Near Darlington test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 10 roundabouts, 12 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 29 navigation steps.
This is an independent 40.4 km practice route near Darlington test centre, taking roughly 40 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.
Along the way you'll meet Blands Corner and Little Burdon Roundabout. Knowing the approach, lane and exit at each one before you arrive is the difference between a planned manoeuvre and a last-second reaction, and last-second reactions are where avoidable faults come from.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads 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 churches, pubs, named junctions and shops, 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 Darlington 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 90-step drive on real, named roads (about 40.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northwest.
236 m
Turn left.
36 m
Turn left onto Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road650 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Yarm Road/B6280.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Yarm Road/B6280. Continue on B6280.
B62802.2 km
Turn right towards Durham/A1M(N).
St Cuthberts Way460 m
Enter Northgate Roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Bishop Auckland.
Northgate Roundabout60 m
Exit the roundabout towards Bishop Auckland.
St Augustines Way319 m
Enter Bondgate roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto St Augustines Way/A68.
Bondgate roundabout51 m
Exit the roundabout onto St Augustines Way/A68.
St Augustines Way60 m
Turn left.
32 m
Turn right onto Archer Street.
Archer Street24 m
Turn left onto Upper Archer Street.
Upper Archer Street76 m
Turn left onto Four Riggs.
Four Riggs90 m
Turn left onto Bondgate/A68.
Bondgate72 m
Enter Bondgate roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards Bishop Auckland.
Bondgate roundabout54 m
Exit the roundabout towards Bishop Auckland.
Bondgate163 m
Turn left onto Portland Place.
Portland Place91 m
Turn right to stay on Portland Place.
Portland Place11 m
Move left onto Larchfield Street.
Larchfield Street404 m
Turn left onto Coniscliffe Road.
Coniscliffe Road15 m
Turn right onto West Street.
West Street43 m
Turn left onto Northumberland Street.
Northumberland Street136 m
Turn left onto Grange Road.
Grange Road47 m
Turn left onto Coniscliffe Road.
Coniscliffe Road156 m
Turn left onto West Street.
West Street74 m
Enter Grange Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Northallerton/A1(M) South/Teesside.
Grange Road Roundabout94 m
Exit the roundabout towards Northallerton/A1(M) South/Teesside.
Grange Road1.7 km
Enter Blands Corner and take the 3rd exit onto Croft Road/A167.
Blands Corner61 m
Exit the roundabout onto Croft Road/A167. Continue on A167.
A1673.4 km
Turn left towards Hurworth/Neasham/Low Dinsdale.
Hurworth Road611 m
Turn left onto Avon Road.
Avon Road65 m
Turn right onto Woodlands Way.
Woodlands Way201 m
Turn left to stay on Woodlands Way.
Woodlands Way63 m
Turn left onto Manor Road.
Manor Road61 m
Turn right to stay on Manor Road.
Manor Road124 m
Turn right onto Eden Close.
Eden Close92 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Eden Close.
Eden Close92 m
Turn left onto Manor Road.
Manor Road124 m
Turn left to stay on Manor Road.
Manor Road61 m
Turn right onto Woodlands Way.
Woodlands Way63 m
Turn right to stay on Woodlands Way.
Woodlands Way201 m
Turn left onto Avon Road.
Avon Road65 m
Turn right onto Hurworth Road.
Hurworth Road612 m
Turn right onto Tees View/A167. Continue on A167.
A1673.4 km
Enter Blands Corner and take the 2nd exit towards Barnard Castle/Bishop Auckland.
Blands Corner42 m
Exit the roundabout towards Barnard Castle/Bishop Auckland.
Carmel Road South554 m
Turn right onto Blackwell Lane.
Blackwell Lane509 m
Turn left onto Hartford Road.
Hartford Road273 m
Turn right onto Woodvale Road.
Woodvale Road243 m
Turn left onto Manor Road.
Manor Road51 m
Turn left onto Coniscliffe Road/B6280.
