Practical test centre in Golspie

Drivers heading to Golspie from Inverness join the A9 and stay on it north for most of the journey, passing through open Highland scenery with the Cairngorms National Park visible away to the east for long stretches. The road runs close to the coast for parts of the route, and the North Sea often comes into view on the right before the A9 curves inland again near Dornoch, a town where many learners pause before finishing the final few miles into Golspie. Signs for Golspie appear shortly after Dornoch; follow them off the A9 and the village opens up beneath Ben Bhraggie, with the Duke of Sutherland’s statue marking the skyline above. Anyone travelling without a car can take the train or a Stagecoach bus from Inverness, both running several times a day and dropping close to the village centre, a useful option for learners who would rather not drive themselves to their own test. Deer cross these rural roads regularly, particularly at dawn and dusk, so a careful approach on the final stretch is worthwhile whatever way you’re travelling.

Test routes from Golspie draw on the same roads used to reach the centre: a short section of the A9 for overtaking judgement and higher-speed driving, then a return to the village’s narrower streets for junctions, parking and lower-speed control. Learners training with LPOD Academy’s intensive courses typically spend dedicated time on both elements before test day, since a rural centre like Golspie can combine them within a single short route in a way that catches out drivers who have only practised one or the other. Courses such as Silver 25 or Gold 35 are built around this kind of concentrated preparation, fitting a full run of lessons into a short window before an appointment.

Golspie’s test centre also serves candidates travelling in from further along the coast, including Tain to the south and Wick to the north, both relying on the same A9 corridor to reach Golspie. Learners from either town should factor the extra travel time into their test-day plan, particularly in winter when Highland weather can slow the drive. Whatever the starting point, bring a valid provisional licence and remember that DVSA now requires each candidate to manage their own practical test booking directly, a change that took effect on 12 May 2026. For more detail on the licence application process itself, LPOD’s guide to provisional licences covers what’s needed before you can book a test at all.

On test day, the appointment opens with an eyesight check, reading a number plate from a set distance, a routine part of every DVSA test wherever it takes place. Highland weather can turn quickly along the A9, with wind and rain arriving with little warning even in a settled forecast, and LPOD instructors teaching in this part of Sutherland tend to build at least one lesson in poor conditions into an intensive course deliberately, rather than hoping the test date happens to land on a calm day. That kind of preparation counts for more here than it would at a city test centre, where conditions rarely swing as far in either direction, and it gives learners a more honest sense of how the car handles once the weather stops cooperating.

Page reviewed and updated 17 July 2026.