Near Shirley test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 13 turns and 1 signalled junction across 22 navigation steps.
This is an independent 30.7 km practice route near Shirley test centre, taking roughly 30 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 Widney Island and Monkspath Hall 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, changing speed limits, 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 shops, pubs, schools and parks, 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 81-step drive on real, named roads (about 30.7 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 3rd exit onto Union Road.
54 m
Exit the roundabout onto Union Road.
Union Road620 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Longmore Road.
6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Longmore Road.
Longmore Road539 m
Turn left onto Moreton Road.
Moreton Road308 m
Turn right onto Union Road.
Union Road78 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Union Road.
71 m
Exit the roundabout onto Union Road.
Union Road79 m
Turn left onto Moreton Road.
Moreton Road308 m
Turn left onto Longmore Road.
Longmore Road16 m
Turn right onto Fieldon Close.
Fieldon Close76 m
Move left to stay on Fieldon Close.
Fieldon Close193 m
Turn right to stay on Fieldon Close.
Fieldon Close11 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Fieldon Close.
Fieldon Close11 m
Turn left to stay on Fieldon Close.
Fieldon Close193 m
Turn left to stay on Fieldon Close.
Fieldon Close76 m
Turn left onto Moorlands Drive.
Moorlands Drive191 m
Turn left onto Wayfield Road.
Wayfield Road159 m
Turn right onto Solihull Road.
Solihull Road1.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Sharmans Cross Road.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sharmans Cross Road.
Sharmans Cross Road769 m
Move left to stay on Sharmans Cross Road.
Sharmans Cross Road119 m
Move left onto Streetsbrook Road/B4025.
Streetsbrook Road798 m
Turn right onto Miall Park Road.
Miall Park Road17 m
Turn left to stay on Miall Park Road.
Miall Park Road122 m
Turn right onto Beechwood Park Road.
Beechwood Park Road421 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Cheltondale Road.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cheltondale Road.
Cheltondale Road189 m
Turn left onto Bryanston Road.
Bryanston Road377 m
Turn right to stay on Bryanston Road.
Bryanston Road84 m
Turn left to stay on Bryanston Road.
Bryanston Road713 m
Turn left onto Stonor Park Road.
Stonor Park Road477 m
Turn right onto Streetsbrook Road/B4025.
Streetsbrook Road894 m
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 Road1.5 km
Turn left onto Ashleigh Road.
Ashleigh Road383 m
Turn left onto Warwick Road/B425.
Warwick Road448 m
Turn right onto A41/Seven Star Road.
A41972 m
Turn left onto Lode Lane/B425.
Lode Lane898 m
Turn right to stay on Lode Lane.
Lode Lane15 m
Turn left to stay on Lode Lane.
Lode Lane126 m
Turn right onto Bramcote Drive.
Bramcote Drive63 m
Turn right onto Barnmoor Rise.
Barnmoor Rise20 m
Turn left.
55 m
Turn left onto Bramcote Drive.
Bramcote Drive135 m
Turn left onto Lode Lane.
Lode Lane126 m
Turn right to stay on Lode Lane.
Lode Lane15 m
Turn left onto Lode Lane/B425.
Lode Lane1.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Lode Lane/B4102.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Lode Lane/B4102.
Lode Lane273 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Princes Way.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto Princes Way.
Princes Way420 m
Turn right onto Monkspath Hall Road.
Monkspath Hall Road351 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Monkspath Hall Road.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Monkspath Hall Road.
Monkspath Hall Road240 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Monkspath Hall Road.
22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Monkspath Hall Road.
Monkspath Hall Road945 m
Enter Widney Island and take the 2nd exit onto Monkspath Hall Road.
Widney Island37 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 Road763 m
Turn right onto Charterhouse Drive.
Charterhouse Drive638 m
Turn left onto Alderminster Road.
Alderminster Road595 m
Turn right onto Widney Lane.
Widney Lane609 m
Enter Widney Island and take the 1st exit onto Monkspath Hall Road.
Widney Island4 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 1st exit onto Widney Lane.
Widney Island7 m
Exit the roundabout onto Widney Lane.
Widney Lane1.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Widney Lane.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Widney Lane.
Widney Lane547 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Longmore Road.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Longmore Road.
Longmore Road268 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Shirley · Route 11 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.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
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 1.2 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.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40 mph). Watch for repeater signs and adjust early, examiners mark you down for carrying the wrong speed into a new limit.
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.
M&S Simply Food
Start near M&S Simply Food.
Shirley Spice
Continue to Shirley Spice.
Taylor Made
Continue to Taylor Made.
Vi Stevens
Continue to Vi Stevens.
Woodmans Rest
Continue to Woodmans Rest.
Sharmans Cross
Continue to Sharmans Cross.
Solihull Fire Station
Continue to Solihull Fire Station.
Triple Crown Centre
Continue to Triple Crown Centre.
Just Tyres
Continue to Just Tyres.
Brueton Gardens
Continue to Brueton Gardens.
Butterfly Room
Continue to Butterfly Room.
Co-operative Funeral Directors
Continue to Co-operative Funeral Directors.
Solihull Gospel Hall
Continue to Solihull Gospel Hall.
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.
Ale Hub Micropub
Continue to Ale Hub Micropub.
Amanda Jane Hair & Beauty
Continue to Amanda Jane Hair & Beauty.
New House
Continue to New House.
Solihull Angling Centre
Finish back near Solihull Angling Centre, 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 30.7 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Shirley test centre, not an official DVSA route.