Near Gateshead test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts, 26 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 35 navigation steps.
This is an independent 30.8 km practice loop near Gateshead test centre, taking roughly 45 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 Redheugh Bridge 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 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, churches 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 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 91-step drive on real, named roads (about 30.8 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 Road648 m
Turn left.
76 m
Turn left onto Colliery Road/A1114. Continue on A1114.
A11141.7 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1114.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1114.
A1114770 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Scotswood View.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Scotswood View.
Scotswood View275 m
Turn right onto Hollinside Road.
Hollinside Road304 m
Keep left to stay on Hollinside Road.
Hollinside Road263 m
Take the exit.
A11.4 km
Take exit 70 towards Whickham/Dunston.
346 m
Move left onto Dunston Road.
Dunston Road532 m
Turn right onto Wellington Road.
Wellington Road157 m
Turn right onto Dunston Road.
Dunston Road135 m
Turn left onto Rendel Street.
Rendel Street160 m
Turn left.
94 m
Turn left.
24 m
Turn right.
32 m
Turn right onto Wellington Road.
Wellington Road388 m
Move right onto Ravensworth Road.
Ravensworth Road416 m
Turn right.
32 m
Turn left.
32 m
Turn left onto Renforth Street.
Renforth Street27 m
Turn left onto Ravensworth Road.
Ravensworth Road257 m
Turn left onto Victoria Street.
Victoria Street164 m
Turn right onto Church Street.
Church Street116 m
Turn right onto Seymour Street.
Seymour Street172 m
Turn right onto Ravensworth Road.
Ravensworth Road113 m
Turn right onto Victoria Street.
Victoria Street164 m
Turn right onto Church Street.
Church Street116 m
Turn right onto Seymour Street.
Seymour Street172 m
Turn right onto Ravensworth Road.
Ravensworth Road510 m
Turn right onto Ellison Road.
Ellison Road305 m
Turn left onto Wilson Street.
Wilson Street159 m
Turn right onto Holly Avenue.
Holly Avenue125 m
Turn left onto Elm Avenue.
Elm Avenue98 m
Turn right onto Oak Avenue.
Oak Avenue378 m
Turn right onto King George Avenue.
King George Avenue271 m
Turn left onto Ellison Road.
Ellison Road236 m
Turn right onto Park Terrace.
Park Terrace647 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.
B63171.0 km
Turn right onto Duckpool Lane.
Duckpool Lane418 m
Turn left onto Cromwell Road.
Cromwell Road157 m
Turn right onto Lambton Avenue.
Lambton Avenue379 m
Turn left onto Market Lane.
Market Lane412 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hollinside Road.
49 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hollinside Road.
Hollinside Road439 m
Turn right to stay on Hollinside Road.
Hollinside Road104 m
Turn right.
35 m
Turn left.
54 m
Make a right U-turn.
85 m
Move right onto Hollinside Road.
Hollinside Road42 m
Keep left to stay on Hollinside Road.
Hollinside Road263 m
Take the exit.
A12.2 km
Take exit 69 onto A184 towards Central Newcastle/Central Gateshead.
A1842.0 km
Take the Redheugh Bridge Roundabout exit.
A184237 m
Enter Redheugh Bridge Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A184.
Redheugh Bridge Roundabout280 m
Exit the roundabout onto A184.
A18424 m
Keep right to stay on A184.
A184284 m
Continue on A184.
A1841.5 km
Stay straight to take the ramp.
A150 m
Keep right to take A1/E 15.
A1821 m
Take exit 70 towards Whickham/Dunston.
360 m
Turn right onto Dunston Interchange.
Dunston Interchange718 m
Turn right onto St Omers Road.
St Omers Road295 m
Turn left onto Handy Drive/A1114. Continue on A1114.
A11141.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1114.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1114.
A1114770 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Scotswood View.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Scotswood View.
Scotswood View699 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Scotswood View.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Scotswood View.
Scotswood View167 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Scotswood View.
41 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.
270 m
Turn left onto Waterside Drive.
Waterside Drive77 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Gateshead · Route 2 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 Redheugh Bridge Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 8.0 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, 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.
Carpets R Us
Start near Carpets R Us.
Tudor Rose
Continue to Tudor Rose.
ScS
Continue to ScS.
Scattergood & Johnson Ltd
Continue to Scattergood & Johnson Ltd.
Apo’s Pizza
Continue to Apo’s Pizza.
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.
Saint Nicholas With Christ Church
Continue to Saint Nicholas With Christ Church.
R & C Motor Co Ltd
Continue to R & C Motor Co Ltd.
Highwayman
Continue to Highwayman.
Whickham Police Station
Continue to Whickham Police Station.
Krispy Kreme
Continue to Krispy Kreme.
Redheugh Bridge Roundabout
Continue to Redheugh Bridge Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Holmeside Hall Social Club
Continue to Holmeside Hall Social Club.
Just Signs & Lighting
Continue to Just Signs & Lighting.
SIG Trade Counter
Continue to SIG Trade Counter.
Metro Centre
Continue to Metro Centre.
MetroCentre
Continue to MetroCentre.
Metrocentre Autoworld - Mainline UK
Finish back near Metrocentre Autoworld - Mainline 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 30.8 km and takes about 45 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Gateshead test centre, not an official DVSA route.