Near Halifax test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts, 15 turns and 5 signalled junctions across 25 navigation steps.
This is an independent 17.8 km practice loop near Halifax 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 dual-carriageway joins, 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 18 catalogued landmarks, including pubs, churches, shops and schools, 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 54-step drive on real, named roads (about 17.7 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 Lane616 m
Turn right onto Spring Hall Drive.
Spring Hall Drive204 m
Turn right onto Spring Hall Lane.
Spring Hall Lane94 m
Turn left onto Warley Road.
Warley Road275 m
Turn left onto Parkinson Lane.
Parkinson Lane698 m
Turn left onto Queen's Road.
Queen's Road522 m
Turn left onto Gibbet Street.
Gibbet Street83 m
Turn left onto Franklin Street.
Franklin Street69 m
Turn left onto Lemon Street.
Lemon Street76 m
Turn right onto Queen's Road.
Queen's Road722 m
Turn left onto King Cross Road.
King Cross Road225 m
Move left onto A58/Aachen Way.
A58165 m
Turn right onto Hyde Park.
Hyde Park108 m
Turn left onto Laurel Bank.
Laurel Bank266 m
Turn left onto Hyde Park Road.
Hyde Park Road23 m
Turn right onto Haugh Shaw Road.
Haugh Shaw Road24 m
Turn right.
37 m
Turn left onto A58/Aachen Way.
A58264 m
Keep left to stay on A58.
A581.7 km
Turn left onto Pye Nest Road/A6142.
Pye Nest Road858 m
Turn left onto Rochdale Road/A58.
Rochdale Road165 m
Turn left onto Pye Nest Gardens.
Pye Nest Gardens439 m
Turn right to stay on Pye Nest Gardens.
Pye Nest Gardens48 m
Turn right onto Rochdale Road/A58.
Rochdale Road301 m
Move right onto Darcey Hey Lane.
Darcey Hey Lane298 m
Turn right onto Edwards Road.
Edwards Road128 m
Turn left onto Fixby Avenue.
Fixby Avenue183 m
Turn left onto Washer Lane.
Washer Lane151 m
Make a sharp right onto Upper Washer Lane.
Upper Washer Lane233 m
Turn right onto Scarr Bottom Road.
Scarr Bottom Road789 m
Move left onto Birdcage Hill.
Birdcage Hill332 m
Turn left onto Kensington Road.
Kensington Road585 m
Turn left onto A646/Skircoat Moor Road.
A646355 m
Turn left onto Wakefield Gate.
Wakefield Gate61 m
Turn left onto Skircoat Moor Close.
Skircoat Moor Close88 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Skircoat Moor Close.
Skircoat Moor Close88 m
Turn right onto Wakefield Gate.
Wakefield Gate61 m
Turn left onto A646/Skircoat Moor Road. Continue on A646.
A646317 m
Move left towards Burley/Hebden Bridge/Todmorden.
A6461.4 km
Turn right onto Windle Royd Lane.
Windle Royd Lane425 m
Turn right onto Stock Lane.
Stock Lane404 m
Move right onto Roils Head Road.
Roils Head Road1.3 km
Turn left onto Queen's Road.
Queen's Road65 m
Turn left onto Jasper Street.
Jasper Street75 m
Turn left onto Arundel Street.
Arundel Street79 m
Turn right onto Gibbet Street.
Gibbet Street621 m
Turn left onto Spring Hall Lane.
Spring Hall Lane103 m
Turn right onto Spring Hall Drive.
Spring Hall Drive204 m
Turn left onto Spring Hall Lane.
Spring Hall Lane730 m
Turn left onto Reservoir Road.
Reservoir Road168 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Halifax · 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.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Dual-carriageway join
About 2.6 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 18 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
West End Hotel
Start near West End Hotel.
Faizan-e-Madina
Continue to Faizan-e-Madina.
St Paul's Church
Continue to St Paul's Church.
F & A Walker
Continue to F & A Walker.
Junction
Continue to Junction.
PedalSport
Continue to PedalSport.
Feathers
Continue to Feathers.
King Cross Library
Continue to King Cross Library.
Sainsbury's Local
Continue to Sainsbury's Local.
Bolton Brow Primary Academy
Continue to Bolton Brow Primary Academy.
Sacred Heart &St Patricks
Continue to Sacred Heart &St Patricks.
Pye Nest Nursery
Continue to Pye Nest Nursery.
Wainhouse Tavern
Continue to Wainhouse Tavern.
Gleddings Preparatory School
Continue to Gleddings Preparatory School.
Peacock
Continue to Peacock.
St John the Evangelist
Continue to St John the Evangelist.
Brown Cow
Continue to Brown Cow.
Horse and Jockey
Finish back near Horse and Jockey, 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 17.8 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Halifax test centre, not an official DVSA route.