Near Shirley test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts and 6 turns across 12 navigation steps.
This is an independent 13.8 km practice route near Shirley test centre, taking roughly 20 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 and busy a-roads. 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 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 36-step drive on real, named roads (about 13.8 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 3rd exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto A34/Stratford Road.
A34547 m
Turn right onto Solihull Road.
Solihull Road1.2 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 Road653 m
Turn left onto Woodlea Drive.
Woodlea Drive388 m
Turn right onto Yewhurst Road.
Yewhurst Road337 m
Turn right onto Prospect Lane.
Prospect Lane624 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Streetsbrook Road/B4025.
42 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 Road1.2 km
Turn right onto Redstone Farm Road.
Redstone Farm Road738 m
Turn left.
25 m
Turn left onto Lakey Lane.
Lakey Lane499 m
Turn left to stay on Lakey Lane.
Lakey Lane21 m
Turn right to stay on Lakey Lane.
Lakey Lane173 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Shirley Road.
16 m
Exit the roundabout onto Shirley Road.
Shirley Road975 m
Enter Robin Hood Island and take the 2nd exit onto A34/Stratford Road.
Robin Hood Island77 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.
A34358 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Shirley · Route 6 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 3.0 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.
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.
Red Kite Cycles
Start near Red Kite Cycles.
Shirley Auto Spares
Continue to Shirley Auto Spares.
Woodmans Rest
Continue to Woodmans Rest.
Lucky House
Continue to Lucky House.
Plume of Feathers
Continue to Plume of Feathers.
Strawberry Fields
Continue to Strawberry Fields.
Sharmans Cross
Continue to Sharmans Cross.
Hair Company
Continue to Hair Company.
AH Convenience Store
Continue to AH Convenience Store.
Flower Forum
Continue to Flower Forum.
Lifestyle Express
Continue to Lifestyle Express.
Moe's Fish Bar
Continue to Moe's Fish Bar.
St Ambrose Barlow Catholic Church
Continue to St Ambrose Barlow Catholic Church.
St Michaels
Continue to St Michaels.
Hessa Opticians
Continue to Hessa Opticians.
Robin Hood
Continue to Robin Hood.
Honeypot House
Continue to Honeypot House.
Shirley Methodist Church
Continue to Shirley Methodist Church.
St James the Great
Continue to St James the Great.
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 13.8 km and takes about 20 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Shirley test centre, not an official DVSA route.