Near Lerwick test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts and 21 turns across 30 navigation steps.
This is an independent 17.3 km practice loop near Lerwick test centre, taking roughly 40 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 North Lochside and Holmsgarth Road. 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, 20 mph zones, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, 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 20 catalogued landmarks, including churches, schools, named junctions and stations, 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 Lerwick 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 69-step drive on real, named roads (about 17.3 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north on King Harald Street.
King Harald Street170 m
Turn right onto King Erik Street.
King Erik Street146 m
Turn right onto Hillhead.
Hillhead328 m
Turn right onto Scalloway Road/A969. Continue on A969.
A969502 m
Turn right onto Gilbertson Road.
Gilbertson Road528 m
Turn left onto Anderson Road.
Anderson Road200 m
Turn left onto North Lochside/A970.
North Lochside270 m
Turn left onto Hayfield Lane.
Hayfield Lane276 m
Turn left onto Gilbertson Road.
Gilbertson Road244 m
Turn left onto Anderson Road.
Anderson Road200 m
Turn left onto North Lochside/A970.
North Lochside270 m
Turn left onto Hayfield Lane.
Hayfield Lane40 m
Turn left onto North Lochside.
North Lochside141 m
Turn right onto Robertson Crescent.
Robertson Crescent65 m
Turn left onto Haldane Burgess Crescent.
Haldane Burgess Crescent121 m
Turn left onto Anderson Road.
Anderson Road65 m
Turn right onto North Lochside/A970.
North Lochside92 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto North Lochside/A970.
40 m
Exit the roundabout onto North Lochside/A970.
North Lochside170 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto North Road/A970.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto North Road/A970.
North Road52 m
Turn left to stay on North Road.
North Road819 m
Turn right onto Gremista Brae.
Gremista Brae131 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Holmsgarth Road/A970.
49 m
Exit the roundabout onto Holmsgarth Road/A970.
Holmsgarth Road841 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Holmsgarth Road/A970.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Holmsgarth Road/A970.
Holmsgarth Road81 m
Turn left onto North Road/A970.
North Road52 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto North Road/A969.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto North Road/A969.
North Road76 m
Turn right onto Gilbertson Road.
Gilbertson Road748 m
Turn left onto South Road/A969. Continue on A969.
A969352 m
Turn left onto King Harald Street.
King Harald Street160 m
Turn right onto Union Street.
Union Street67 m
Turn left onto St. Olaf Street.
St. Olaf Street122 m
Turn left onto King Erik Street.
King Erik Street69 m
Turn left onto King Harald Street.
King Harald Street123 m
Turn left onto Union Street.
Union Street67 m
Turn left onto St. Olaf Street.
St. Olaf Street263 m
Turn right onto Harbour Street/B9072.
Harbour Street56 m
Turn left onto St. Magnus Street.
St. Magnus Street170 m
Turn right onto Commercial Road/A969. Continue on A969.
A969912 m
Move left onto Knab Road.
Knab Road498 m
Turn left onto Gressy Loan.
Gressy Loan298 m
Turn left onto Twageos Road.
Twageos Road241 m
Turn left onto Midgarth Crescent.
Midgarth Crescent135 m
Turn right onto Lover's Loan.
Lover's Loan119 m
Turn right onto Twageos Road.
Twageos Road282 m
Turn right onto Gressy Loan.
Gressy Loan298 m
Turn right onto Knab Road.
Knab Road368 m
Turn left onto Breiwick Road.
Breiwick Road632 m
Turn left onto Scalloway Road/A969. Continue on A969.
A969644 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto South Road/A969.
97 m
Exit the roundabout onto South Road/A969. Continue on A969.
A969771 m
Turn left onto King Harald Street.
King Harald Street614 m
Turn left onto North Road/A969.
North Road333 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto North Road/A970.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto North Road/A970.
North Road52 m
Turn right onto Holmsgarth Road/A970.
Holmsgarth Road81 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Holmsgarth Road/A970.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Holmsgarth Road/A970.
Holmsgarth Road841 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Gremista Brae.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gremista Brae.
Gremista Brae131 m
Turn left onto North Road.
North Road819 m
Turn right onto North Road/A970.
North Road52 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto North Road/A969.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto North Road/A969.
North Road355 m
Turn right onto King Harald Street.
King Harald Street374 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Lerwick · Route 6 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.
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.
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.
Adam Clark Methodist Church Minster
Start near Adam Clark Methodist Church Minster.
UHI Shetland - Islesburgh Learning Centre
Continue to UHI Shetland - Islesburgh Learning Centre.
North Lochside
Continue to North Lochside, taking the junction with good observation.
Holmsgarth Ferry Terminal
Continue to Holmsgarth Ferry Terminal.
Golden Wok
Continue to Golden Wok.
Holmsgarth Road
Continue to Holmsgarth Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Shetland Church of Scotland
Continue to Shetland Church of Scotland.
St Margaret and the Sacred Heart
Continue to St Margaret and the Sacred Heart.
Esplanade
Continue to Esplanade.
Trench Bar
Continue to Trench Bar.
Viking Bus Station
Continue to Viking Bus Station.
Shetland Bookshop
Continue to Shetland Bookshop.
St Columba's Church of Scotland
Continue to St Columba's Church of Scotland.
CWGC Cross of Sacrifice
Continue to CWGC Cross of Sacrifice.
Anderson Homes
Continue to Anderson Homes.
Lerwick Health Centre
Continue to Lerwick Health Centre.
Douglas Arms
Continue to Douglas Arms.
Garthspool Evangelical Church
Continue to Garthspool Evangelical Church.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
Heima
Finish back near Heima, completing the loop.
6 roundabouts · 19 turns
6 roundabouts · 15 turns
6 roundabouts · 13 turns
4 roundabouts · 24 turns
This route is 17.3 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Lerwick test centre, not an official DVSA route.