Near Shirley test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 9 roundabouts and 17 turns across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 30.4 km practice loop near Shirley test centre, taking roughly 40 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. 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, independent driving 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, named junctions, churches 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 116-step drive on real, named roads (about 30.4 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 Road300 m
Turn left onto Clinton Road.
Clinton Road104 m
Turn left onto Shakespeare Road.
Shakespeare Road199 m
Turn right onto Avon Road.
Avon Road109 m
Turn left onto Conway Road.
Conway Road99 m
Turn left onto Marshall Lake Road/B4102.
Marshall Lake Road138 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 Road162 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Marshall Lake Road/B4102.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Marshall Lake Road/B4102. Continue on B4102.
B4102275 m
Enter Stratford Road and take the 2nd exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
Stratford Road51 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Stratford Road. Continue on A34.
A34407 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Stratford Road.
A34149 m
Turn left onto Shakespeare Drive.
Shakespeare Drive435 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Shakespeare Drive.
163 m
Exit the roundabout onto Shakespeare Drive.
Shakespeare Drive444 m
Turn right onto A34/Stratford Road.
A34148 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Stratford Road.
A34402 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Stratford Road. Continue on A34.
A34381 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Cranmore Boulevard.
8 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cranmore Boulevard.
Cranmore Boulevard431 m
Turn left onto Cranmore Road.
Cranmore Road126 m
Turn right onto Clinton Road.
Clinton Road265 m
Turn left onto Conway Road.
Conway Road143 m
Turn left onto Avon Road.
Avon Road210 m
Turn left onto Cranmore Road.
Cranmore Road328 m
Turn right onto Cranmore Boulevard.
Cranmore Boulevard426 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
99 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Stratford Road. Continue on A34.
A34388 m
Enter Stratford Road and take the 2nd exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
Stratford Road25 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Stratford Road. Continue on A34.
A34407 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Stratford Road.
A34529 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 Road23 m
Turn right.
77 m
Turn right.
11 m
Turn left onto A34/Stratford Road.
A34468 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Stratford Road.
A34529 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Stratford Road.
A34402 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Stratford Road. Continue on A34.
A34381 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Stratford Road.
A34459 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Dog Kennel Lane.
90 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dog Kennel Lane.
Dog Kennel Lane1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Tanworth Lane/B4102.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tanworth Lane/B4102.
Tanworth Lane195 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Tanworth Lane/B4102.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tanworth Lane/B4102.
Tanworth Lane1.1 km
Turn right onto Lady Lane.
Lady Lane38 m
Make a sharp left to stay on Lady Lane.
Lady Lane32 m
Turn left onto Tanworth Lane/B4102.
Tanworth Lane1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Dickens Heath Road.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dickens Heath Road.
Dickens Heath Road848 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Dickens Heath Road.
40 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dickens Heath Road.
Dickens Heath Road195 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Dickens Heath Road.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dickens Heath Road.
Dickens Heath Road250 m
Turn left to stay on Dickens Heath Road.
Dickens Heath Road147 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Dickens Heath Road.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dickens Heath Road.
Dickens Heath Road326 m
Turn right onto Birchy Leasowes Lane.
Birchy Leasowes Lane588 m
Move right onto Tilehouse Lane.
Tilehouse Lane842 m
Turn right onto Haslucks Green Road.
Haslucks Green Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Green Lane.
Green Lane397 m
Move right onto Aqueduct Road.
Aqueduct Road337 m
Turn right onto Colebrook Road.
Colebrook Road448 m
Turn left onto Acheson Road.
Acheson Road674 m
Turn right.
24 m
Turn right onto Delrene Road.
Delrene Road93 m
Turn right onto Watwood Road.
Watwood Road486 m
Turn left onto Stroud Road.
Stroud Road594 m
Turn right onto Delrene Road.
Delrene Road124 m
Turn right onto Haslucks Green Road.
Haslucks Green Road420 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Horrell Road.
52 m
Exit the roundabout onto Horrell Road.
Horrell Road113 m
Turn left onto Stroud Road.
Stroud Road318 m
Turn left onto Acheson Road.
Acheson Road94 m
Turn left onto Colebrook Road.
Colebrook Road335 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Velsheda Road.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Velsheda Road.
Velsheda Road237 m
Turn right to stay on Velsheda Road.
Velsheda Road289 m
Turn right to stay on Velsheda Road.
Velsheda Road50 m
Turn left onto Middleton Road.
Middleton Road325 m
Turn right onto Hurdis Road.
Hurdis Road214 m
Turn left onto Grenville Road.
Grenville Road197 m
Turn right onto Shirley Park Road.
Shirley Park Road374 m
Turn right onto Bills Lane.
Bills Lane1.0 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 Lane1.1 km
Turn right onto School Road.
School Road122 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Shirley · Route 2 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
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 7.0 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.
Plume of Feathers
Start near Plume of Feathers.
Strawberry Fields
Continue to Strawberry Fields.
Ale Hub Micropub
Continue to Ale Hub Micropub.
Marshall Lake Road
Continue to Marshall Lake Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Our Lady of the Wayside Catholic Church
Continue to Our Lady of the Wayside Catholic Church.
Mad Hatters Day Nursery
Continue to Mad Hatters Day Nursery.
Listers Jaguar Solihull
Continue to Listers Jaguar Solihull.
Salon 2 sixty
Continue to Salon 2 sixty.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
Sea Spray
Continue to Sea Spray.
Aston Martin
Continue to Aston Martin.
Steven Eagell Toyota (Solihull)
Continue to Steven Eagell Toyota (Solihull).
Active Angles
Continue to Active Angles.
St John the Divine
Continue to St John the Divine.
Whitlocks End
Continue to Whitlocks End.
Shirley Community Church
Continue to Shirley Community Church.
Hair by David
Continue to Hair by David.
Colebrook Inn
Continue to Colebrook Inn.
Drinks Express
Continue to Drinks Express.
Shirley Christadelphian Hall
Finish back near Shirley Christadelphian Hall, 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 30.4 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Shirley test centre, not an official DVSA route.