Near Wick test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts and 16 turns across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 5.0 km practice loop near Wick test centre, taking roughly 10 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. 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, 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 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 24-step drive on real, named roads (about 5.2 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 Avenue306 m
Keep right to stay on West Banks Terrace.
West Banks Terrace90 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on West Banks Terrace.
West Banks Terrace212 m
Turn right onto West Banks Avenue.
West Banks Avenue185 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 Street81 m
Turn right onto Victoria Place.
Victoria Place318 m
Turn left.
20 m
Turn left onto High Street.
High Street41 m
Turn right onto Shore Lane.
Shore Lane90 m
Turn left onto Louisburgh Street/C1041.
Louisburgh Street146 m
Turn right onto Coach Road.
Coach Road420 m
Keep left to take Ackergill Street.
Ackergill Street415 m
Turn left.
232 m
Turn left.
47 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Wick · School-zone 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.
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.
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.
HMS Jervis Bay Memorial
Continue to HMS Jervis Bay Memorial.
St. Fergus Church
Continue to St. Fergus Church.
Harpers
Continue to Harpers.
Kitchen Place
Continue to Kitchen Place.
Notions
Continue to Notions.
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.
World's Shortest Street
Continue to World's Shortest Street.
Francis Street Club
Continue to Francis Street Club.
RG MacDonald - The Home Bakery
Continue to RG MacDonald - The Home Bakery.
Wick War Memorial
Continue to Wick War Memorial.
Salvation Army - Wick
Continue to Salvation Army - Wick.
Bombay Express
Continue to Bombay Express.
Crown Bar
Continue to Crown Bar.
Riverhouse Bar & Grill
Continue to Riverhouse Bar & Grill.
Camps Bar
Continue to Camps Bar.
North Highland College/University of the Highlands
Continue to North Highland College/University of the Highlands.
Sams Furniture Ltd
Finish back near Sams Furniture Ltd, completing the loop.
4 roundabouts · 22 turns
4 roundabouts · 26 turns
8 turns
This route is 5.0 km and takes about 10 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Wick test centre, not an official DVSA route.