Near Hartlepool test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 10 roundabouts, 10 turns and 4 signalled junctions across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 24.6 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 Elwick Road and 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 schools, stations, churches and shops, 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 81-step drive on real, named roads (about 24.6 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
Turn left onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road344 m
Turn left onto York Road/B1277.
York Road315 m
Turn right onto Park Road.
Park Road1.2 km
Turn left onto Elwick Road.
Elwick Road247 m
Turn left to stay on Elwick Road.
Elwick Road332 m
Turn left onto Claremont Drive.
Claremont Drive366 m
Turn right onto Park Road.
Park Road618 m
Turn left onto Osborne Road.
Osborne Road65 m
Turn left onto Stanhope Avenue.
Stanhope Avenue224 m
Turn left onto Eltringham Road.
Eltringham Road68 m
Turn right onto Park Road.
Park Road689 m
Turn left onto Elwick Road.
Elwick Road247 m
Turn left to stay on Elwick Road.
Elwick Road130 m
Turn left onto Queensberry Avenue.
Queensberry Avenue314 m
Turn left onto Park Road.
Park Road104 m
Turn right onto Elwick Road.
Elwick Road65 m
Turn left to stay on Elwick Road.
Elwick Road1.2 km
Turn left onto Parklands Way.
Parklands Way157 m
Turn left onto Valley Drive.
Valley Drive355 m
Turn right onto Egerton Road.
Egerton Road14 m
Turn left onto West Park.
West Park376 m
Turn right onto Elwick Road.
Elwick Road471 m
Turn left to stay on Elwick Road.
Elwick Road548 m
Turn right to stay on Elwick Road.
Elwick Road313 m
Turn left to stay on Elwick Road.
Elwick Road130 m
Turn left onto Queensberry Avenue.
Queensberry Avenue314 m
Turn left onto Park Road.
Park Road104 m
Turn right onto Elwick Road.
Elwick Road65 m
Turn left to stay on Elwick Road.
Elwick Road548 m
Turn right to stay on Elwick Road.
Elwick Road471 m
Turn right to stay on Elwick Road.
Elwick Road195 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Dunston Road.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dunston Road.
Dunston Road193 m
Turn left onto Tarnston Road.
Tarnston Road561 m
Turn right onto Hart Lane.
Hart Lane384 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Hart Lane.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hart Lane.
Hart Lane2.1 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 1st exit towards Sunderland/Durham.
10 m
Exit the roundabout towards Sunderland/Durham.
A179746 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A179/Easington Road.
58 m
Exit the roundabout onto A179/Easington Road.
A179495 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A179/Easington Road.
115 m
Exit the roundabout onto A179/Easington Road.
A179484 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A179/Powlett Road.
53 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 4 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 8.5 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.
Cleveland College of Art and Design
Start near Cleveland College of Art and Design.
Victoria Road
Continue to Victoria Road.
Bethesda Gospel Hall
Continue to Bethesda Gospel Hall.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Osborne Convenience Store
Continue to Osborne Convenience Store.
Elwick Road
Continue to Elwick Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
Continue to Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School.
St Luke's Church
Continue to St Luke's Church.
Nursery
Continue to Nursery.
Quick Shop
Continue to Quick Shop.
Asda Roundabout
Continue to Asda Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
lifestyle express
Continue to lifestyle express.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Merry-Go-Round
Continue to Merry-Go-Round.
St Thomas More RC Church
Continue to St Thomas More RC Church.
Bank Chambers
Continue to Bank Chambers.
No8
Continue to No8.
Northern School Of Art
Continue to Northern School Of Art.
Royal
Finish back near Royal, 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 24.6 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.