Near Hawick test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts and 20 turns across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 22.3 km practice route near Hawick test centre, taking roughly 40 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 North Bridge 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, national-speed roads, 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, named junctions, 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 Hawick 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 21.6 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southwest on Burnfoot Road.
Burnfoot Road979 m
Turn left to stay on Burnfoot Road.
Burnfoot Road156 m
Move left onto A7/Wilton Hill.
A7578 m
Enter North Bridge Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A698.
North Bridge Roundabout32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A698.
A698273 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Mart Street/A698.
76 m
Exit the roundabout onto Mart Street/A698. Continue on A698.
A698273 m
Enter North Bridge Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A7/Commercial Road.
North Bridge Roundabout4 m
Exit the roundabout onto A7/Commercial Road.
A735 m
Turn right onto Dovemount Place.
Dovemount Place96 m
Turn left onto A7/Wilton Hill.
A788 m
Turn left onto Havelock Street.
Havelock Street171 m
Turn left onto Wellfield Road.
Wellfield Road165 m
Turn right onto Stirches Road.
Stirches Road646 m
Turn right onto Guthrie Drive.
Guthrie Drive1.3 km
Turn right onto A7.
A71.0 km
Turn left onto Wilton Hill Terrace.
Wilton Hill Terrace162 m
Turn left to stay on Wilton Hill Terrace.
Wilton Hill Terrace45 m
Turn right onto A7/Wilton Hill. Continue on A7.
A7999 m
Turn right onto Appletreehall Road/B6359.
Appletreehall Road335 m
Turn right onto Henderson Road.
Henderson Road141 m
Turn left onto Galalaw Road.
Galalaw Road203 m
Turn right onto Eildon Road.
Eildon Road208 m
Turn left to stay on Eildon Road.
Eildon Road374 m
Turn left onto Burnhead Road.
Burnhead Road415 m
Turn left onto Eildon Road.
Eildon Road75 m
Turn right onto Kenilworth Avenue.
Kenilworth Avenue328 m
Turn right onto Burnfoot Road.
Burnfoot Road291 m
Turn left onto The Meadows.
The Meadows222 m
Turn left onto Wilson Drive.
Wilson Drive345 m
Turn right onto Fairhurst Drive.
Fairhurst Drive23 m
Turn left to stay on Fairhurst Drive.
Fairhurst Drive79 m
Turn right onto Burnfoot Road.
Burnfoot Road625 m
Turn right onto Hamilton Road.
Hamilton Road838 m
Turn left to stay on Hamilton Road.
Hamilton Road83 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Hamilton Road.
Hamilton Road83 m
Turn left to stay on Hamilton Road.
Hamilton Road219 m
Move right onto Mansfield Road.
Mansfield Road1.1 km
Enter North Bridge Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A7/Commercial Road.
North Bridge Roundabout25 m
Exit the roundabout onto A7/Commercial Road. Continue on A7.
A7882 m
Move left onto Tower Knowe/B6399. Continue on B6399.
B6399219 m
Turn left onto Mill Path.
Mill Path154 m
Turn left onto Mill Bank.
Mill Bank103 m
Turn right onto Garfield Street.
Garfield Street204 m
Turn left onto O'Connell Street.
O'Connell Street137 m
Turn left onto High Street/B6399.
High Street302 m
Turn left onto Tower Knowe/B6399. Continue on B6399.
B6399670 m
Turn left onto Stonefield Place.
Stonefield Place54 m
Turn left to stay on Stonefield Place.
Stonefield Place204 m
Turn left to stay on Stonefield Place.
Stonefield Place57 m
Turn right onto Liddesdale Road/B6399. Continue on B6399.
B6399180 m
Turn left onto Kirk Wynd.
Kirk Wynd286 m
Turn right onto Beaconsfield Terrace.
Beaconsfield Terrace231 m
Turn right onto A7/Buccleuch Road. Continue on A7.
A7225 m
Turn left onto A7/Sandbed. Continue on A7.
A7881 m
Enter North Bridge Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A698.
North Bridge Roundabout61 m
Exit the roundabout onto A698.
A698273 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Bourtree Place/B6399.
48 m
Exit the roundabout onto Bourtree Place/B6399.
Bourtree Place184 m
Turn right onto North Bridge Street.
North Bridge Street16 m
Turn right to stay on North Bridge Street.
North Bridge Street222 m
Turn right onto Union Street/C37.
Union Street35 m
Turn right to stay on Union Street/C37.
Union Street117 m
Turn left onto Bourtree Place/B6399.
Bourtree Place22 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Weensland Road/A698.
49 m
Exit the roundabout onto Weensland Road/A698.
Weensland Road865 m
Turn left onto Oliver Park.
Oliver Park370 m
Turn left onto Weensland Road/A698.
Weensland Road264 m
Turn left onto Oliver Park.
Oliver Park370 m
Turn right onto Weensland Road/A698.
Weensland Road537 m
Turn right onto Trinity Street.
Trinity Street129 m
Turn left onto Earl Street.
Earl Street174 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Hawick · 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.
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 North Bridge Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 4.9 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, 60 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.
Roxy's
Start near Roxy's.
North Bridge Roundabout
Continue to North Bridge Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Mart Street Bus Stance
Continue to Mart Street Bus Stance.
Sleepy Valley
Continue to Sleepy Valley.
Morrisons Daily
Continue to Morrisons Daily.
Hawick Elim Community Church
Continue to Hawick Elim Community Church.
Crown Decorating Centre
Continue to Crown Decorating Centre.
Wiggly Worms Day Nursery
Continue to Wiggly Worms Day Nursery.
Mill Shop
Continue to Mill Shop.
Office
Continue to Office.
Coopers
Continue to Coopers.
St Cuthbert's Episcopal Church
Continue to St Cuthbert's Episcopal Church.
Teviot Parish Church
Continue to Teviot Parish Church.
Teviot & Tweed
Continue to Teviot & Tweed.
Hawick Congregational Church
Continue to Hawick Congregational Church.
John Beattie & Sons
Continue to John Beattie & Sons.
Oliver Park
Continue to Oliver Park.
Hunter and Logan
Continue to Hunter and Logan.
Cherrytrees Nursery
Continue to Cherrytrees Nursery.
Hawico Factory Outlet
Finish back near Hawico Factory Outlet, completing the loop.
6 roundabouts · 19 turns
5 roundabouts · 20 turns
5 roundabouts · 16 turns
4 roundabouts · 22 turns
This route is 22.3 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Hawick test centre, not an official DVSA route.