Near Gateshead test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts, 17 turns and 5 signalled junctions across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 18.6 km practice loop near Gateshead test centre, taking roughly 35 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, pubs and churches, 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 49-step drive on real, named roads (about 18.6 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 4th exit towards A694/Gateshead.
133 m
Exit the roundabout towards A694/Gateshead.
A694341 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards B6317/Consett/Morpeth.
11 m
Exit the roundabout towards B6317/Consett/Morpeth.
A694529 m
Turn left onto Hexham Road/B6317.
Hexham Road646 m
Turn right onto Quality Row Road.
Quality Row Road22 m
Turn left to stay on Quality Row Road.
Quality Row Road197 m
Turn right onto Clavering Road.
Clavering Road23 m
Turn left onto Swalwell Bank/B6317. Continue on B6317.
B63171.5 km
Turn left.
65 m
Turn left onto School Lane.
School Lane104 m
Turn right onto Front Street/B6317.
Front Street143 m
Turn left onto Rectory Lane/B6316. Continue on B6316.
B63161.2 km
Turn left onto Broom Lane.
Broom Lane799 m
Turn right onto Southfield Road.
Southfield Road232 m
Turn right onto The Crescent.
The Crescent14 m
Turn left.
34 m
Turn left onto The Crescent.
The Crescent14 m
Turn left onto Southfield Road.
Southfield Road75 m
Turn right onto Arthur Cook Avenue.
Arthur Cook Avenue173 m
Turn left onto Lansbury Road.
Lansbury Road180 m
Turn left onto Broom Lane.
Broom Lane376 m
Turn left.
48 m
Turn left.
192 m
Turn left onto Southfield Road.
Southfield Road69 m
Turn right onto Broom Lane.
Broom Lane471 m
Turn right onto Front Street/B6317. Continue on B6317.
B63171.4 km
Turn left onto Hillcrest Drive.
Hillcrest Drive176 m
Turn right to stay on Hillcrest Drive.
Hillcrest Drive284 m
Turn left onto Mountside Gardens.
Mountside Gardens175 m
Turn right onto Dunston Bank.
Dunston Bank918 m
Turn left.
55 m
Turn right onto Dunston Road.
Dunston Road817 m
Turn left onto King George Avenue.
King George Avenue295 m
Turn right onto Ellison Road.
Ellison Road463 m
Turn left onto Ravensworth Road.
Ravensworth Road603 m
Move left onto Wellington Road.
Wellington Road689 m
Turn right.
396 m
Turn right onto Waterside Drive.
Waterside Drive77 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Gateshead · Route 13 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.
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
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, 50, 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.
SecureStore
Start near SecureStore.
Wed2b
Continue to Wed2b.
Stoneacre Toyota (Gateshead);Stoneacre Toyota
Continue to Stoneacre Toyota (Gateshead);Stoneacre Toyota.
Blaydon RFC
Continue to Blaydon RFC.
Holy Trinity Church
Continue to Holy Trinity Church.
Mambo
Continue to Mambo.
Bridle Path
Continue to Bridle Path.
Spoor
Continue to Spoor.
Bay Horse
Continue to Bay Horse.
St Mary the Virgin
Continue to St Mary the Virgin.
Whickham Jewellers
Continue to Whickham Jewellers.
Asda Express
Continue to Asda Express.
Highwayman
Continue to Highwayman.
Kamo
Continue to Kamo.
R & C Motor Co Ltd
Continue to R & C Motor Co Ltd.
Dunston Christian Spiritualist Church
Continue to Dunston Christian Spiritualist Church.
Dunston Social Club
Continue to Dunston Social Club.
Ravensworth Road Methodist Church
Continue to Ravensworth Road Methodist Church.
Gills Fish & Chips
Continue to Gills Fish & Chips.
Forcello
Finish back near Forcello, 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 18.6 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Gateshead test centre, not an official DVSA route.