Near Shirley test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 17 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 24.1 km practice route near Shirley test centre, taking roughly 35 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, 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 and schools, 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 24.0 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 Road751 m
Turn right onto Danford Lane.
Danford Lane336 m
Turn right to stay on Danford Lane.
Danford Lane64 m
Turn left to stay on Danford Lane.
Danford Lane506 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Prospect Lane.
31 m
Exit the roundabout onto Prospect Lane.
Prospect Lane718 m
Turn right onto Linwood Road.
Linwood Road144 m
Turn right onto Ashlawn Crescent.
Ashlawn Crescent336 m
Turn right onto Yewhurst Road.
Yewhurst Road192 m
Turn left onto Prospect Lane.
Prospect Lane246 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Sharmans Cross Road.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sharmans Cross Road.
Sharmans Cross Road273 m
Turn left onto Woodlea Drive.
Woodlea Drive712 m
Turn right onto Streetsbrook Road/B4025.
Streetsbrook Road653 m
Move right onto Sharmans Cross Road.
Sharmans Cross Road615 m
Turn right onto Woodlea Drive.
Woodlea Drive712 m
Turn left onto Streetsbrook Road/B4025.
Streetsbrook Road145 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 Road425 m
Turn right onto Cheltondale Road.
Cheltondale Road189 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Cheltondale Road.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cheltondale Road.
Cheltondale Road244 m
Turn left onto Bryanston Road.
Bryanston Road97 m
Turn right 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.
A41305 m
Move left to stay on Seven Star Road.
Seven Star Road484 m
Turn right to stay on Seven Star Road.
Seven Star Road12 m
Turn left onto A41/Seven Star Road.
A41182 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 Lane903 m
Turn right onto A41/Seven Star Road.
A411.0 km
Turn left onto Warwick Road/B425.
Warwick Road448 m
Turn right onto Ashleigh Road.
Ashleigh Road383 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.
A34190 m
Turn right.
10 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Shirley · Route 15 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.
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 1.7 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.
Pet Centre
Start near Pet Centre.
Shirley Spice
Continue to Shirley Spice.
Vi Stevens
Continue to Vi Stevens.
William Hill
Continue to William Hill.
Woodmans Rest
Continue to Woodmans Rest.
Klippers
Continue to Klippers.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Browns of Solihull
Continue to Browns of Solihull.
Cudmore & Co
Continue to Cudmore & Co.
One Stop
Continue to One Stop.
Smithtons Food Market
Continue to Smithtons Food Market.
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.
American Golf
Continue to American Golf.
Big John's
Continue to Big John's.
Iceland
Continue to Iceland.
Shirley Nail Bar
Continue to Shirley Nail Bar.
Whartons
Finish back near Whartons, 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 24.1 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Shirley test centre, not an official DVSA route.