Near Orkney (Kirkwall) test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts and 24 turns across 45 navigation steps.
This is an independent 11.2 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. 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 and independent driving. 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, churches, pubs 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 45-step drive on real, named roads (about 11.3 km). 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 Drive15 m
Turn left onto Grainshore Road.
Grainshore Road837 m
Turn right to stay on Grainshore Road.
Grainshore Road42 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Ayre Road/A965.
18 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ayre Road/A965.
Ayre Road605 m
Enter Kiln Corner Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Harbour Street/A960.
Kiln Corner Roundabout22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Harbour Street/A960.
Harbour Street357 m
Move left onto Cromwell Road.
Cromwell Road640 m
Move left onto Carness Road.
Carness Road163 m
Turn right onto Boray Drive.
Boray Drive38 m
Turn right to stay on Boray Drive.
Boray Drive11 m
Turn left to stay on Boray Drive.
Boray Drive67 m
Turn right onto Peace Crescent.
Peace Crescent149 m
Turn left onto Boray Drive.
Boray Drive38 m
Turn left onto Carness Road.
Carness Road163 m
Move right onto Cromwell Road.
Cromwell Road639 m
Move right onto Shore Street.
Shore Street131 m
Turn left onto St. Catherine's Place/B9054.
St. Catherine's Place177 m
Turn right onto East Road/B9054. Continue on B9054.
B9054439 m
Move left onto Dundas Crescent/A960. Continue on A960.
A960564 m
Turn right onto Holm Road/A961.
Holm Road1.3 km
Turn left.
87 m
Turn right.
9 m
Make a right U-turn.
9 m
Turn right.
17 m
Make a right U-turn.
17 m
Turn left.
9 m
Make a right U-turn.
9 m
Turn left.
87 m
Turn right onto Holm Road/A961.
Holm Road1.3 km
Turn left onto Bignold Park Road/A960. Continue on A960.
A960564 m
Move right onto School Place/B9054. Continue on B9054.
B9054398 m
Turn right onto Willowburn Road.
Willowburn Road120 m
Turn left onto Carters Park Road.
Carters Park Road142 m
Turn left onto Berstane Road.
Berstane Road48 m
Move left onto East Road.
East Road128 m
Turn right onto St. Catherine's Place/B9054.
St. Catherine's Place177 m
Turn left onto Shore Street/B9054.
Shore Street226 m
Enter Kiln Corner Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Ayre Road/A965.
Kiln Corner Roundabout24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ayre Road/A965.
Ayre Road605 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Grainshore Road.
58 m
Exit the roundabout onto Grainshore Road.
Grainshore Road42 m
Turn left to stay on Grainshore Road.
Grainshore Road837 m
Turn right onto Grainshore Drive.
Grainshore Drive15 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Orkney (Kirkwall) · Residential + A-road 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.
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. 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.
Chapel
Continue to Chapel.
Kirkjuvagr Orkney Gin
Continue to Kirkjuvagr Orkney Gin.
Shore
Continue to Shore.
Skipper’s
Continue to Skipper’s.
Kirkwall East Church
Continue to Kirkwall East Church.
Church Hall
Continue to Church Hall.
St Olaf
Continue to St Olaf.
St Olaf Scottish Episcopal Church
Continue to St Olaf Scottish Episcopal Church.
Orkney Witchcraft Trials Memorial
Continue to Orkney Witchcraft Trials Memorial.
Highland Park Distillery
Continue to Highland Park Distillery.
Highland Park Distillery Visitor Centre
Continue to Highland Park Distillery Visitor Centre.
Wellpark Garden Centre
Continue to Wellpark Garden Centre.
Williamsons
Continue to Williamsons.
Standing Room Gin Bar
Continue to Standing Room Gin Bar.
Harbour Fry
Continue to Harbour Fry.
Kiln Corner Roundabout
Continue to Kiln Corner Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Hygge Clinic
Finish back near Hygge Clinic, completing the loop.
8 roundabouts · 13 turns
10 roundabouts · 17 turns
6 roundabouts · 13 turns
6 roundabouts · 6 turns
This route is 11.2 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.