Near Lanark test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 1 roundabout and 23 turns across 26 navigation steps.
This is an independent 45.9 km practice route near Lanark test centre, taking roughly 35 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 Harelaw Roundabout and Mains Court. 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, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, 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 20 catalogued landmarks, including parks, shops, named junctions 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 Lanark 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 79-step drive on real, named roads (about 45.9 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north on Acorn Road.
Acorn Road37 m
Turn right to stay on Acorn Road.
Acorn Road145 m
Turn left to stay on Acorn Road.
Acorn Road12 m
Turn left to stay on Acorn Road.
Acorn Road55 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A73.
18 m
Exit the roundabout onto A73.
A732.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Ladyacre Road/B7017.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ladyacre Road/B7017. Continue on B7017.
B7017458 m
Make a sharp right onto High Street/A743. Continue on A743.
A7431.2 km
Turn left onto Stanmore Road.
Stanmore Road1.3 km
Make a sharp left onto A706.
A7062.4 km
Turn left.
24 m
Move right onto Cleghorn Drive.
Cleghorn Drive167 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Cleghorn Drive.
Cleghorn Drive167 m
Move left.
24 m
Turn right onto Cleghorn Road/A706. Continue on A706.
A7062.6 km
Turn left onto Stanmore Road/A706.
Stanmore Road2.5 km
Enter Harelaw Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A721.
Harelaw Roundabout28 m
Exit the roundabout onto A721.
A7215.9 km
Turn left onto Boghall Road/B7056.
Boghall Road60 m
Turn left onto Roadmeetings Crescent.
Roadmeetings Crescent52 m
Turn left to stay on Roadmeetings Crescent.
Roadmeetings Crescent304 m
Turn left to stay on Roadmeetings Crescent.
Roadmeetings Crescent52 m
Turn right onto Boghall Road/B7056.
Boghall Road60 m
Turn right onto Kilncadzow Road/A721. Continue on A721.
A7215.9 km
Enter Harelaw Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A721.
Harelaw Roundabout52 m
Exit the roundabout onto A721.
A7212.4 km
Turn right onto Lanark Road/A70.
A704.6 km
Turn left onto North Faulds Road.
North Faulds Road182 m
Turn right onto East Faulds Road.
East Faulds Road46 m
Turn left onto South Faulds Road.
South Faulds Road619 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on South Faulds Road.
South Faulds Road620 m
Turn right onto East Faulds Road.
East Faulds Road46 m
Turn left onto North Faulds Road.
North Faulds Road182 m
Turn left onto A743.
A7431.6 km
Turn left onto St Leonard's Road.
St Leonard's Road204 m
Turn right onto Woodstock Road.
Woodstock Road104 m
Turn left onto Woodstock Drive.
Woodstock Drive63 m
Turn left onto Kenilworth Road.
Kenilworth Road840 m
Turn left onto A743.
A743384 m
Turn left onto Hospitland Drive.
Hospitland Drive189 m
Turn right onto Woodstock Avenue.
Woodstock Avenue102 m
Turn left onto St Leonard's Road.
St Leonard's Road17 m
Turn right onto Woodstock Road.
Woodstock Road273 m
Turn left to stay on Woodstock Road.
Woodstock Road214 m
Turn left onto St Vincent Place/B7017. Continue on B7017.
B7017331 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A73.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto A73.
A731.4 km
Turn left.
44 m
Turn right.
88 m
Make a right U-turn.
88 m
Turn left.
44 m
Turn right onto A73.
A73865 m
Turn right onto Home Street.
Home Street179 m
Turn left onto Whitelees Road.
Whitelees Road731 m
Turn right onto Ladyacre Road/B7017. Continue on B7017.
B7017324 m
Make a sharp right onto High Street/A743. Continue on A743.
A743133 m
Turn left onto Kildare Road.
Kildare Road230 m
Turn left onto Quarryknowe.
Quarryknowe105 m
Turn right onto Rhyber Avenue.
Rhyber Avenue137 m
Turn left onto Braedale Road.
Braedale Road259 m
Turn right onto Cleghorn Road/A706.
Cleghorn Road316 m
Turn right onto Melvinhall Road.
Melvinhall Road196 m
Turn right onto St Nicholas Road.
St Nicholas Road90 m
Turn left onto Rhyber Avenue.
Rhyber Avenue240 m
Turn left onto Forrest Road.
Forrest Road104 m
Turn left onto St Nicholas Road.
St Nicholas Road201 m
Move left to stay on St Nicholas Road.
St Nicholas Road61 m
Turn left to stay on St Nicholas Road.
St Nicholas Road78 m
Turn left onto St Kentigerns Road.
St Kentigerns Road204 m
Turn right onto St Nicholas Road.
St Nicholas Road100 m
Turn left onto Leechford.
Leechford352 m
Turn right.
67 m
Turn left onto Lythgow Way.
Lythgow Way170 m
Turn left onto Westcott Place.
Westcott Place125 m
Turn right onto Lythgow Way.
Lythgow Way123 m
Turn left onto Potters Wynd.
Potters Wynd335 m
Turn left onto A743.
A74328 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Lanark · 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.
Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.
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.
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
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Harelaw Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 50, 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.
Lanark Moor Sensory Garden
Start near Lanark Moor Sensory Garden.
Sight Garden
Continue to Sight Garden.
Touch Garden
Continue to Touch Garden.
Leather & Lace
Continue to Leather & Lace.
Oxfam
Continue to Oxfam.
Harelaw Roundabout
Continue to Harelaw Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Village Bakery
Continue to Village Bakery.
Carstairs Parish Church
Continue to Carstairs Parish Church.
Carstairs Village Green
Continue to Carstairs Village Green.
Village Inn
Continue to Village Inn.
King George's Field
Continue to King George's Field.
Gospel Hall
Continue to Gospel Hall.
Robert Owen Memorial Primary School
Continue to Robert Owen Memorial Primary School.
Lanark
Continue to Lanark.
Lanark Interchange
Continue to Lanark Interchange.
Valerio`s Fish and Chips
Continue to Valerio`s Fish and Chips.
HiQ
Continue to HiQ.
Taste Garden
Continue to Taste Garden.
Morrisons
Continue to Morrisons.
Mains Court
Finish back near Mains Court, completing the loop.
1 roundabout · 25 turns
1 roundabout · 21 turns · 1 set of lights
1 roundabout · 19 turns · 1 set of lights
19 turns
This route is 45.9 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Lanark test centre, not an official DVSA route.