Near Gateshead test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts, 18 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 27.5 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, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, independent driving 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 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 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 66-step drive on real, named roads (about 27.5 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.
396 m
Turn left onto Wellington Road.
Wellington Road689 m
Move right onto Ravensworth Road.
Ravensworth Road603 m
Turn right onto Ellison Road.
Ellison Road462 m
Turn left onto King George Avenue.
King George Avenue295 m
Turn right onto Dunston Bank.
Dunston Bank844 m
Turn left.
55 m
Turn right onto Dunston Road.
Dunston Road1.2 km
Turn left onto Whickham Highway/B6317.
Whickham Highway208 m
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 left onto Dunston Bank.
Dunston Bank344 m
Turn right onto Whickham Highway/B6317. Continue on B6317.
B63171.2 km
Turn left onto Broom Lane.
Broom Lane671 m
Turn left.
48 m
Turn left.
365 m
Turn right onto Lansbury Road.
Lansbury Road119 m
Turn right onto Arthur Cook Avenue.
Arthur Cook Avenue173 m
Turn left onto Southfield Road.
Southfield Road44 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 Road263 m
Turn left onto Broom Lane.
Broom Lane800 m
Turn right onto Whaggs Lane/B6316. Continue on B6316.
B63161.2 km
Turn right onto Front Street/B6317. Continue on B6317.
B63172.6 km
Turn left onto A692/Lobley Hill Road.
A692243 m
Turn left.
91 m
Turn right onto Oakfield Road.
Oakfield Road908 m
Turn left onto Moorfoot Gardens.
Moorfoot Gardens350 m
Turn right onto Malvern Gardens.
Malvern Gardens403 m
Turn right onto Whickham Highway/B6317. Continue on B6317.
B63173.0 km
Turn left onto Fellside Road.
Fellside Road396 m
Turn left onto Runnymede Road.
Runnymede Road171 m
Turn left onto Firtree Road.
Firtree Road202 m
Turn left onto Larkspur Road.
Larkspur Road138 m
Turn right onto Fellside Road.
Fellside Road296 m
Turn left onto Swalwell Bank/B6317.
Swalwell Bank1.1 km
Turn right onto Hexham Road/B6317.
Hexham Road229 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Hexham Road/B6317.
73 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hexham Road/B6317.
Hexham Road705 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Derwent Haugh Road/A694.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto Derwent Haugh Road/A694. Continue on A694.
A694555 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A694.
70 m
Exit the roundabout onto A694.
A694336 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Riverside Way/A1114.
91 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.
A11141.2 km
Turn right onto Dunston Road.
Dunston Road210 m
Turn left onto Wellington Road.
Wellington Road491 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 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.
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.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 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.
Dunston Social Club
Start near Dunston Social Club.
Ravensworth Road Methodist Church
Continue to Ravensworth Road Methodist Church.
Dun Cow
Continue to Dun Cow.
Dunston Christian Spiritualist Church
Continue to Dunston Christian Spiritualist Church.
R & C Motor Co Ltd
Continue to R & C Motor Co Ltd.
Highwayman
Continue to Highwayman.
Asda Express
Continue to Asda Express.
Crown
Continue to Crown.
Immaculate Heart Of Mary
Continue to Immaculate Heart Of Mary.
Chics
Continue to Chics.
Bay Horse
Continue to Bay Horse.
Harry Clasper
Continue to Harry Clasper.
Spoor
Continue to Spoor.
Wesleyan Methodist Chapel
Continue to Wesleyan Methodist Chapel.
Door Exchange
Continue to Door Exchange.
Holy Trinity Church
Continue to Holy Trinity Church.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
Collingwood Garage
Continue to Collingwood Garage.
Tudor Rose
Continue to Tudor Rose.
Fall Protection UK
Finish back near Fall Protection UK, 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 27.5 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.