Near Inverness test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 14 roundabouts and 12 turns across 39 navigation steps.
This is an independent 10.7 km practice loop near Inverness test centre, taking roughly 16 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 Harbour Road Roundabout, Rose Street Roundabout and Shore Street 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 and independent driving. 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 shops, 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 Inverness 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:
The full 39-step drive on real, named roads (about 11.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north on A82/Harbour Road Roundabout.
A8291 m
Exit the roundabout onto A82/Longman Road. Continue on A82.
A82542 m
Enter Rose Street Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A82.
Rose Street Roundabout20 m
Exit the roundabout onto A82.
A82245 m
Enter Shore Street Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Waterloo Place.
Shore Street Roundabout63 m
Exit the roundabout onto Waterloo Place.
Waterloo Place323 m
Turn right onto Nelson Street.
Nelson Street190 m
Turn left onto Anderson Street.
Anderson Street113 m
Make a right U-turn at Anderson Street to stay on Anderson Street.
Anderson Street37 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Anderson Street.
Anderson Street8 m
Make a left U-turn at Anderson Street to stay on Anderson Street.
Anderson Street142 m
Turn right onto Nelson Street.
Nelson Street189 m
Turn left onto Grant Street.
Grant Street323 m
Enter Shore Street Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Chapel Street/B865.
Shore Street Roundabout59 m
Exit the roundabout onto Chapel Street/B865.
Chapel Street241 m
Turn right onto Friar's Lane/B862. Continue on B862.
B862495 m
Turn left onto Bridge Street/B861. Continue on B861.
B861124 m
Turn right onto Castle Street/B861. Continue on B861.
B8612.4 km
Turn left.
7 m
Make a right U-turn.
7 m
Turn right onto Culduthel Road/B861. Continue on B861.
B8612.4 km
Turn left onto High Street/B861. Continue on B861.
B861124 m
Turn right onto Bank Street/B862. Continue on B862.
B862464 m
Turn left onto Chapel Street/B865.
Chapel Street256 m
Enter Shore Street Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Waterloo Place.
Shore Street Roundabout41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Waterloo Place.
Waterloo Place403 m
Turn right onto Lower Kessock Street.
Lower Kessock Street175 m
Turn right onto Thornbush Road.
Thornbush Road32 m
Turn right onto India Street.
India Street19 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on India Street.
India Street19 m
Turn left onto Thornbush Road.
Thornbush Road32 m
Turn left to stay on Thornbush Road.
Thornbush Road175 m
Turn left onto Pumpgate Street.
Pumpgate Street402 m
Enter Shore Street Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A82.
Shore Street Roundabout39 m
Exit the roundabout onto A82.
A82243 m
Enter Rose Street Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A82.
Rose Street Roundabout20 m
Exit the roundabout onto A82.
A82527 m
Enter Harbour Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit.
Harbour Road Roundabout17 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Inverness · Residential + A-road practice loop 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.
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
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Harbour Road Roundabout, Rose Street Roundabout, Shore Street Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Harbour Road Roundabout
Start near Harbour Road Roundabout.
Rose Street Roundabout
Continue to Rose Street Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Shore Street Roundabout
Continue to Shore Street Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Nip Inn
Continue to Nip Inn.
Merkinch Free Church
Continue to Merkinch Free Church.
McLeod's Fish and Chips
Continue to McLeod's Fish and Chips.
Free Presbyterian Church
Continue to Free Presbyterian Church.
Inverness Pentecostal Church of God
Continue to Inverness Pentecostal Church of God.
Blackfriars
Continue to Blackfriars.
Old High Church
Continue to Old High Church.
Free North Church
Continue to Free North Church.
Inverness Baptist Church
Continue to Inverness Baptist Church.
Heritage Tattoo
Continue to Heritage Tattoo.
Drummond Stores
Continue to Drummond Stores.
Castle Tavern
Continue to Castle Tavern.
Gellions
Continue to Gellions.
Den
Continue to Den.
Leakey's
Continue to Leakey's.
Harry Gow
Continue to Harry Gow.
William Hill
Finish back near William Hill, completing the loop.
62 roundabouts · 2 turns
14 roundabouts · 16 turns
32 roundabouts · 2 turns
24 roundabouts · 10 turns
This route is 10.7 km and takes about 16 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Inverness test centre, not an official DVSA route.