Near Hartlepool test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 13 roundabouts, 13 turns and 8 signalled junctions across 32 navigation steps.
This is an independent 33.7 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 Elwick 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, stations, 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 107-step drive on real, named roads (about 33.7 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 right onto Mainsforth Terrace.
Mainsforth Terrace92 m
Turn left onto Mainsforth Terrace/A178.
Mainsforth Terrace493 m
Turn left onto Huckelhoven Way.
Huckelhoven Way604 m
Turn left onto Clark Street.
Clark Street557 m
Turn right onto Whitby Street South.
Whitby Street South161 m
Turn left onto Cromwell Street.
Cromwell Street117 m
Turn left onto Lynn Street South.
Lynn Street South128 m
Turn right onto Havelock Street.
Havelock Street128 m
Turn left onto Mainsforth Terrace/A178.
Mainsforth Terrace686 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 Street87 m
Turn left onto Exeter Street.
Exeter Street77 m
Turn left onto Scarborough Street.
Scarborough Street97 m
Turn left onto Church Street/A178.
Church Street29 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Church Square/A178.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Church Square/A178.
Church Square155 m
Turn right onto A689/Marina Gateway.
A689214 m
Enter Asda Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A689/Marina Gateway.
Asda Roundabout146 m
Exit the roundabout onto A689/Marina Gateway. Continue on A689.
A689331 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on A689.
A689339 m
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 4th exit onto A179/Marina Way.
127 m
Exit the roundabout onto A179/Marina Way.
A179690 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Middleton Road/B1376.
104 m
Exit the roundabout onto Middleton Road/B1376.
Middleton Road586 m
Turn right onto Raby Road.
Raby Road316 m
Turn left onto Chester Road.
Chester Road508 m
Turn left onto Jesmond Road.
Jesmond Road292 m
Turn left onto Hart Lane.
Hart Lane552 m
Turn left onto Raby Road.
Raby Road941 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A179/Easington Road.
35 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.
A179183 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on A179/Easington Road.
A179157 m
Turn left onto Jesmond Gardens.
Jesmond Gardens1.1 km
Turn right onto Hart Lane.
Hart Lane946 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Dunston Road.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dunston Road.
Dunston Road255 m
Turn right onto Tarnston Road.
Tarnston Road400 m
Turn left onto Riggston Place.
Riggston Place695 m
Turn left onto Elwick Road.
Elwick Road314 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Elwick Road.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Elwick Road.
Elwick Road198 m
Turn left to stay on 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 Road449 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hart Lane.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hart Lane.
Hart Lane946 m
Turn right onto Duke Street.
Duke Street105 m
Turn right onto Suggitt Street.
Suggitt Street235 m
Turn left onto Welldeck Road.
Welldeck Road372 m
Turn right onto Grange Road.
Grange Road266 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Wooler Road.
71 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wooler Road.
Wooler Road130 m
Turn right onto Elm Grove.
Elm Grove199 m
Turn right onto Tunstall Avenue.
Tunstall Avenue10 m
Move right onto Granville Avenue.
Granville Avenue157 m
Turn left onto Grange Road.
Grange Road1.3 km
Turn left onto A689/Stockton Street. Continue on A689.
A689329 m
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 Road396 m
Keep left to take Durham Street.
Durham Street870 m
Turn right onto Union Street.
Union Street42 m
Turn left onto Groves Street.
Groves Street44 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Groves Street.
Groves Street44 m
Turn left onto Union Street.
Union Street76 m
Turn right onto Northgate/A1049. Continue on A1049.
A10491.2 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.
A689657 m
Turn right onto Park Road.
Park Road833 m
Turn right onto Eltringham Road.
Eltringham Road151 m
Turn right onto Clifton Avenue.
Clifton Avenue244 m
Turn left onto Saint Paul's Road.
Saint Paul's Road206 m
Turn right onto Victoria Road.
Victoria Road559 m
Turn right onto A689/Stranton.
A689710 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Burn Road.
11 m
Exit the roundabout onto Burn Road.
Burn Road261 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Hartlepool · Route 8 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.
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 8.3 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.
Princess Helena
Start near Princess Helena.
Hartlepool Interchange
Continue to Hartlepool Interchange.
Cleveland College of Art and Design
Continue to Cleveland College of Art and Design.
Jesmond Road Primary School
Continue to Jesmond Road Primary School.
Nursery
Continue to Nursery.
St Thomas More RC Church
Continue to St Thomas More RC Church.
Merry-Go-Round
Continue to Merry-Go-Round.
St Luke's Church
Continue to St Luke's Church.
Golden Lion
Continue to Golden Lion.
Elwick Road
Continue to Elwick Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
Continue to Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School.
White House
Continue to White House.
Saint Josephs Church
Continue to Saint Josephs Church.
Victoria Road
Continue to Victoria Road.
Victoria Arms
Continue to Victoria Arms.
St Mary's Church
Continue to St Mary's Church.
Kiddikins Day Nursery
Continue to Kiddikins Day Nursery.
Park Road
Continue to Park Road.
Saint Georges Church
Continue to Saint Georges Church.
Blacksmiths Arms
Finish back near Blacksmiths Arms, completing the loop.
6 roundabouts · 19 turns · 5 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 13 turns · 5 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 19 turns · 3 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 13 turns · 2 sets of lights
This route is 33.7 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.