Near Hartlepool test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts, 17 turns and 12 signalled junctions across 32 navigation steps.
This is an independent 19.0 km practice route near Hartlepool test centre, taking roughly 45 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, schools 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 73-step drive on real, named roads (about 19.0 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 Road671 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Stockton Road.
59 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stockton Road.
Stockton Road99 m
Turn left onto Southburn Terrace.
Southburn Terrace364 m
Turn left onto Oxford Street.
Oxford Street61 m
Turn right onto Studley Road.
Studley Road216 m
Turn right onto Sydenham Road.
Sydenham Road241 m
Turn left onto Brenda Road/B1277.
Brenda Road554 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A689/Stockton Road.
86 m
Exit the roundabout onto A689/Stockton Road.
A689577 m
Make a right U-turn onto A689/Belle Vue Way.
A689592 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 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 Road596 m
Turn left onto A689/Stockton Street.
A689323 m
Turn left onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road549 m
Turn right onto Murray Street.
Murray Street128 m
Turn right onto Elliott Street.
Elliott Street180 m
Turn left onto York Road/B1277.
York Road29 m
Turn right onto Errol Street.
Errol Street89 m
Turn left onto Avenue Road.
Avenue Road109 m
Turn left onto Raby Road.
Raby Road186 m
Turn right onto Raby Road/B1277. Continue on Raby Road.
Raby Road530 m
Turn right onto Brougham Terrace.
Brougham Terrace470 m
Turn right onto Lancaster Road.
Lancaster Road247 m
Turn right onto Middleton Road/B1376.
Middleton Road220 m
Turn left onto Greenwood Road.
Greenwood Road230 m
Turn left onto Stuart Street.
Stuart Street56 m
Turn right onto Middleton Road/B1376.
Middleton Road211 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A179/Marina Way.
9 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 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.
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.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
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 7.3 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.
MKM Building Supplies
Start near MKM Building Supplies.
Cora's
Continue to Cora's.
2nd-Hand Central
Continue to 2nd-Hand Central.
Stag and Monkey
Continue to Stag and Monkey.
Chinese Take-Away
Continue to Chinese Take-Away.
Belle View Social Club
Continue to Belle View Social Club.
Blacksmiths Arms
Continue to Blacksmiths Arms.
Cleveland College of Art and Design
Continue to Cleveland College of Art and Design.
St Aidan's Church
Continue to St Aidan's Church.
Stranton Green
Continue to Stranton Green.
Victoria Road
Continue to Victoria Road.
Saint Georges Church
Continue to Saint Georges Church.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Park Inn
Continue to Park Inn.
Park Road
Continue to Park Road.
Saint Paul
Continue to Saint Paul.
St Oswald's Church
Continue to St Oswald's Church.
Asda Roundabout
Continue to Asda Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
No8
Continue to No8.
Northern School Of Art
Finish back near Northern School Of Art, 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 19.0 km and takes about 45 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Hartlepool test centre, not an official DVSA route.