Near Halifax test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts, 21 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 29 navigation steps.
This is an independent 24.1 km practice route near Halifax 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 roundabout approach & exit, dual-carriageway joins, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads 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 churches, shops 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 Halifax 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 75-step drive on real, named roads (about 24.1 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northwest on Cross Street West.
Cross Street West64 m
Turn right onto Pellon New Road.
Pellon New Road17 m
Turn right onto Highgate Gardens.
Highgate Gardens412 m
Turn right onto Spring Hall Lane.
Spring Hall Lane332 m
Turn left onto Newstead Avenue.
Newstead Avenue183 m
Turn left onto Gibbet Street.
Gibbet Street558 m
Turn left onto Queen's Road.
Queen's Road296 m
Turn right onto Hanson Lane.
Hanson Lane163 m
Turn right onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road251 m
Turn right onto Gibbet Street.
Gibbet Street533 m
Turn right onto Thrum Hall Lane.
Thrum Hall Lane293 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Thrum Hall Lane.
73 m
Exit the roundabout onto Thrum Hall Lane.
Thrum Hall Lane293 m
Turn left onto Gibbet Street.
Gibbet Street312 m
Turn right onto Queen's Road.
Queen's Road73 m
Turn right onto Lemon Street.
Lemon Street76 m
Turn right onto Franklin Street.
Franklin Street69 m
Turn right onto Gibbet Street.
Gibbet Street83 m
Turn left onto Queen's Road.
Queen's Road652 m
Turn right onto Pellon Lane.
Pellon Lane782 m
Turn left onto Richmond Road.
Richmond Road277 m
Turn right onto Richmond Street.
Richmond Street109 m
Turn left onto A58/Burdock Way.
A58148 m
Enter Orange Street Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A629/Ovenden Road.
Orange Street Roundabout20 m
Exit the roundabout onto A629/Ovenden Road.
A6291.3 km
Turn left onto Ovenden Way.
Ovenden Way63 m
Turn left onto Wheatley Lane.
Wheatley Lane94 m
Turn right to stay on Wheatley Lane.
Wheatley Lane49 m
Turn right onto Rushworth Street.
Rushworth Street50 m
Move left onto Ovenden Close.
Ovenden Close78 m
Turn right onto Lawrence Street.
Lawrence Street51 m
Turn left onto Wheatley Lane.
Wheatley Lane70 m
Turn left to stay on Wheatley Lane.
Wheatley Lane109 m
Turn right onto Ovenden Way.
Ovenden Way54 m
Turn left onto A629/Ovenden Road.
A629879 m
Move right onto Shay Lane.
Shay Lane720 m
Turn left onto Blackmires.
Blackmires104 m
Turn left onto Watkinson Road.
Watkinson Road379 m
Turn right onto Beechwood Grove.
Beechwood Grove47 m
Turn left onto Beechwood Road.
Beechwood Road170 m
Turn right onto Beechwood Close.
Beechwood Close84 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Beechwood Close.
Beechwood Close84 m
Turn right onto Beechwood Road.
Beechwood Road65 m
Turn right onto A629/Keighley Road.
A6291.2 km
Turn right onto Illingworth Road.
Illingworth Road125 m
Turn right onto Moss Drive.
Moss Drive62 m
Turn right onto Whitehill Drive.
Whitehill Drive200 m
Turn right onto Whitehill Road.
Whitehill Road204 m
Move left onto A629/Keighley Road.
A6291.6 km
Turn right onto Nursery Lane.
Nursery Lane587 m
Turn left onto Vegal Crescent.
Vegal Crescent155 m
Turn left onto Ovenden Way.
Ovenden Way467 m
Make a right U-turn at Ovenden Green to stay on Ovenden Way.
Ovenden Way603 m
Turn left onto Denfield Lane.
Denfield Lane384 m
Make a sharp left onto Wheatley Road.
Wheatley Road648 m
Make a sharp left onto Ramsden Street.
Ramsden Street475 m
Turn left onto Denfield Lane.
Denfield Lane268 m
Make a sharp left onto Wheatley Road.
Wheatley Road866 m
Move right onto Shroggs Road.
Shroggs Road962 m
Turn right onto Lee Bridge.
Lee Bridge140 m
Turn left onto Lee Bank.
Lee Bank19 m
Turn left to stay on Lee Bank.
Lee Bank19 m
Move right onto Lee Bridge.
Lee Bridge122 m
Turn left onto Shroggs Road.
Shroggs Road716 m
Turn left onto Hebble Lane.
Hebble Lane575 m
Turn left onto Brackenbed Lane.
Brackenbed Lane648 m
Turn left onto Mount Pellon.
Mount Pellon188 m
Turn left onto Pellon Lane.
Pellon Lane834 m
Turn right onto Raglan Street.
Raglan Street239 m
Turn right onto Hanson Lane.
Hanson Lane212 m
Turn right to stay on Hanson Lane.
Hanson Lane687 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Hanson Lane.
56 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hanson Lane.
Hanson Lane201 m
Turn left onto Spring Hall Lane.
Spring Hall Lane95 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Halifax · Route 16 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.
Roundabout
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
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 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.
Faizan-e-Madina
Start near Faizan-e-Madina.
Argos
Continue to Argos.
Charles Watson
Continue to Charles Watson.
James Hargreaves Bathrooms
Continue to James Hargreaves Bathrooms.
Kwik Fit
Continue to Kwik Fit.
Running Man
Continue to Running Man.
1904 @ Dean Clough
Continue to 1904 @ Dean Clough.
Dean Clough
Continue to Dean Clough.
Salem Methodist Church
Continue to Salem Methodist Church.
China China Noodle Bar
Continue to China China Noodle Bar.
Friendly Inn
Continue to Friendly Inn.
St Mary's Church
Continue to St Mary's Church.
Moorside Garage
Continue to Moorside Garage.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Farmfoods
Continue to Farmfoods.
Mencap Donation Station
Continue to Mencap Donation Station.
Sue Ryder
Continue to Sue Ryder.
Toolstation
Continue to Toolstation.
Madrasah Ghosia
Continue to Madrasah Ghosia.
St Augustine's Centre
Finish back near St Augustine's Centre, completing the loop.
2 roundabouts · 20 turns · 6 sets of lights
3 roundabouts · 13 turns · 5 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 17 turns · 8 sets of lights
2 roundabouts · 15 turns · 7 sets of lights
This route is 24.1 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Halifax test centre, not an official DVSA route.