Near Hartlepool test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts, 9 turns and 6 signalled junctions across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 28.7 km practice route near Hartlepool 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.
Along the way you'll meet Asda Roundabout. 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 shops, pubs, named junctions 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 91-step drive on real, named roads (about 28.7 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 left onto Mainsforth Terrace.
Mainsforth Terrace10 m
Turn right onto Burn Road.
Burn Road412 m
Turn left onto Baltic Street.
Baltic Street304 m
Turn right onto Greatham Street.
Greatham Street13 m
Turn left onto Casebourne Road.
Casebourne Road358 m
Turn left onto Thomlinson Road.
Thomlinson Road219 m
Turn right to stay on Thomlinson Road.
Thomlinson Road126 m
Turn right onto Windermere Road.
Windermere Road227 m
Turn right onto Coniston Road.
Coniston Road182 m
Turn left onto Thomlinson Road.
Thomlinson Road123 m
Turn right onto A689/Belle Vue Way. Continue on A689.
A689687 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A689/Belle Vue Way.
116 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 3rd exit onto A689/Stockton Road.
59 m
Exit the roundabout onto A689/Stockton Road. Continue on A689.
A6891.4 km
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 6th exit onto A689/Stranton.
192 m
Exit the roundabout onto A689/Stranton. Continue on A689.
A6891.0 km
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 Road1.1 km
Move right onto Northgate/A1049. Continue on Northgate.
Northgate236 m
Turn left onto High Street.
High Street307 m
Turn left onto Manners Street.
Manners Street70 m
Turn left onto Church Close.
Church Close133 m
Turn left onto Middlegate.
Middlegate162 m
Turn right onto Northgate/A1049. Continue on A1049.
A10491.3 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 2nd exit onto A179/Marina Way.
43 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. Continue on A689.
A6891.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 8th exit onto A689/Stranton.
259 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 3rd exit onto Stockton Road.
94 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stockton Road.
Stockton Road291 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Stockton Road/B1277.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stockton Road/B1277.
Stockton Road284 m
Turn right onto Oxford Road.
Oxford Road373 m
Turn left onto Caledonian Road.
Caledonian Road308 m
Turn left onto Beachfield Drive.
Beachfield Drive136 m
Turn left to stay on Beachfield Drive.
Beachfield Drive75 m
Turn right onto Stratford Road.
Stratford Road134 m
Turn left onto Stockton Road.
Stockton Road124 m
Turn left onto Stockton Road/B1277.
Stockton Road486 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Stockton Road.
95 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stockton Road.
Stockton Road291 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A689/Stranton.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto A689/Stranton. Continue on A689.
A689706 m
Turn left onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road344 m
Turn left onto York Road/B1277.
York Road315 m
Turn right onto Park Road.
Park Road463 m
Turn right onto Eltringham Road.
Eltringham Road68 m
Turn right onto Stanhope Avenue.
Stanhope Avenue224 m
Turn right onto Osborne Road.
Osborne Road65 m
Turn left onto Park Road.
Park Road1.1 km
Turn left onto Lynn Street.
Lynn Street123 m
Turn left onto Surtees Street.
Surtees Street121 m
Turn left onto Whitby Street.
Whitby Street90 m
Turn right onto Huckelhoven Way.
Huckelhoven Way309 m
Turn left onto Clark Street.
Clark Street201 m
Turn left onto Burbank Street.
Burbank Street308 m
Turn right onto Whitby Street South.
Whitby Street South309 m
Turn right onto Burn Road.
Burn Road236 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Hartlepool · Route 14 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
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Asda Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 12.5 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.
CTS Cermaic Tile Specialists
Start near CTS Cermaic Tile Specialists.
Franks Factory Flooring
Continue to Franks Factory Flooring.
Barbers
Continue to Barbers.
Tones Renault
Continue to Tones Renault.
Owton Lodge
Continue to Owton Lodge.
Stag and Monkey
Continue to Stag and Monkey.
Belle View Social Club
Continue to Belle View Social Club.
Asda Roundabout
Continue to Asda Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Victoria Arms
Continue to Victoria Arms.
Morison Hall
Continue to Morison Hall.
Kiddikins Day Nursery
Continue to Kiddikins Day Nursery.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Cleveland College of Art and Design
Continue to Cleveland College of Art and Design.
Coral
Continue to Coral.
Bungalow
Continue to Bungalow.
St Aidan's Church
Continue to St Aidan's Church.
Victoria Road
Continue to Victoria Road.
Bethesda Gospel Hall
Continue to Bethesda Gospel Hall.
Park Road
Continue to Park Road.
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 28.7 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Hartlepool test centre, not an official DVSA route.