Near Shirley test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 9 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 17 navigation steps.
This is an independent 27.7 km practice route near Shirley test centre, taking roughly 25 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 Marshall Lake Road, Widney Island, Monkspath Hall Road and Stanway 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, dual-carriageway joins, 20 mph zones, 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 pubs, shops, named junctions and churches, 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 Shirley 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 73-step drive on real, named roads (about 27.7 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west.
144 m
Turn right.
15 m
Turn right onto A34/Stratford Road.
A34140 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Stratford Road.
A34547 m
Turn right onto Solihull Road.
Solihull Road233 m
Turn right onto Wayfield Road.
Wayfield Road159 m
Turn right onto Moorlands Drive.
Moorlands Drive191 m
Turn right onto Fieldon Close.
Fieldon Close152 m
Turn left onto Longmore Road.
Longmore Road556 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Longmore Road.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Longmore Road.
Longmore Road316 m
Turn right onto Blossomfield Road/B4102. Continue on B4102.
B4102408 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Marshall Lake Road/B4102.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Marshall Lake Road/B4102.
Marshall Lake Road39 m
Turn left onto Cranmore Road.
Cranmore Road426 m
Turn left onto Cranmore Boulevard.
Cranmore Boulevard611 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Widney Lane.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto Widney Lane.
Widney Lane1.5 km
Enter Widney Island and take the 3rd exit onto Monkspath Hall Road.
Widney Island65 m
Exit the roundabout onto Monkspath Hall Road.
Monkspath Hall Road1.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Monkspath Hall Road.
100 m
Exit the roundabout onto Monkspath Hall Road.
Monkspath Hall Road1.8 km
Enter Widney Island and take the 2nd exit onto Monkspath Hall Road.
Widney Island30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Monkspath Hall Road.
Monkspath Hall Road942 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Monkspath Hall Road.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Monkspath Hall Road.
Monkspath Hall Road241 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Monkspath Hall Road.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Monkspath Hall Road.
Monkspath Hall Road300 m
Keep left to stay on Monkspath Hall Road.
Monkspath Hall Road61 m
Move left onto Prince's Way.
Prince's Way380 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Princes Way.
165 m
Exit the roundabout onto Princes Way.
Princes Way712 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Church Hill Road.
76 m
Exit the roundabout onto Church Hill Road.
Church Hill Road444 m
Move left onto Widney Manor Road.
Widney Manor Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Widney Lane.
Widney Lane965 m
Enter Widney Island and take the 3rd exit onto Monkspath Hall Road.
Widney Island56 m
Exit the roundabout onto Monkspath Hall Road.
Monkspath Hall Road942 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Monkspath Hall Road.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Monkspath Hall Road.
Monkspath Hall Road241 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Monkspath Hall Road.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Monkspath Hall Road.
Monkspath Hall Road300 m
Keep left to stay on Monkspath Hall Road.
Monkspath Hall Road61 m
Move left onto Prince's Way.
Prince's Way380 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Streetsbrook Road/B4025.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Streetsbrook Road/B4025.
Streetsbrook Road322 m
Turn right onto Ashleigh Road.
Ashleigh Road383 m
Turn left onto Warwick Road/B425. Continue on Warwick Road.
Warwick Road715 m
Turn left onto Silhill Hall Road.
Silhill Hall Road863 m
Turn right onto Ashleigh Road.
Ashleigh Road190 m
Turn right onto Streetsbrook Road/B4025.
Streetsbrook Road1.5 km
Turn right onto Miall Park Road.
Miall Park Road21 m
Turn left to stay on Miall Park Road.
Miall Park Road17 m
Turn left onto Streetsbrook Road/B4025.
Streetsbrook Road798 m
Move right onto Sharmans Cross Road.
Sharmans Cross Road888 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Solihull Road.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Solihull Road.
Solihull Road1.2 km
Turn left onto A34/Stratford Road.
A3477 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on A34/Stratford Road.
A3490 m
Turn right onto Solihull Road.
Solihull Road811 m
Turn left onto Stanway Road.
Stanway Road286 m
Turn left to stay on Stanway Road.
Stanway Road548 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Cropthorne Road.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cropthorne Road.
Cropthorne Road694 m
Turn left.
24 m
Turn left onto Stanway Road.
Stanway Road117 m
Turn left to stay on Stanway Road.
Stanway Road548 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Stanway Road.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stanway Road.
Stanway Road128 m
Turn left onto A34/Stratford Road.
A34457 m
Turn right.
10 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Shirley · Route 1 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.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 1.6 km of this loop is dual carriageway. Build your speed on the slip road, take an effective rearward observation, and merge without forcing other traffic to brake.
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.
Ale Hub Micropub
Start near Ale Hub Micropub.
Co-op Food
Continue to Co-op Food.
Plume of Feathers
Continue to Plume of Feathers.
Strawberry Fields
Continue to Strawberry Fields.
Woodmans Rest
Continue to Woodmans Rest.
Culina + Baleno
Continue to Culina + Baleno.
Marshall Lake Road
Continue to Marshall Lake Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Screwfix
Continue to Screwfix.
Window Centre
Continue to Window Centre.
Wolseley
Continue to Wolseley.
Field House
Continue to Field House.
Widney Island
Continue to Widney Island, taking the junction with good observation.
Monkspath Hall Road
Continue to Monkspath Hall Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Queen Victoria 50th Year of Reign
Continue to Queen Victoria 50th Year of Reign.
Solihull Fire Station
Continue to Solihull Fire Station.
Sharmans Cross
Continue to Sharmans Cross.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Saracens Head
Continue to Saracens Head.
Shirley Methodist Church
Continue to Shirley Methodist Church.
Stanway Road
Finish back near Stanway Road, completing the loop.
7 roundabouts · 8 turns · 2 sets of lights
9 roundabouts · 8 turns · 1 set of lights
4 roundabouts · 17 turns · 1 set of lights
4 roundabouts · 14 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 27.7 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Shirley test centre, not an official DVSA route.