Near Darlington test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 9 roundabouts, 10 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 21 navigation steps.
This is an independent 56.2 km practice route near Darlington test centre, taking roughly 30 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 Swan House Roundabout 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 pubs, churches, stations and named junctions, 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 107-step drive on real, named roads (about 56.2 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 right onto Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road372 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Yarm Road/B6280.
47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road178 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Yarm.
45 m
Exit the roundabout towards Yarm.
A671.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A67.
82 m
Exit the roundabout onto A67.
A671.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Yarm Road/B6280.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road166 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto B6280.
60 m
Exit the roundabout onto B6280.
B62801.0 km
Enter Yarm Road and take the 3rd exit onto McMullen Road.
Yarm Road68 m
Exit the roundabout onto McMullen Road.
McMullen Road1.7 km
Turn right onto Haughton Road.
Haughton Road226 m
Turn left onto Salters Lane South.
Salters Lane South1.2 km
Turn left onto Salters Lane North/A1150.
Salters Lane North1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Durham.
39 m
Exit the roundabout towards Durham.
A1673.8 km
Enter Aycliffe Interchange and take the 2nd exit towards A167/Newton Aycliffe.
Aycliffe Interchange178 m
Exit the roundabout towards A167/Newton Aycliffe.
A167580 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto St. Andrews Way/B6444.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto St. Andrews Way/B6444.
St. Andrews Way553 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto St. Andrews Way/B6444.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto St. Andrews Way/B6444.
St. Andrews Way524 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto B6444.
7 m
Exit the roundabout onto B6444.
B6444425 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Heighington Lane/B6444.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Heighington Lane/B6444.
Heighington Lane486 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Heighington Lane/B6444.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Heighington Lane/B6444.
Heighington Lane1.2 km
Turn right onto New Lane.
New Lane536 m
Turn left onto School Aycliffe Lane.
School Aycliffe Lane368 m
Turn left to stay on School Aycliffe Lane.
School Aycliffe Lane13 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A6072.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6072.
A60722.6 km
Enter Swan House Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A68/West Auckland Road.
Swan House Roundabout32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A68/West Auckland Road.
A681.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A68/West Auckland Road.
63 m
Exit the roundabout onto A68/West Auckland Road.
A68591 m
Keep left to take Burtree Lane.
Burtree Lane2.4 km
Turn left to stay on Burtree Lane.
Burtree Lane1.2 km
Turn right onto North Road/A167.
North Road334 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Salters Lane North/A1150.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Salters Lane North/A1150. Continue on A1150.
A11502.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards Haughton Le Skerne.
78 m
Exit the roundabout towards Haughton Le Skerne.
Stockton Road36 m
Move left onto Haughton Road.
Haughton Road1.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Town centre.
88 m
Exit the roundabout towards Town centre.
B627977 m
Turn left onto Hundens Lane.
Hundens Lane759 m
Turn right onto John Dixon Lane.
John Dixon Lane190 m
Turn left.
24 m
Turn right.
20 m
Make a right U-turn.
20 m
Turn left.
24 m
Turn right onto John Dixon Lane.
John Dixon Lane190 m
Turn left onto Hundens Lane.
Hundens Lane359 m
Move left to stay on Hundens Lane.
Hundens Lane78 m
Turn left.
36 m
Turn left.
298 m
Turn left.
34 m
Turn right onto Hundens Lane.
Hundens Lane380 m
Turn left onto Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road642 m
Turn left onto The Broadway.
The Broadway241 m
Turn left onto The Crossway.
The Crossway118 m
Turn left onto The Stray.
The Stray234 m
Turn right onto Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road660 m
Turn left onto Louisa Street.
Louisa Street317 m
Turn right onto Belgrave Street.
Belgrave Street218 m
Turn left towards Hurworth/Neasham.
Neasham Road728 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Neasham Road.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Neasham Road.
Neasham Road261 m
Turn left 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 Road127 m
Turn left onto Neasham Road.
Neasham Road626 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Teesside.
8 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 4th exit towards Darlington town centre.
128 m
Exit the roundabout towards Darlington town centre.
B62792.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards Town centre.
46 m
Exit the roundabout towards Town centre.
B6279990 m
Enter Freeman's Place Roundabout and take the 1st exit towards Northallerton/Barnard Castle/Yarm/A1(M) South.
Freeman's Place Roundabout3 m
Exit the roundabout towards Northallerton/Barnard Castle/Yarm/A1(M) South.
A167575 m
Enter Feethams Roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Northallerton/Barnard Castle/A1M(S).
Feethams Roundabout70 m
Exit the roundabout towards Northallerton/Barnard Castle/A1M(S).
Victoria Road371 m
Enter Grange Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit towards Northallerton/A1(M) South/Teesside.
Grange Road Roundabout16 m
Exit the roundabout towards Northallerton/A1(M) South/Teesside.
Grange Road866 m
Turn left onto Parkside.
Parkside1.1 km
Turn left onto Park Lane.
Park Lane801 m
Turn left onto Waverley Terrace.
Waverley Terrace161 m
Turn right onto Clifton Road.
Clifton Road421 m
Turn left onto Parkgate/B6280. Continue on B6280.
B6280125 m
Turn right towards Durham/A1M(N).
St Cuthberts Way239 m
Enter Freeman's Place Roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards Yarm.
Freeman's Place Roundabout53 m
Exit the roundabout towards Yarm.
St Cuthberts Way150 m
Turn left towards B6280/Yarm.
B62801.5 km
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Darlington · Route 6 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
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 Swan House Roundabout, Little Burdon Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 8.9 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, 50, 60, 70 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.
Old Farmhouse Inn
Start near Old Farmhouse Inn.
Haughton Methodist Church
Continue to Haughton Methodist Church.
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
Continue to Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Harrowgate Hill Working Mens Club
Continue to Harrowgate Hill Working Mens Club.
Springfield
Continue to Springfield.
Foresters Arms
Continue to Foresters Arms.
Heighington
Continue to Heighington.
Swan House Roundabout
Continue to Swan House Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Elmcroft
Continue to Elmcroft.
Highland Laddie
Continue to Highland Laddie.
Fresh Fayre
Continue to Fresh Fayre.
House of Prayer Apostolic Ministries
Continue to House of Prayer Apostolic Ministries.
Sikh Gurudwara Sahib
Continue to Sikh Gurudwara Sahib.
Little Burdon Roundabout
Continue to Little Burdon Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
SG Petch Peugeot
Continue to SG Petch Peugeot.
Atisha Kapadampa Meditation Centre
Continue to Atisha Kapadampa Meditation Centre.
Darlington Baptist Church
Continue to Darlington Baptist Church.
Life And Light Missions
Continue to Life And Light Missions.
South Park Wordsworth Road
Continue to South Park Wordsworth Road.
Saint John The Evangelist
Finish back near Saint John The Evangelist, 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 56.2 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Darlington test centre, not an official DVSA route.