Near Wick test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts and 22 turns across 40 navigation steps.
This is an independent 17.2 km practice loop near Wick test centre, taking roughly 24 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 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 shops, churches and pubs, 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 Wick 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:
The full 40-step drive on real, named roads (about 17.7 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northwest.
47 m
Turn left.
245 m
Turn right.
190 m
Turn left onto North Road/A99. Continue on A99.
A99896 m
Turn right onto Bridge Street/A99.
Bridge Street203 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Cliff Road/A99.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cliff Road/A99. Continue on A99.
A99483 m
Turn right onto West Banks Avenue.
West Banks Avenue124 m
Turn left onto Seaforth Avenue.
Seaforth Avenue304 m
Turn left to stay on Seaforth Avenue.
Seaforth Avenue113 m
Turn left to stay on Seaforth Avenue.
Seaforth Avenue74 m
Turn right to stay on Seaforth Avenue.
Seaforth Avenue127 m
Turn right onto West Banks Avenue.
West Banks Avenue123 m
Turn left onto A99/Francis Street. Continue on A99.
A99483 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Bridge Street/A99.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bridge Street/A99.
Bridge Street203 m
Turn left to stay on A99.
A99235 m
Turn right onto Church Street/C1041.
Church Street47 m
Turn right onto Louisburgh Street/C1041.
Louisburgh Street299 m
Turn left to stay on Louisburgh Street/C1041.
Louisburgh Street63 m
Turn right onto Willowbank/C1041. Continue on C1041.
C10412.6 km
Turn right onto Elzy Road.
Elzy Road236 m
Move right.
32 m
Turn left onto Reed Row.
Reed Row16 m
Turn left onto Elzy Road.
Elzy Road261 m
Turn left onto Elzy Road/C1041. Continue on C1041.
C10412.6 km
Turn left onto Louisburgh Street/C1041.
Louisburgh Street63 m
Turn right to stay on Louisburgh Street/C1041.
Louisburgh Street300 m
Turn left onto Church Street/C1041.
Church Street47 m
Turn right onto A99.
A991.5 km
Keep left to stay on A99.
A99668 m
Turn right.
379 m
Keep straight at the fork.
2.6 km
Turn left onto A99.
A99668 m
Keep right to stay on A99.
A99153 m
Keep left to stay on A99.
A99717 m
Turn left.
190 m
Turn left.
245 m
Turn right.
47 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Wick · Residential practice loop 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Caithness Building Supplies
Start near Caithness Building Supplies.
High Street Chippy & Chinese Food
Continue to High Street Chippy & Chinese Food.
Kitchen Place
Continue to Kitchen Place.
Lucky 888
Continue to Lucky 888.
St. Fergus Church
Continue to St. Fergus Church.
Bombay's Spice
Continue to Bombay's Spice.
Harpers
Continue to Harpers.
Highland Kebab House
Continue to Highland Kebab House.
Wick Mobiles and Vapes
Continue to Wick Mobiles and Vapes.
Francis Street Club
Continue to Francis Street Club.
RG MacDonald - The Home Bakery
Continue to RG MacDonald - The Home Bakery.
keystore
Continue to keystore.
Wick Fish and Chicken Bar Curry House
Continue to Wick Fish and Chicken Bar Curry House.
Wick Fish & Chicken Bar Curry House
Continue to Wick Fish & Chicken Bar Curry House.
Wick War Memorial
Continue to Wick War Memorial.
Dunbar Memorial
Continue to Dunbar Memorial.
HMS Jervis Bay Memorial
Continue to HMS Jervis Bay Memorial.
Notions
Continue to Notions.
HMAV Isleford Plaque
Continue to HMAV Isleford Plaque.
Ackergill and Hempriggs Estates War Memorial
Finish back near Ackergill and Hempriggs Estates War Memorial, completing the loop.
4 roundabouts · 26 turns
4 roundabouts · 16 turns
8 turns
This route is 17.2 km and takes about 24 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Wick test centre, not an official DVSA route.