Near Shirley test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts, 16 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 22 navigation steps.
This is an independent 29.9 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, 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, churches, schools and shops, 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 29.9 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 4th exit onto Union Road.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Union Road.
Union Road623 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto School Road.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto School Road.
School Road259 m
Turn left onto Bills Lane.
Bills Lane1.1 km
Turn right onto Neville Road.
Neville Road75 m
Move right to stay on Neville Road.
Neville Road41 m
Turn left to stay on Neville Road.
Neville Road100 m
Turn left onto Bills Lane.
Bills Lane1.0 km
Turn left onto Shirley Park Road.
Shirley Park Road374 m
Turn left onto Grenville Road.
Grenville Road197 m
Turn right onto Hurdis Road.
Hurdis Road214 m
Turn left onto Middleton Road.
Middleton Road325 m
Turn left onto Velsheda Road.
Velsheda Road82 m
Turn right to stay on Velsheda Road.
Velsheda Road289 m
Turn left to stay on Velsheda Road.
Velsheda Road105 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Haslucks Green Road.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto Haslucks Green Road.
Haslucks Green Road669 m
Turn right onto Green Lane.
Green Lane397 m
Move right onto Aqueduct Road.
Aqueduct Road337 m
Turn right onto Colebrook Road.
Colebrook Road782 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Haslucks Green Road.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Haslucks Green Road.
Haslucks Green Road565 m
Turn left onto Newborough Road.
Newborough Road551 m
Turn right onto Blythsford Road.
Blythsford Road439 m
Move right onto Sandgate Road.
Sandgate Road106 m
Turn right onto Sandy Hill Road.
Sandy Hill Road354 m
Turn left onto Skelcher Road.
Skelcher Road341 m
Turn right onto Newborough Road.
Newborough Road453 m
Turn right onto Blythsford Road.
Blythsford Road114 m
Turn right onto Skelcher Road.
Skelcher Road109 m
Turn left onto Sandy Hill Road.
Sandy Hill Road702 m
Turn left onto A34/Stratford Road.
A3469 m
Take the exit on the right.
57 m
Turn right to take the ramp.
5 m
Turn right onto A34/Stratford Road.
A341.3 km
Make a right U-turn to stay on A34/Stratford Road.
A341.7 km
Enter Robin Hood Island and take the 3rd exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
Robin Hood Island92 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Stratford Road.
A34848 m
Turn right onto Fox Hollies Road/A4040.
Fox Hollies Road620 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Fox Hollies Road/A4040.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Fox Hollies Road/A4040.
Fox Hollies Road657 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Fox Hollies Road/A4040.
Fox Hollies Road680 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Fox Hollies Road/A4040.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Fox Hollies Road/A4040.
Fox Hollies Road611 m
Turn left onto A34/Stratford Road.
A34822 m
Enter Robin Hood Island and take the 3rd exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
Robin Hood Island109 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Stratford Road.
A341.8 km
Turn right onto Church Road.
Church Road224 m
Turn left onto School Road.
School Road233 m
Turn left onto A34/Stratford Road.
A342.1 km
Enter Robin Hood Island and take the 5th exit onto Solihull Lane/B4025.
Robin Hood Island179 m
Exit the roundabout onto Solihull Lane/B4025.
Solihull Lane471 m
Turn left onto Redstone Farm Road.
Redstone Farm Road514 m
Turn left onto Westhay Road.
Westhay Road21 m
Turn left to stay on Westhay Road.
Westhay Road22 m
Turn right onto Redstone Farm Road.
Redstone Farm Road485 m
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 13 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.
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 10.1 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.
Woodmans Rest
Start near Woodmans Rest.
Shirley Christadelphian Hall
Continue to Shirley Christadelphian Hall.
Shirley Community Church
Continue to Shirley Community Church.
Colebrook Inn
Continue to Colebrook Inn.
Busy Little Bees Nursery
Continue to Busy Little Bees Nursery.
Honeypot House
Continue to Honeypot House.
Red Lion
Continue to Red Lion.
Shirley Baptist Church
Continue to Shirley Baptist Church.
Shirley Methodist Church
Continue to Shirley Methodist Church.
Busy Little Bees
Continue to Busy Little Bees.
Rosslyn School
Continue to Rosslyn School.
Church of the Ascension
Continue to Church of the Ascension.
Fox Hollies Childrens Centre
Continue to Fox Hollies Childrens Centre.
Bulls Head
Continue to Bulls Head.
Shaista Hair & Beauty
Continue to Shaista Hair & Beauty.
Plume of Feathers
Continue to Plume of Feathers.
St James the Great
Continue to St James the Great.
Vogue Hair Fashions
Continue to Vogue Hair Fashions.
Hair Company
Continue to Hair Company.
Direct Specs
Finish back near Direct Specs, 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 29.9 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.