Near Hartlepool test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts and 11 turns across 22 navigation steps.
This is an independent 23.3 km practice route near Hartlepool test centre, taking roughly 30 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, 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 pubs, churches, stations 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 Hartlepool 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 59-step drive on real, named roads (about 23.3 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive south.
23 m
Turn right.
31 m
Turn right onto Mainsforth Terrace.
Mainsforth Terrace92 m
Turn left onto Mainsforth Terrace/A178.
Mainsforth Terrace638 m
Turn left onto Surtees Street.
Surtees Street43 m
Turn left onto George Street.
George Street92 m
Turn left onto Reed Street.
Reed Street43 m
Turn right onto Mainsforth Terrace/A178.
A1782.9 km
Turn right onto Station Lane/B1276.
Station Lane669 m
Turn left onto Elizabeth Way.
Elizabeth Way935 m
Turn left onto Tees Road/A178.
A1783.8 km
Turn left onto Church Street/A178.
Church Street333 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Church Square/A178.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Church Square/A178.
Church Square245 m
Turn left onto Museum Road.
Museum Road178 m
Turn right onto Raby Road.
Raby Road21 m
Turn left onto Tees Street.
Tees Street73 m
Turn left onto Avenue Road.
Avenue Road185 m
Turn left onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road259 m
Turn right onto A689/Stranton.
A689710 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A689/Belle Vue Way.
40 m
Exit the roundabout onto A689/Belle Vue Way.
A6891.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Brenda Road/B1277.
97 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brenda Road/B1277.
Brenda Road74 m
Turn right onto Stanley Road.
Stanley Road52 m
Turn left onto Marmon Close.
Marmon Close16 m
Turn left onto Faulder Walk.
Faulder Walk154 m
Turn left onto Windermere Road.
Windermere Road53 m
Turn left onto Brenda Road/B1277.
Brenda Road219 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Brenda Road/B1277.
72 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brenda Road/B1277.
Brenda Road273 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Brenda Road/B1277.
70 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brenda Road/B1277.
Brenda Road711 m
Turn right onto Seaton Lane.
Seaton Lane522 m
Turn left onto Jutland Road.
Jutland Road13 m
Turn right onto Seaton Lane/B1276.
Seaton Lane309 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Owton Manor Lane.
47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Owton Manor Lane.
Owton Manor Lane348 m
Turn right onto Owton Close.
Owton Close62 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Owton Close.
Owton Close62 m
Turn right onto Owton Manor Lane.
Owton Manor Lane72 m
Turn right onto Balmoral Road.
Balmoral Road128 m
Turn left onto Callander Road.
Callander Road376 m
Turn right onto Catcote Road.
Catcote Road1.0 km
Turn right onto Tynebrooke Avenue.
Tynebrooke Avenue252 m
Turn left onto Kingsley Avenue.
Kingsley Avenue488 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Kingsley Avenue.
83 m
Exit the roundabout onto Kingsley Avenue.
Kingsley Avenue431 m
Turn left onto Westbrooke Avenue.
Westbrooke Avenue819 m
Turn right onto Stockton Road.
Stockton Road499 m
Turn left onto A689/Belle Vue Way.
A689534 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A689/Belle Vue Way.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto A689/Belle Vue Way. Continue on A689.
A6891.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A689/Stranton.
48 m
Exit the roundabout onto A689/Stranton. Continue on A689.
A689706 m
Make a right U-turn onto A689/Stranton.
A689720 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Burn Road.
11 m
Exit the roundabout onto Burn Road.
Burn Road261 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Hartlepool · Route 12 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
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.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 5.4 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.
9 Anchors
Start near 9 Anchors.
Seaton Carew Methodist Church
Continue to Seaton Carew Methodist Church.
Seaton Bus Station
Continue to Seaton Bus Station.
Hornseys Bar
Continue to Hornseys Bar.
Hartlepool Interchange
Continue to Hartlepool Interchange.
Northern School Of Art
Continue to Northern School Of Art.
Victoria Road
Continue to Victoria Road.
Yates
Continue to Yates.
Cleveland College of Art and Design
Continue to Cleveland College of Art and Design.
Premier
Continue to Premier.
Tones Renault
Continue to Tones Renault.
Beauty House
Continue to Beauty House.
Owton Lodge
Continue to Owton Lodge.
Rossmere
Continue to Rossmere.
Body Beautiful
Continue to Body Beautiful.
Chinese Take-Away
Continue to Chinese Take-Away.
Belle View Social Club
Continue to Belle View Social Club.
Stag and Monkey
Continue to Stag and Monkey.
Anchor
Continue to Anchor.
Tesco Extra
Finish back near Tesco Extra, completing the loop.
6 roundabouts · 19 turns · 5 sets of lights
13 roundabouts · 13 turns · 8 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 13 turns · 5 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 19 turns · 3 sets of lights
This route is 23.3 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Hartlepool test centre, not an official DVSA route.