Near Lanark test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 1 roundabout, 19 turns and 1 signalled junction across 22 navigation steps.
This is an independent 34.8 km practice route near Lanark test centre, taking roughly 30 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. 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, 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, stations, named junctions 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 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 92-step drive on real, named roads (about 34.8 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.
B7017392 m
Keep left to take Bannatyne Street/B7017.
Bannatyne Street66 m
Make a sharp right onto High Street/A743. Continue on A743.
A743112 m
Keep right to take St Leonard Street/A743.
St Leonard Street105 m
Keep left to stay on A743.
A743980 m
Turn left onto Stanmore Road.
Stanmore Road119 m
Keep right to stay on Stanmore Road.
Stanmore Road135 m
Keep right to stay on Stanmore Road.
Stanmore Road168 m
Keep right to stay on Stanmore Road.
Stanmore Road142 m
Keep right to stay on Stanmore Road.
Stanmore Road426 m
Keep left to stay on Stanmore Road.
Stanmore Road283 m
Move right onto A706.
A706215 m
Turn left onto Stanmore Road/A706.
Stanmore Road1.4 km
Keep left to stay on Stanmore Road/A706.
Stanmore Road1.1 km
Enter Harelaw Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A721.
Harelaw Roundabout28 m
Exit the roundabout onto A721.
A7212.6 km
Keep left to take Carnwath Road/A721.
Carnwath Road228 m
Keep left to stay on A721.
A7213.1 km
Turn left onto Boghall Road/B7056.
Boghall Road1.0 km
Keep right to stay on Boghall Road/B7056.
Boghall Road878 m
Keep straight to stay on Boghall Road/B7056.
Boghall Road348 m
Turn left onto A73.
A73758 m
Keep right to stay on A73.
A732.0 km
Keep left to stay on A73.
A73143 m
Keep right to stay on A73.
A73119 m
Keep right to stay on A73.
A732.7 km
Keep right to stay on A73.
A73651 m
Turn left onto Hope Street/A706. Continue on A706.
A706278 m
Keep right to take Cleghorn Road/A706.
Cleghorn Road291 m
Turn right.
24 m
Move right onto Cleghorn Drive.
Cleghorn Drive166 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.
A706277 m
Keep right to stay on A706.
A706360 m
Keep right to stay on A706.
A706132 m
Keep left to stay on A706.
A70687 m
Turn right onto Linthill.
Linthill203 m
Turn left onto Laverockhall.
Laverockhall45 m
Turn right onto The Marches.
The Marches68 m
Turn right onto Wellwood Avenue.
Wellwood Avenue221 m
Turn left onto Leechford.
Leechford50 m
Turn right onto St Nicholas Road.
St Nicholas Road100 m
Turn left onto St Kentigerns Road.
St Kentigerns Road204 m
Turn left onto St Nicholas Road.
St Nicholas Road65 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 Road70 m
Turn left onto St Kentigerns Road.
St Kentigerns Road203 m
Turn left onto St Nicholas Road.
St Nicholas Road65 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 Road70 m
Turn left onto St Kentigerns Road.
St Kentigerns Road204 m
Turn left onto St Nicholas Road.
St Nicholas Road65 m
Turn right onto Rhyber Avenue.
Rhyber Avenue48 m
Move left to stay on Rhyber Avenue.
Rhyber Avenue92 m
Turn right onto Braedale Road.
Braedale Road259 m
Turn right onto Cleghorn Road/A706.
Cleghorn Road145 m
Turn right.
24 m
Move right onto Cleghorn Drive.
Cleghorn Drive166 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Cleghorn Drive.
Cleghorn Drive166 m
Move left.
24 m
Turn right onto Cleghorn Road/A706.
Cleghorn Road43 m
Turn left onto Bellefield Road.
Bellefield Road1.1 km
Turn left.
76 m
Turn left.
32 m
Make a right U-turn.
32 m
Turn right.
76 m
Turn right onto Bellefield Road.
Bellefield Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Waterloo Drive.
Waterloo Drive316 m
Turn left onto Springfield Gardens.
Springfield Gardens126 m
Turn left onto Wheatlandside.
Wheatlandside197 m
Turn left onto Mousebank Road.
Mousebank Road366 m
Turn left onto West Port/A73.
A73795 m
Keep right to take St Leonard Street/A743.
St Leonard Street105 m
Keep left to stay on A743.
A743785 m
Turn right onto Smyllum Road.
Smyllum Road1.0 km
Turn right onto Woodstock Road.
Woodstock Road117 m
Keep right to stay on Woodstock Road.
Woodstock Road38 m
Turn right onto Woodstock Drive.
Woodstock Drive63 m
Turn left onto Kenilworth Road.
Kenilworth Road105 m
Keep right to take Smyllum Road.
Smyllum Road734 m
Turn left onto A743.
A74348 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Lanark · Route 2 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.
Taste Garden
Continue to Taste Garden.
Touch Garden
Continue to Touch Garden.
Lanark
Continue to Lanark.
Lanark Interchange
Continue to Lanark Interchange.
Harelaw Roundabout
Continue to Harelaw Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Village Bakery
Continue to Village Bakery.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Station Inn
Continue to Station Inn.
Lanark EU Congregational Church
Continue to Lanark EU Congregational Church.
NISA
Continue to NISA.
Christ Church
Continue to Christ Church.
Crown Tavern
Continue to Crown Tavern.
Greyfriars Church
Continue to Greyfriars Church.
Lanark Fire Station
Continue to Lanark Fire Station.
Clydesdale Inn
Continue to Clydesdale Inn.
New Life Christian Fellowship
Continue to New Life Christian Fellowship.
St Nicholas Parish Church
Continue to St Nicholas Parish Church.
Gospel Hall
Continue to Gospel Hall.
Robert Owen Memorial Primary School
Finish back near Robert Owen Memorial Primary School, completing the loop.
1 roundabout · 25 turns
1 roundabout · 23 turns
1 roundabout · 21 turns · 1 set of lights
19 turns
This route is 34.8 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Lanark test centre, not an official DVSA route.