Near Hartlepool test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 12 roundabouts, 14 turns and 5 signalled junctions across 33 navigation steps.
This is an independent 26.4 km practice route near Hartlepool test centre, taking roughly 50 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 and 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 pubs, schools, stations and parks, 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 97-step drive on real, named roads (about 26.4 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 left onto Mainsforth Terrace.
Mainsforth Terrace10 m
Turn right onto Burn Road.
Burn Road671 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A689/Stranton.
81 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 Road119 m
Turn right onto Westbourne Road.
Westbourne Road507 m
Turn left onto Shrewsbury Street.
Shrewsbury Street62 m
Turn right onto Gloucester Road.
Gloucester Road36 m
Turn right onto Gloucester Street.
Gloucester Street165 m
Turn left onto Blakelock Road.
Blakelock Road307 m
Turn left onto Bede Grove.
Bede Grove168 m
Turn left to stay on Bede Grove.
Bede Grove26 m
Turn left onto Tennyson Avenue.
Tennyson Avenue120 m
Turn left onto Shakespeare Avenue.
Shakespeare Avenue159 m
Turn right onto Blakelock Road.
Blakelock Road103 m
Turn right onto Shrewsbury Street.
Shrewsbury Street271 m
Turn right onto Oxford Road.
Oxford Road106 m
Turn left onto Heathfield Drive.
Heathfield Drive142 m
Turn right onto Ventnor Avenue.
Ventnor Avenue9 m
Turn left to stay on Ventnor Avenue.
Ventnor Avenue332 m
Turn left onto Oakland Avenue.
Oakland Avenue84 m
Turn left onto Greta Avenue.
Greta Avenue188 m
Turn left onto Fernwood Avenue.
Fernwood Avenue98 m
Turn right onto Heathfield Drive.
Heathfield Drive101 m
Turn left onto Peebles Avenue.
Peebles Avenue246 m
Turn right onto Oxford Road.
Oxford Road713 m
Turn left onto Studley Road.
Studley Road174 m
Turn left onto Russell Walk.
Russell Walk60 m
Turn left onto Southburn Terrace.
Southburn Terrace169 m
Turn right onto Oxford Street.
Oxford Street1.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Kingsley Avenue.
3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Kingsley Avenue.
Kingsley Avenue306 m
Turn right onto Swalebrooke Avenue.
Swalebrooke Avenue460 m
Turn left onto Oxford Road.
Oxford Road66 m
Turn right onto Catcote Road.
Catcote Road166 m
Turn right onto Browning Avenue.
Browning Avenue346 m
Turn right onto Chaucer Avenue.
Chaucer Avenue390 m
Turn left onto Browning Avenue.
Browning Avenue61 m
Turn right onto Catcote Road.
Catcote Road719 m
Move left onto Elwick Road.
Elwick Road312 m
Turn left to stay on Elwick Road.
Elwick Road263 m
Turn right onto Park Avenue.
Park Avenue680 m
Make a right U-turn onto Serpentine Road.
Serpentine Road410 m
Turn left onto The Parade.
The Parade264 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Grange Road.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Grange Road.
Grange Road266 m
Turn left onto Welldeck Road.
Welldeck Road484 m
Turn right onto Hart Lane.
Hart Lane1.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A179/Marina Way.
101 m
Exit the roundabout onto A179/Marina Way.
A179428 m
Enter Asda Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A179/Marina Way.
Asda Roundabout149 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 Road749 m
Turn left onto West View Road/A1049.
West View Road1.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto West View Road/A1049.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto West View Road/A1049.
West View Road389 m
Turn left.
26 m
Turn right.
28 m
Turn left onto Davison Drive.
Davison Drive280 m
Turn left onto Carrick Street.
Carrick Street186 m
Turn right onto Bruce Crescent.
Bruce Crescent127 m
Turn right onto Winterbottom Avenue.
Winterbottom Avenue720 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 3 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 7.5 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.
Anchor
Start near Anchor.
Cleveland College of Art and Design
Continue to Cleveland College of Art and Design.
Victoria Road
Continue to Victoria Road.
Stranton Green
Continue to Stranton Green.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Fosters Fish Grill
Continue to Fosters Fish Grill.
St Aidan's Church
Continue to St Aidan's Church.
Nationwide Tyres
Continue to Nationwide Tyres.
Fruitfayre
Continue to Fruitfayre.
Phonefix
Continue to Phonefix.
White House
Continue to White House.
Nursery
Continue to Nursery.
home bakery
Continue to home bakery.
Asda Roundabout
Continue to Asda Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Central Estate Methodist Church
Continue to Central Estate Methodist Church.
West View Road
Continue to West View Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Holy Trinity Church
Continue to Holy Trinity Church.
Richardsons & Westgarth Club
Continue to Richardsons & Westgarth Club.
lifestyle express
Continue to lifestyle express.
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 26.4 km and takes about 50 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Hartlepool test centre, not an official DVSA route.