Near Hartlepool test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts, 16 turns and 7 signalled junctions across 30 navigation steps.
This is an independent 20.4 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.
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 pubs, 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 20.4 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 Street237 m
Turn right onto Huckelhoven Way.
Huckelhoven Way211 m
Move right to stay on Huckelhoven Way.
Huckelhoven Way66 m
Turn right onto A689/Stockton Street.
A689323 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 Road238 m
Turn left onto York Road/B1277.
York Road314 m
Turn left onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road1.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Wooler Road.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wooler Road.
Wooler Road338 m
Move left onto Elwick Road.
Elwick Road313 m
Turn left to stay on Elwick Road.
Elwick Road726 m
Turn right onto Baden Street.
Baden Street296 m
Turn right onto Blakelock Road.
Blakelock Road391 m
Turn left onto Bede Grove.
Bede Grove92 m
Turn left onto Tristram Avenue.
Tristram Avenue190 m
Turn left onto Shakespeare Avenue.
Shakespeare Avenue67 m
Turn right onto Blakelock Road.
Blakelock Road103 m
Turn right onto Shrewsbury Street.
Shrewsbury Street271 m
Turn left onto Oxford Road.
Oxford Road747 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 Avenue495 m
Turn right onto Tynebrooke Avenue.
Tynebrooke Avenue252 m
Turn left onto Catcote Road.
Catcote Road740 m
Turn left onto Rosmere Way.
Rosmere Way49 m
Turn right onto Rossmere Way.
Rossmere Way56 m
Turn right onto Catcote Road.
Catcote Road444 m
Turn right onto Brierton Lane.
Brierton Lane649 m
Turn right onto Ardrossan Road.
Ardrossan Road266 m
Turn right onto Rossmere Way.
Rossmere Way382 m
Turn right onto Dumfries Road.
Dumfries Road230 m
Turn left onto Rossmere Way.
Rossmere Way167 m
Turn right onto Balmoral Road.
Balmoral Road422 m
Turn left onto Owton Manor Lane.
Owton Manor Lane72 m
Turn left onto Owton Close.
Owton Close62 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Owton Close.
Owton Close62 m
Turn left onto Owton Manor Lane.
Owton Manor Lane349 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Seaton Lane/B1276.
47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Seaton Lane/B1276.
Seaton Lane309 m
Turn left onto Jutland Road.
Jutland Road13 m
Turn right onto Seaton Lane.
Seaton Lane522 m
Turn left onto Brenda Road/B1277.
Brenda Road711 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Brenda Road/B1277.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brenda Road/B1277.
Brenda Road272 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Brenda Road/B1277.
70 m
Exit the roundabout onto Brenda Road/B1277.
Brenda Road219 m
Turn left onto Windermere Road.
Windermere Road114 m
Turn right onto Haswell Avenue.
Haswell Avenue141 m
Turn left onto Stockton Road.
Stockton Road296 m
Move left to stay on Stockton Road.
Stockton Road499 m
Turn left onto A689/Belle Vue Way.
A689534 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A689/Belle Vue Way.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto A689/Belle Vue Way.
A689865 m
Turn right onto Greatham Street.
Greatham Street57 m
Move left onto Oxford Street.
Oxford Street165 m
Turn left onto Baltic Street.
Baltic Street245 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Hartlepool · Route 5 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.
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 0.9 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.
Northern School Of Art
Start near Northern School Of Art.
Hartlepool Interchange
Continue to Hartlepool Interchange.
Victoria Road
Continue to Victoria Road.
Bethesda Gospel Hall
Continue to Bethesda Gospel Hall.
Park Inn
Continue to Park Inn.
Saint Paul
Continue to Saint Paul.
Mulgrave Ave
Continue to Mulgrave Ave.
White House
Continue to White House.
Morrisons Daily
Continue to Morrisons Daily.
Fosters Fish Grill
Continue to Fosters Fish Grill.
St Aidan's Church
Continue to St Aidan's Church.
Nationwide Tyres
Continue to Nationwide Tyres.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Farmfoods
Continue to Farmfoods.
Saint James the Apostle
Continue to Saint James the Apostle.
Owton Lodge
Continue to Owton Lodge.
Beauty House
Continue to Beauty House.
Greenside
Continue to Greenside.
Stag and Monkey
Continue to Stag and Monkey.
Belle View Social Club
Finish back near Belle View Social Club, 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 20.4 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.