Near Gateshead test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts, 16 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 29 navigation steps.
This is an independent 39.2 km practice loop near Gateshead 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.
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 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, schools and pubs, 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 Gateshead 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 88-step drive on real, named roads (about 39.2 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northeast.
14 m
Turn right.
15 m
Turn left onto Waterside Drive.
Waterside Drive29 m
Turn right to stay on Waterside Drive.
Waterside Drive77 m
Turn left onto Dunston Road.
Dunston Road1.0 km
Turn right to take the A1 ramp.
A12.6 km
Take exit 73 onto A694 towards Consett/Newcastle/Blaydon.
470 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A694.
34 m
Exit the roundabout onto A694.
A694336 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards A695/Blaydon/Newcastle.
51 m
Exit the roundabout towards A695/Blaydon/Newcastle.
A694391 m
Take the A695 exit.
Scotswood Bridge479 m
Keep right to take A695 towards Newcastle.
Scotswood Road1.8 km
Turn left onto Whitehouse Road/B1305.
Whitehouse Road172 m
Turn right to stay on B1305.
B1305578 m
Turn right onto Atkinson Terrace.
Atkinson Terrace10 m
Turn right onto Joan Street.
Joan Street126 m
Turn left.
57 m
Turn left onto Gerald Street.
Gerald Street116 m
Turn left onto Atkinson Terrace.
Atkinson Terrace71 m
Turn right onto Atkinson Road/B1305. Continue on B1305.
B1305686 m
Turn left onto West Road/A186.
West Road722 m
Turn right onto Two Ball Lonnen/B1305.
Two Ball Lonnen206 m
Turn left onto Benwell Hill Road.
Benwell Hill Road473 m
Move left onto Saint Cuthbert's Road.
Saint Cuthbert's Road63 m
Turn left onto West Road/A186.
West Road410 m
Turn right onto Pease Avenue.
Pease Avenue536 m
Move right onto Benwell Village.
Benwell Village649 m
Turn right onto Whickham View/B1311.
Whickham View671 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Denton Road/A191.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto Denton Road/A191.
Denton Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Whitfield Road.
Whitfield Road52 m
Turn left onto Heighley Street.
Heighley Street126 m
Turn left onto Armstrong Road.
Armstrong Road98 m
Turn right onto Denton Road/A191.
Denton Road991 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Denton Road/A191.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Denton Road/A191.
Denton Road244 m
Turn right onto Countess Drive.
Countess Drive481 m
Turn right onto Bexley Avenue.
Bexley Avenue527 m
Turn left onto Ferguson's Lane.
Ferguson's Lane772 m
Turn right onto Pendower Way.
Pendower Way477 m
Turn left onto Benwell Lane/B1311.
Benwell Lane103 m
Turn right onto Hodgkin Park Road.
Hodgkin Park Road374 m
Turn left onto Armstrong Road.
Armstrong Road139 m
Turn right onto South Benwell Road.
South Benwell Road288 m
Turn right onto Whitehouse Road.
Whitehouse Road709 m
Turn right onto Chester Pike.
Chester Pike628 m
Turn right onto Armstrong Road.
Armstrong Road540 m
Turn right onto Atkinson Road/B1305. Continue on B1305.
B1305387 m
Turn left onto Whitehouse Road/B1305.
Whitehouse Road149 m
Turn left onto Scotswood Road/A695.
Scotswood Road2.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Scotswood Road/A695.
66 m
Exit the roundabout onto Scotswood Road/A695.
Scotswood Road4.0 km
Turn left onto Scotswood Bridge/A695.
Scotswood Bridge326 m
Keep left to take A694.
Derwenthaugh Road615 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Riverside Way/A1114.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto Riverside Way/A1114.
Riverside Way72 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Riverside Way/A1114.
46 m
Exit the roundabout onto Riverside Way/A1114.
Riverside Way500 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Riverside Way/A1114.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Riverside Way/A1114. Continue on A1114.
A1114769 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1114.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1114.
A1114539 m
Turn left onto Mandela Way.
Mandela Way585 m
Turn right to stay on Mandela Way.
Mandela Way374 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A1114.
61 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1114.
A1114770 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Riverside Way/A1114.
95 m
Exit the roundabout onto Riverside Way/A1114. Continue on A1114.
A1114769 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1114.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1114.
A11141.0 km
Turn right onto St Omers Road.
St Omers Road295 m
Turn right.
568 m
Turn right onto Cross Lane.
Cross Lane201 m
Turn left to stay on Cross Lane.
Cross Lane145 m
Turn right onto Scotswood View.
Scotswood View251 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Scotswood View.
85 m
Exit the roundabout onto Scotswood View.
Scotswood View251 m
Turn left onto Cross Lane.
Cross Lane145 m
Turn right to stay on Cross Lane.
Cross Lane201 m
Turn left.
666 m
Turn left onto Wellington Road.
Wellington Road648 m
Turn left.
76 m
Turn left onto Colliery Road/A1114. Continue on A1114.
A1114644 m
Turn left onto St Omers Road.
St Omers Road295 m
Turn right.
298 m
Turn right onto Waterside Drive.
Waterside Drive77 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Gateshead · Route 1 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.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 2.3 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.
Tyre Bay
Start near Tyre Bay.
Wed2b
Continue to Wed2b.
St James Parish Church
Continue to St James Parish Church.
West Newcastle Academy
Continue to West Newcastle Academy.
Newcastle City Learning Centre
Continue to Newcastle City Learning Centre.
Fox and Hounds
Continue to Fox and Hounds.
St Johns
Continue to St Johns.
Broadmead Way Evangelical Church
Continue to Broadmead Way Evangelical Church.
St Bedes
Continue to St Bedes.
Denton Dene
Continue to Denton Dene.
St Margaret's Church and Parish Centre
Continue to St Margaret's Church and Parish Centre.
St Joseph's Benwell
Continue to St Joseph's Benwell.
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
Continue to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School.
Elswick Parish Church St Stephens & St Pauls
Continue to Elswick Parish Church St Stephens & St Pauls.
Wed4Less
Continue to Wed4Less.
Richard Hardie - Alfa
Continue to Richard Hardie - Alfa.
Hodgson Mazda
Continue to Hodgson Mazda.
CostCo Fuel
Continue to CostCo Fuel.
SIG Trade Counter
Continue to SIG Trade Counter.
Tudor Rose
Finish back near Tudor Rose, completing the loop.
4 roundabouts · 18 turns · 5 sets of lights
6 roundabouts · 19 turns · 7 sets of lights
9 roundabouts · 16 turns · 4 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 15 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 39.2 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Gateshead test centre, not an official DVSA route.