Near Huntly test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 1 roundabout and 15 turns across 18 navigation steps.
This is an independent 21.5 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 12 catalogued landmarks, including shops, pubs, schools and churches, 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 31-step drive on real, named roads (about 21.5 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 left onto King Street.
King Street334 m
Turn left onto Scott Drive.
Scott Drive113 m
Turn left to stay on Scott Drive.
Scott Drive113 m
Turn left to stay on Scott Drive.
Scott Drive168 m
Turn right to stay on Scott Drive.
Scott Drive38 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Scott Drive.
Scott Drive38 m
Turn left to stay on Scott Drive.
Scott Drive109 m
Turn left onto Mitchell Avenue.
Mitchell Avenue124 m
Turn right onto Deveron Road/A920. Continue on A920.
A920504 m
Turn right onto Gordon Street/A97. Continue on A97.
A97844 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A96.
90 m
Exit the roundabout onto A96.
A967.2 km
Turn right.
302 m
Turn right onto Bin Avenue.
Bin Avenue569 m
Turn right.
482 m
Turn left onto A96.
A966.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A96.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto A96.
A961.4 km
Turn left onto Aberdeen Road/A920. Continue on A920.
A920936 m
Turn left onto Gladstone Road.
Gladstone Road85 m
Turn left onto Queen Street.
Queen Street286 m
Turn left onto Bogie Street/A920.
Bogie Street174 m
Turn left onto Gladstone Road.
Gladstone Road85 m
Turn left onto Queen Street.
Queen Street286 m
Turn left onto Bogie Street/A920.
Bogie Street174 m
Turn right onto New Road.
New Road106 m
Turn left onto Old Road.
Old Road201 m
Turn left onto Stewart Lane.
Stewart Lane175 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Huntly · Route 3 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
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 15.2 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 12 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Chaps
Start near Chaps.
Duke of Richmond Statue
Continue to Duke of Richmond Statue.
Fresh Turkish Barbers
Continue to Fresh Turkish Barbers.
Gordon Arms
Continue to Gordon Arms.
James Robertson Memorial
Continue to James Robertson Memorial.
Sinclairs Bakery
Continue to Sinclairs Bakery.
Cairney School
Continue to Cairney School.
Cairnie Memorial Hall
Continue to Cairnie Memorial Hall.
Cairnie Parish Church
Continue to Cairnie Parish Church.
Huntly
Continue to Huntly.
Huntly Train Station Ticket Office
Continue to Huntly Train Station Ticket Office.
Sinclairs of Rhynie
Finish back near Sinclairs of Rhynie, completing the loop.
This route is 21.5 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.