Near Orkney (Kirkwall) test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts and 13 turns across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 7.5 km practice loop near Orkney (Kirkwall) test centre, taking roughly 8 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, named junctions and pubs, 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 25-step drive on real, named roads (about 8.4 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 2nd exit onto Junction Road/A963.
Kiln Corner Roundabout32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Junction Road/A963.
Junction Road224 m
Turn left onto Castle Street/A962.
Castle Street119 m
Turn right onto Broad Street/A960.
Broad Street96 m
Turn left onto Palace Road/A960. Continue on A960.
A960931 m
Turn left onto The Meadows.
The Meadows707 m
Turn right onto Reid Crescent.
Reid Crescent321 m
Turn left to stay on Reid Crescent.
Reid Crescent218 m
Turn left onto The Meadows.
The Meadows870 m
Turn right onto Bignold Park Road/A960. Continue on A960.
A960931 m
Turn right onto Broad Street/A960.
Broad Street96 m
Turn left onto Castle Street/A962.
Castle Street119 m
Turn left onto Junction Road/A963.
Junction Road197 m
Keep right to stay on Junction Road/A963.
Junction Road121 m
Turn right onto Pickaquoy Road/A963.
Pickaquoy Road920 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Grainshore Road.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Grainshore Road.
Grainshore Road42 m
Turn left to stay on Grainshore Road.
Grainshore Road838 m
Turn right onto Grainshore Drive.
Grainshore Drive15 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Orkney (Kirkwall) · School-zone 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. 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.
Kiln Corner Roundabout
Continue to Kiln Corner Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Auld Motor Hoose Theme Bar
Continue to Auld Motor Hoose Theme Bar.
Bothy Bar
Continue to Bothy Bar.
Aurora
Continue to Aurora.
Saint Magnus Cathedral
Continue to Saint Magnus Cathedral.
Church Hall
Continue to Church Hall.
Peedie Kirk (Kirkwall URC)
Continue to Peedie Kirk (Kirkwall URC).
St Olaf
Continue to St Olaf.
St Olaf Scottish Episcopal Church
Continue to St Olaf Scottish Episcopal Church.
Orkney Theatre
Continue to Orkney Theatre.
Earl's Palace
Continue to Earl's Palace.
HUME SWEET HUME
Continue to HUME SWEET HUME.
J & M McEwen
Continue to J & M McEwen.
Orkney PC
Continue to Orkney PC.
Coach stands
Continue to Coach stands.
Hygge Clinic
Finish back near Hygge Clinic, completing the loop.
8 roundabouts · 13 turns
8 roundabouts · 24 turns
10 roundabouts · 17 turns
6 roundabouts · 6 turns
This route is 7.5 km and takes about 8 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Orkney (Kirkwall) test centre, not an official DVSA route.