Coniscliffe Road244 m
Turn left onto Hartford Road.
Hartford Road364 m
Turn right onto Blackwell Lane.
Blackwell Lane474 m
Move right to stay on Blackwell Lane.
Blackwell Lane32 m
Turn right onto Carmel Road South/A67.
Carmel Road South571 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit towards Yarm/Teesside/A1M(S).
89 m
Exit the roundabout towards Yarm/Teesside/A1M(S).
Carmel Road South1.2 km
Enter Blands Corner and take the 2nd exit towards Yarm/Teesside.
Blands Corner37 m
Exit the roundabout towards Yarm/Teesside.
A662.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards Teesside.
48 m
Exit the roundabout towards Teesside.
A662.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards The North/Teesside/Durham.
46 m
Exit the roundabout towards The North/Teesside/Durham.
A661.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A66.
67 m
Exit the roundabout onto A66.
A661.1 km
Enter Little Burdon Roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards The South/Scotch Corner.
Little Burdon Roundabout121 m
Exit the roundabout towards The South/Scotch Corner.
A661.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards A66 South.
71 m
Exit the roundabout towards A66 South.
A661.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards The South/Scotch Corner.
42 m
Exit the roundabout towards The South/Scotch Corner.
A662.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards Darlington.
89 m
Exit the roundabout towards Darlington.
Neasham Road629 m
Turn right onto Brankin Road.
Brankin Road127 m
Turn left onto Neasham Drive.
Neasham Drive73 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Neasham Drive.
Neasham Drive73 m
Turn right onto Brankin Road.
Brankin Road70 m
Turn right onto Brankin Drive.
Brankin Drive360 m
Turn right onto Brankin Road.
Brankin Road90 m
Turn left onto West Moor Road.
West Moor Road242 m
Turn right onto Emley Moor Road.
Emley Moor Road314 m
Turn left onto Holgate Moor Green.
Holgate Moor Green285 m
Turn right onto Burnside Road.
Burnside Road391 m
Move left onto Lanethorpe Road.
Lanethorpe Road245 m
Turn left onto Geneva Road.
Geneva Road962 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Geneva Road.
54 m
Exit the roundabout onto Geneva Road.
Geneva Road1.6 km
Turn left onto Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road29 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Darlington · Route 19 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.
Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.
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
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Little Burdon Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 13.7 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.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 60 mph). Watch for repeater signs and adjust early, examiners mark you down for carrying the wrong speed into a new limit.
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.
St Herbert's Church
Start near St Herbert's Church.
Wheatsheaf
Continue to Wheatsheaf.
House of Prayer Apostolic Ministries
Continue to House of Prayer Apostolic Ministries.
Sikh Gurudwara Sahib
Continue to Sikh Gurudwara Sahib.
Britannia Inn
Continue to Britannia Inn.
Life And Light Missions
Continue to Life And Light Missions.
Darlington Baptist Church
Continue to Darlington Baptist Church.
St Augustine's Church
Continue to St Augustine's Church.
Blands Corner
Continue to Blands Corner, taking the junction with good observation.
Majestic
Continue to Majestic.
Evans Halshaw Transit Centre
Continue to Evans Halshaw Transit Centre.
Comet
Continue to Comet.
Oscars
Continue to Oscars.
Blackwell Store
Continue to Blackwell Store.
Little Burdon Roundabout
Continue to Little Burdon Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Premier
Continue to Premier.
Simo's Pizzeria
Continue to Simo's Pizzeria.
Simply Food And Drinks
Continue to Simply Food And Drinks.
Dragon Place
Continue to Dragon Place.
Geneva Road Evangelical Baptist Church
Finish back near Geneva Road Evangelical Baptist Church, completing the loop.
12 roundabouts · 10 turns · 3 sets of lights
12 roundabouts · 12 turns · 3 sets of lights
10 roundabouts · 10 turns · 2 sets of lights
11 roundabouts · 10 turns · 3 sets of lights
This route is 40.4 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Darlington test centre, not an official DVSA route.