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Practice route
ModerateLoop

Irvine · School-zone practice loop

Near Irvine test centre

14.2 km
Distance
15 min
Duration
Moderate
Difficulty
39
Manoeuvres
Difficulty: Demanding

Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 26 roundabouts and 6 turns across 33 navigation steps.

How this route is examined

This is an independent 14.2 km practice loop near Irvine test centre, taking roughly 15 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 Greenwood Interchange, Towerlands Roundabout, Stanecastle Roundabout, Littlestane Roundabout and Sourlie Roundabout and 3 more named junctions. 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, 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 17 catalogued landmarks, including named junctions, shops 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 Irvine 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.

6
Left turns
0
Right turns
26
Roundabouts
0
Traffic lights
33
Total steps

Skills & features

6
Roundabouts
17
Landmarks

This route helps you practise:

  • Multiple roundabouts
  • Independent driving
  • Sustained concentration

Turn-by-turn directions

The full 33-step drive on real, named roads (about 14.1 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.

  1. Depart:

    Drive east on Riverside Way.

    Riverside Way335 m

  2. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Long Drive/B7080.

    2 m

  3. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Long Drive/B7080.

    Long Drive300 m

  4. Roundabout:

    Enter Greenwood Interchange and take the 3rd exit onto Long Drive/B7080.

    Greenwood Interchange46 m

  5. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Long Drive/B7080.

    Long Drive159 m

  6. Roundabout:

    Enter Greenwood Interchange and take the 1st exit onto Long Drive/B7080.

    Greenwood Interchange50 m

  7. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Long Drive/B7080.

    Long Drive306 m

  8. Roundabout:

    Enter Newmoor Interchange and take the 2nd exit onto Long Drive/B7080.

    Newmoor Interchange114 m

  9. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Long Drive/B7080.

    Long Drive803 m

  10. Roundabout:

    Enter Towerlands Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Long Drive/B7080.

    Towerlands Roundabout31 m

  11. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Long Drive/B7080.

    Long Drive793 m

  12. Roundabout:

    Enter Stanecastle Roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Stanecastle Road.

    Stanecastle Roundabout229 m

  13. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Stanecastle Road.

    Stanecastle Road145 m

  14. Turn right:

    Move right onto Lochlibo Road.

    Lochlibo Road780 m

  15. Turn left:

    Move left onto Stotfield Road.

    Stotfield Road27 m

  16. Roundabout:

    Enter Littlestane Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Lochilbo Road.

    Littlestane Roundabout44 m

  17. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Lochilbo Road.

    Lochilbo Road696 m

  18. Roundabout:

    Enter Sourlie Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Cairnmount Road/A736.

    Sourlie Roundabout2 m

  19. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Cairnmount Road/A736.

    Cairnmount Road966 m

  20. Roundabout:

    Enter Hill Interchange and take the 5th exit onto Long Drive/B7080.

    Hill Interchange270 m

  21. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Long Drive/B7080.

    Long Drive897 m

  22. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Long Drive.

    30 m

  23. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Long Drive.

    Long Drive1.4 km

  24. Roundabout:

    Enter Eglinton Interchange and take the 1st exit towards A737/Irvine/Kilwinning.

    Eglinton Interchange11 m

  25. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout towards A737/Irvine/Kilwinning.

    A737298 m

  26. Roundabout:

    Enter Redburn Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Kilwinning Road/A737.

    Redburn Roundabout62 m

  27. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Kilwinning Road/A737.

    Kilwinning Road2.3 km

  28. Turn left:

    Turn left onto East Road/A736.

    East Road613 m

  29. Turn left:

    Turn left onto High Street/B7081. Continue on B7081.

    B7081770 m

  30. Roundabout:

    Enter Annick Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Annick Road/B7081.

    Annick Roundabout16 m

  31. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Annick Road/B7081.

    Annick Road652 m

  32. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Riverside Way.

    Riverside Way945 m

  33. Arrive:

    You have arrived at your destination.

Directions for the Irvine · School-zone practice loop 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.

  • Greenwood Interchange
  • Towerlands Roundabout
  • Stanecastle Roundabout
  • Littlestane Roundabout
  • Sourlie Roundabout
  • Eglinton Interchange
  • Redburn Roundabout
  • Annick Roundabout

Churches

Useful navigation anchors on the loop.

  • Irvine Baptist Church

Shops & parades

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

  • Girdle Toll Store
  • Spar
  • Aldi
  • Domino's

Watch out for

  • Multiple roundabouts

    Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Towerlands Roundabout, Stanecastle Roundabout, Littlestane Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.

Drive it: landmark by landmark

Navigate by these 17 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.

  1. Greenwood Interchange

    Start near Greenwood Interchange.

  2. Towerlands Roundabout

    Continue to Towerlands Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.

  3. Stanecastle Roundabout

    Continue to Stanecastle Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.

  4. Girdle Toll Store

    Continue to Girdle Toll Store.

  5. Littlestane Roundabout

    Continue to Littlestane Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.

  6. Spar

    Continue to Spar.

  7. Sourlie Roundabout

    Continue to Sourlie Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.

  8. Eglinton Interchange

    Continue to Eglinton Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.

  9. Redburn Roundabout

    Continue to Redburn Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.

  10. Irvine Police Station

    Continue to Irvine Police Station.

  11. Wellwood Burns Centre and Museum

    Continue to Wellwood Burns Centre and Museum.

  12. Aldi

    Continue to Aldi.

  13. Domino's

    Continue to Domino's.

  14. Irvine Baptist Church

    Continue to Irvine Baptist Church.

  15. Portal

    Continue to Portal.

  16. Annick Roundabout

    Continue to Annick Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.

  17. Graham

    Finish back near Graham, completing the loop.

More routes at Irvine test centre

Route FAQs

This route is 14.2 km and takes about 15 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Irvine test centre, not an official DVSA route.