Near Shirley test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 3 roundabouts, 18 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 23 navigation steps.
This is an independent 17.9 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.
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 shops, pubs, churches 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 47-step drive on real, named roads (about 17.9 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 Road307 m
Turn right onto Blenheim Road.
Blenheim Road97 m
Turn right onto Barford Road.
Barford Road227 m
Turn right.
90 m
Turn left onto Yoxall Road.
Yoxall Road462 m
Turn right onto Brentford Road.
Brentford Road85 m
Turn right onto Rowden Drive.
Rowden Drive262 m
Turn left onto Willow Road.
Willow Road407 m
Turn left onto Saint Gerards Road.
Saint Gerards Road383 m
Turn right onto Rowden Drive.
Rowden Drive89 m
Turn right onto Kingslea Road.
Kingslea Road570 m
Turn left onto Blossomfield Road/B4102.
Blossomfield Road1.3 km
Turn left onto Dorchester Road.
Dorchester Road714 m
Turn left onto Streetsbrook Road/B4025.
Streetsbrook Road936 m
Turn right onto Miall Park Road.
Miall Park Road17 m
Turn left to stay on Miall Park Road.
Miall Park Road122 m
Turn left onto Beechwood Park Road.
Beechwood Park Road151 m
Turn right onto Stoneleigh Road.
Stoneleigh Road405 m
Turn left onto Wroxall Road.
Wroxall Road312 m
Turn right onto Halford Road.
Halford Road95 m
Turn right onto Monastery Drive.
Monastery Drive601 m
Turn left onto Grange Road.
Grange Road316 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Kineton Green Road.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto Kineton Green Road.
Kineton Green Road1.4 km
Turn left onto A41/Warwick Road.
A41206 m
Turn left onto Old Warwick Road.
Old Warwick Road223 m
Turn right onto Kineton Green Road.
Kineton Green Road868 m
Turn right onto Gunns Way.
Gunns Way105 m
Turn right onto Swanswell Road.
Swanswell Road347 m
Turn left onto Gospel Lane.
Gospel Lane1.5 km
Turn left onto Streetsbrook Road/B4025.
Streetsbrook Road1.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Streetsbrook Road/B4025.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Streetsbrook Road/B4025.
Streetsbrook Road506 m
Turn left to stay on Streetsbrook Road.
Streetsbrook Road24 m
Turn left to stay on Streetsbrook Road.
Streetsbrook Road511 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Streetsbrook Road/B4025.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto Streetsbrook Road/B4025.
Streetsbrook Road389 m
Keep left to take Olton Road.
Olton Road904 m
Move left onto A34/Stratford Road.
A34847 m
Turn right.
10 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Shirley · Route 12 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.
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.
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.
Shirley Spice
Start near Shirley Spice.
Vi Stevens
Continue to Vi Stevens.
Woodmans Rest
Continue to Woodmans Rest.
Klippers
Continue to Klippers.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Olton Project
Continue to Olton Project.
Olton Clock Tower Gardens and Park
Continue to Olton Clock Tower Gardens and Park.
St Margaret's Parish Church
Continue to St Margaret's Parish Church.
Co-operative Food
Continue to Co-operative Food.
Imperial Garden
Continue to Imperial Garden.
AH Convenience Store
Continue to AH Convenience Store.
Flower Forum
Continue to Flower Forum.
St Michaels
Continue to St Michaels.
Hair Company
Continue to Hair Company.
Lifestyle Express
Continue to Lifestyle Express.
Honeypot House
Continue to Honeypot House.
Pump House
Continue to Pump House.
Red Lion
Continue to Red Lion.
Saracens Head
Continue to Saracens Head.
Shirley Methodist Church
Finish back near Shirley Methodist Church, 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 17.9 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.