Gairloch driving test centre

Almost half the distance is at 20 mph. Another 24 per cent is at 40, 23 per cent at 60 and 8 per cent at 30, so the limit changes constantly and rarely stays put for long. Settling to each new limit before the sign rather than after it is the single most useful thing to practise, and holding 20 on a downhill run without drifting up is where marks quietly go.

There is nothing to sequence the junctions for you. Six give-way junctions and one zebra crossing across 43.6 kilometres, and that is the lot — no traffic signals, no roundabouts named anywhere, no mini-roundabouts, no traffic calming and no level crossings. Every priority is yours to judge from what you can see, on approaches where a bank, a wall or a bend shortens the view.

Single-track sections come with the territory here, and although they are not counted as junctions they behave like them: you are choosing a passing place, judging closing speed and deciding who gives way, often on a gradient.

The turning is even and unhurried. A 10.4 kilometre loop asks for eight right turns and seven left, an 8.7 kilometre loop asks for six and four, and the rest sit at five or six of each. The loops are long because so much of the length runs between junctions rather than through them.

Mihol Road, Strath, Shore Street, School Brae, Lonemore Road and Fasaich carry most of the driving. There are 2 schools in the area and no dual carriageway.