Near Gateshead test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts, 14 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 29 navigation steps.
This is an independent 39.7 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.
Along the way you'll meet Redheugh Bridge Roundabout and Denton Road. 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 pubs, shops, 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 89-step drive on real, named roads (about 39.7 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.
A1114644 m
Turn left 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.
568 m
Turn left 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 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.
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 3rd exit onto Riverside Way/A1114.
65 m
Exit the roundabout onto Riverside Way/A1114.
Riverside Way493 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Riverside Way/A1114.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Riverside Way/A1114.
Riverside Way83 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit towards A694/Gateshead.
176 m
Exit the roundabout towards A694/Gateshead.
A694341 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
47 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1/E 15.
A13.4 km
Take exit 69 onto A184 towards Central Newcastle/Central Gateshead.
A1842.0 km
Keep right to take A189.
A1891.2 km
Move left onto Scotswood Road/A695.
Scotswood Road136 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Scotswood Road/A695.
22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Scotswood Road/A695.
Scotswood Road2.5 km
Turn right onto Whitehouse Road/B1305. Continue on Whitehouse Road.
Whitehouse Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Chester Pike.
Chester Pike628 m
Turn right onto Armstrong Road.
Armstrong Road248 m
Turn right onto South Benwell Road.
South Benwell Road288 m
Turn left onto Whitehouse Road.
Whitehouse Road194 m
Turn left onto B1305.
B1305387 m
Turn left onto Armstrong Road.
Armstrong Road431 m
Turn right onto Hodgkin Park Road.
Hodgkin Park Road374 m
Turn left onto Benwell Lane/B1311.
Benwell Lane103 m
Turn right onto Pendower Way.
Pendower Way477 m
Turn left onto Ferguson's Lane.
Ferguson's Lane206 m
Move right onto Benwell Village.
Benwell Village565 m
Turn right onto Burnopfield Gardens.
Burnopfield Gardens527 m
Turn left onto Countess Drive.
Countess Drive482 m
Turn left onto Denton Road/A191.
Denton Road244 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Denton Road/A191.
32 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 Road374 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto West Road/A186.
40 m
Exit the roundabout onto West Road/A186.
West Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Pease Avenue.
Pease Avenue330 m
Turn left onto Pendower Way.
Pendower Way477 m
Turn left onto Benwell Lane/B1311.
Benwell Lane433 m
Turn right onto Atkinson Road/B1305.
Atkinson Road65 m
Turn left onto Atkinson Terrace.
Atkinson Terrace10 m
Turn right onto Joan Street.
Joan Street126 m
Turn right.
85 m
Turn right onto Armstrong Road.
Armstrong Road65 m
Turn left onto Atkinson Road/B1305. Continue on B1305.
B1305387 m
Turn left onto Whitehouse Road/B1305.
Whitehouse Road188 m
Turn right onto Scotswood Road/A695.
Scotswood Road1.5 km
Turn left onto Scotswood Bridge/A695.
Scotswood Bridge326 m
Keep left to take A694.
Derwenthaugh Road615 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards A694/Gateshead.
59 m
Exit the roundabout towards A694/Gateshead.
A694341 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
47 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1/E 15.
A12.6 km
Take exit 70 towards Whickham/Dunston.
346 m
Move left onto Dunston Road.
Dunston Road928 m
Turn right onto Waterside Drive.
Waterside Drive77 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Gateshead · Route 3 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.
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
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 5.1 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.
Tudor Rose
Start near Tudor Rose.
Forcello
Continue to Forcello.
CostCo Fuel
Continue to CostCo Fuel.
Aldi
Continue to Aldi.
Stoneacre Toyota (Gateshead);Stoneacre Toyota
Continue to Stoneacre Toyota (Gateshead);Stoneacre Toyota.
Alpkit
Continue to Alpkit.
Scattergood & Johnson Ltd
Continue to Scattergood & Johnson Ltd.
Dunston Christian Spiritualist Church
Continue to Dunston Christian Spiritualist Church.
Redheugh Bridge Roundabout
Continue to Redheugh Bridge Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Redheugh Bridge Park
Continue to Redheugh Bridge Park.
Elswick Parish Church St Stephens & St Pauls
Continue to Elswick Parish Church St Stephens & St Pauls.
Hodgkin Park
Continue to Hodgkin Park.
St Joseph's Benwell
Continue to St Joseph's Benwell.
St Johns
Continue to St Johns.
Denton Road
Continue to Denton Road, taking the junction with good observation.
St Margaret's Church and Parish Centre
Continue to St Margaret's Church and Parish Centre.
Denton Burn Methodist Church
Continue to Denton Burn Methodist Church.
St James Parish Church
Continue to St James Parish Church.
West Newcastle Academy
Continue to West Newcastle Academy.
R & C Motor Co Ltd
Finish back near R & C Motor Co Ltd, 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 39.7 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.