Near Hartlepool test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts, 14 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 30 navigation steps.
This is an independent 24.4 km practice route near Hartlepool 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 West View 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, 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 stations, schools, pubs and churches, 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 84-step drive on real, named roads (about 24.4 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 Terrace824 m
Turn left onto Church Street/A178.
Church Street333 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Church Square.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Church Square.
Church Square46 m
Turn left onto Tower Street.
Tower Street87 m
Turn left onto Exeter Street.
Exeter Street77 m
Turn left onto Scarborough Street.
Scarborough Street97 m
Turn left onto Church Street/A178.
Church Street29 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Church Square/A178.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Church Square/A178.
Church Square155 m
Turn right onto A689/Marina Gateway.
A689214 m
Enter Asda Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A689/Marina Gateway.
Asda Roundabout146 m
Exit the roundabout onto A689/Marina Gateway. Continue on A689.
A689331 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on A689.
A689339 m
Enter Asda Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A179/Marina Way.
Asda Roundabout48 m
Exit the roundabout onto A179/Marina Way.
A179424 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A179/Marina Way.
54 m
Exit the roundabout onto A179/Marina Way.
A179690 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Cleveland Road/A1048.
47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cleveland Road/A1048.
Cleveland Road922 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto West View Road/A1049.
18 m
Exit the roundabout onto West View Road/A1049.
West View Road178 m
Turn left onto Thorpe Street.
Thorpe Street232 m
Turn right onto Marine Drive.
Marine Drive1.3 km
Turn right onto Church Close.
Church Close141 m
Move right onto Durham Street.
Durham Street553 m
Turn right onto Beacon Street.
Beacon Street76 m
Turn right onto Alliance Street.
Alliance Street86 m
Turn right onto Trinity Street.
Trinity Street64 m
Turn left onto Durham Street.
Durham Street353 m
Turn right onto Union Street.
Union Street118 m
Turn right onto Northgate/A1049. Continue on A1049.
A10491.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto West View Road/A1049.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto West View Road/A1049.
West View Road925 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Cleveland Road/A1048.
116 m
Exit the roundabout onto Cleveland Road/A1048.
Cleveland Road749 m
Turn left onto West View Road/A1049.
West View Road1.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto West View Road/A1049.
100 m
Exit the roundabout onto West View Road/A1049.
West View Road1.6 km
Turn left to stay on West View Road/A1049.
West View Road173 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto West View Road/A1049.
18 m
Exit the roundabout onto West View Road/A1049.
West View Road741 m
Make a sharp left onto Warren Street.
Warren Street130 m
Turn left onto Corporation Road.
Corporation Road59 m
Turn right onto West View Road/A1049.
West View Road621 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto West View Road/A1049.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto West View Road/A1049.
West View Road174 m
Turn right to stay on West View Road/A1049.
West View Road972 m
Turn left onto Warren Road.
Warren Road639 m
Turn right onto Winterbottom Avenue.
Winterbottom Avenue129 m
Turn right onto Bruce Crescent.
Bruce Crescent64 m
Turn right to stay on Bruce Crescent.
Bruce Crescent43 m
Turn right onto Sharp Crescent.
Sharp Crescent85 m
Turn right onto Warren Road.
Warren Road68 m
Turn left onto Winterbottom Avenue.
Winterbottom Avenue589 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A179/Powlett Road.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto A179/Powlett Road.
A179277 m
Turn right to stay on Powlett Road.
Powlett Road16 m
Turn left to stay on Powlett Road.
Powlett Road65 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Powlett Road.
Powlett Road65 m
Make a right U-turn at Powlett Road onto A179/Powlett Road.
A179421 m
Move right to stay on A179/Powlett Road.
A17971 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A179/Marina Way.
85 m
Exit the roundabout onto A179/Marina Way.
A179690 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A179/Marina Way.
150 m
Exit the roundabout onto A179/Marina Way.
A179690 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A179/Marina Way.
127 m
Exit the roundabout onto A179/Marina Way.
A179690 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A179/Marina Way.
59 m
Exit the roundabout onto A179/Marina Way.
A179428 m
Enter Asda Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A689/Marina Gateway.
Asda Roundabout63 m
Exit the roundabout onto A689/Marina Gateway.
A689191 m
Turn left onto Church Square/A178.
Church Square147 m
Enter Church Street and take the 2nd exit onto Church Square.
Church Street29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Church Square.
Church Square46 m
Turn left onto Tower Street.
Tower Street87 m
Turn left onto Exeter Street.
Exeter Street120 m
Turn left onto Whitby Street.
Whitby Street105 m
Turn right onto Church Street/A178.
Church Street261 m
Turn right onto Mainsforth Terrace/A178.
Mainsforth Terrace564 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Hartlepool · Route 13 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.
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 6.4 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.
Hartlepool Interchange
Start near Hartlepool Interchange.
Northern School Of Art
Continue to Northern School Of Art.
No8
Continue to No8.
Cleveland College of Art and Design
Continue to Cleveland College of Art and Design.
Victoria Road
Continue to Victoria Road.
St Bega's Catholic Primary School
Continue to St Bega's Catholic Primary School.
Saint Hilda's Church
Continue to Saint Hilda's Church.
St Mary's Church
Continue to St Mary's Church.
Kiddikins Day Nursery
Continue to Kiddikins Day Nursery.
Victoria Arms
Continue to Victoria Arms.
Chippy
Continue to Chippy.
Central Estate Methodist Church
Continue to Central Estate Methodist Church.
West View Road
Continue to West View Road, taking the junction with good observation.
You're Adored by Michaela
Continue to You're Adored by Michaela.
Headland Community Fire Station
Continue to Headland Community Fire Station.
Catcote Futures
Continue to Catcote Futures.
Iceland
Continue to Iceland.
Richardsons & Westgarth Club
Continue to Richardsons & Westgarth Club.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Princess Helena
Finish back near Princess Helena, 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 24.4 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Hartlepool test centre, not an official DVSA route.