Near Orkney (Kirkwall) test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts and 13 turns across 27 navigation steps.
This is an independent 14.7 km practice loop near Orkney (Kirkwall) test centre, taking roughly 13 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 Kiln Corner Roundabout and Scapa 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, 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 shops, pubs, churches and named junctions, 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 Orkney (Kirkwall) 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 27-step drive on real, named roads. An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southwest on Grainshore Drive.
Grainshore Drive
Turn left onto Grainshore Road.
Grainshore Road
Turn right to stay on Grainshore Road.
Grainshore Road
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Ayre Road/A965.
Exit the roundabout onto Ayre Road/A965.
Ayre Road
Enter Kiln Corner Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Junction Road/A963.
Kiln Corner Roundabout
Exit the roundabout onto Junction Road/A963.
Junction Road
Turn left onto Castle Street/A962.
Castle Street
Turn right onto Broad Street/A960.
Broad Street
Turn left onto Palace Road/A960. Continue on A960.
A960
You have arrived at your destination.
Drive northwest on Deerness Road/A960. Continue on A960.
A960
Turn left onto Holm Road/A961.
Holm Road
Turn right onto Holm Branch Road/A963.
Holm Branch Road
Enter Scapa Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Foreland Road.
Scapa Roundabout
Exit the roundabout onto Foreland Road.
Foreland Road
Bear left onto Old Scapa Road.
Old Scapa Road
You have arrived at your destination.
Drive northeast on Old Scapa Road/A964. Continue on Old Scapa Road.
Old Scapa Road
Turn left to stay on Old Scapa Road.
Old Scapa Road
Turn left onto New Scapa Road/A963. Continue on A963.
A963
Turn left onto Pickaquoy Road/A963.
Pickaquoy Road
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Grainshore Road.
Exit the roundabout onto Grainshore Road.
Grainshore Road
Turn left to stay on Grainshore Road.
Grainshore Road
Turn right onto Grainshore Drive.
Grainshore Drive
Your destination is on the left.
Directions for the Orkney (Kirkwall) · Dual-carriageway 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Kiln Corner Roundabout, Scapa 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.
Jewson
Start near Jewson.
William Wilson
Continue to William Wilson.
HMS Sparrowhawk Memorial
Continue to HMS Sparrowhawk Memorial.
Auld Motor Hoose Theme Bar
Continue to Auld Motor Hoose Theme Bar.
Bothy Bar
Continue to Bothy Bar.
Chapel
Continue to Chapel.
Kiln Corner Roundabout
Continue to Kiln Corner Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
HUME SWEET HUME
Continue to HUME SWEET HUME.
Peedie Kirk (Kirkwall URC)
Continue to Peedie Kirk (Kirkwall URC).
Saint Magnus Cathedral
Continue to Saint Magnus Cathedral.
Church Hall
Continue to Church Hall.
St Olaf
Continue to St Olaf.
St Olaf Scottish Episcopal Church
Continue to St Olaf Scottish Episcopal Church.
Fresson Cairn
Continue to Fresson Cairn.
Scapa Roundabout
Continue to Scapa Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Our Lady and St Joseph RC Church
Continue to Our Lady and St Joseph RC Church.
Coach stands
Continue to Coach stands.
Happy Haddock Fish & Chips
Continue to Happy Haddock Fish & Chips.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Hygge Clinic
Finish back near Hygge Clinic, completing the loop.
8 roundabouts · 24 turns
10 roundabouts · 17 turns
6 roundabouts · 13 turns
6 roundabouts · 6 turns
This route is 14.7 km and takes about 13 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Orkney (Kirkwall) test centre, not an official DVSA route.