Turn left onto Gordon Street/A97.
Gordon Street342 m
Move left onto The Square.
The Square53 m
Turn left onto Castle Street.
Castle Street57 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Huntly · Route 1 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.
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.
Dual-carriageway join
About 12.4 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.
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 13 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Brander Building
Start near Brander Building.
Chaps
Continue to Chaps.
Duke of Richmond Statue
Continue to Duke of Richmond Statue.
Fred Watt Jewellers
Continue to Fred Watt Jewellers.
Fresh Turkish Barbers
Continue to Fresh Turkish Barbers.
Gordon Arms
Continue to Gordon Arms.
Huntly War Memorial
Continue to Huntly War Memorial.
James Robertson Memorial
Continue to James Robertson Memorial.
Royal Oak
Continue to Royal Oak.
Sinclairs Bakery
Continue to Sinclairs Bakery.
Sinclairs of Rhynie
Continue to Sinclairs of Rhynie.
Huntly Parish Church
Continue to Huntly Parish Church.
Cairney School
Finish back near Cairney School, completing the loop.
This route is 29.5 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Huntly test centre, not an official DVSA route.