Near Hexham test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 3 roundabouts, 21 turns and 1 signalled junction across 26 navigation steps.
This is an independent 55.7 km practice loop near Hexham 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 Bridge End Roundabout and Stagshaw Road Interchange. 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 independent driving. 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 churches, shops, schools and named junctions, 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 Hexham 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 115-step drive on real, named roads (about 55.8 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive south.
46 m
Turn left.
32 m
Turn right onto Haugh Lane Industrial Estate.
Haugh Lane Industrial Estate72 m
Turn right onto Haugh Lane.
Haugh Lane223 m
Turn left onto Alexander Place.
Alexander Place363 m
Move right onto Church Row.
Church Row78 m
Move right onto Beaumont Street.
Beaumont Street223 m
Turn left onto Hencotes/B6305. Continue on B6305.
B6305160 m
Turn right onto Eastgate/B6306.
Eastgate395 m
Turn right onto Dipton Mill Road.
Dipton Mill Road335 m
Turn right onto Elvaston Drive.
Elvaston Drive73 m
Turn right onto Elvaston Road.
Elvaston Road34 m
Keep right to stay on Elvaston Road.
Elvaston Road527 m
Turn right onto Gaprigg Lane.
Gaprigg Lane42 m
Turn left onto St Wilfrids Road.
St Wilfrids Road103 m
Turn left onto Hencotes/B6305.
Hencotes398 m
Move left onto Allendale Road/B6305.
Allendale Road671 m
Turn right.
155 m
Turn left.
58 m
Make a right U-turn.
58 m
Turn right.
155 m
Turn left onto Allendale Road/B6305.
Allendale Road186 m
Turn left onto Whetstone Bridge Road.
Whetstone Bridge Road225 m
Turn right.
201 m
Turn right onto Hellpool Lane.
Hellpool Lane28 m
Turn right onto Westfield Terrace.
Westfield Terrace93 m
Turn right onto Tynedale Terrace.
Tynedale Terrace188 m
Turn right onto Whetstone Bridge Road.
Whetstone Bridge Road102 m
Turn right onto Hellpool Lane.
Hellpool Lane200 m
Move left onto Leazes Terrace.
Leazes Terrace71 m
Turn left onto Burnland Terrace/B6531.
Burnland Terrace133 m
Keep left to stay on B6531.
B65312.3 km
Turn right onto A69/E 18.
A697.2 km
Take the Stagshaw Road Interchange exit.
176 m
Take the Stagshaw Road Interchange ramp on the right.
213 m
Turn right onto A68.
A68103 m
Enter Stagshaw Road Interchange and take the 2nd exit onto A69.
Stagshaw Road Interchange125 m
Exit the roundabout onto A69/E 18.
A693.9 km
Take the Bridge End Roundabout exit.
A69162 m
Take the Bridge End Roundabout ramp on the right.
A69124 m
Take the Bridge End Roundabout ramp on the right.
A69108 m
Take the Bridge End Roundabout ramp on the right.
A6973 m
Enter Bridge End Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Rotary Way/A6079.
Bridge End Roundabout1 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rotary Way/A6079.
Rotary Way634 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
162 m
Move left.
25 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Station Road/A6079.
1 m
Exit the roundabout onto Station Road/A6079.
Station Road215 m
Keep left to stay on Station Road/A6079.
Station Road144 m
Turn right onto Priestpopple/A6079.
Priestpopple175 m
Turn right onto Priestpopple/B6305.
Priestpopple25 m
Keep left to stay on B6305.
B6305789 m
Move right onto Burnland Terrace/B6531.
Burnland Terrace401 m
Keep left to stay on B6531.
B65312.3 km
Turn right onto A69/E 18.
A691.9 km
Keep left to take A6079.
A607957 m
Turn left to stay on A6079.
A6079318 m
Keep right to stay on A6079.
A6079291 m
Turn right onto Orchard Avenue.
Orchard Avenue335 m
Turn left onto Morrison Terrace.
Morrison Terrace286 m
Turn right onto A6079.
A6079100 m
Keep right to stay on A6079.
A60792.3 km
Keep right to take Front Street/A6079.
Front Street161 m
Keep straight to stay on Front Street/A6079.
Front Street220 m
Turn right onto The Chare.
The Chare59 m
Turn left onto Chapel Lane.
Chapel Lane79 m
Keep left to stay on Chapel Lane.
Chapel Lane33 m
Turn left.
44 m
Turn left.
62 m
Turn left onto Front Street/A6079.
Front Street497 m
Keep left to stay on A6079.
A60792.4 km
Turn left onto Morrison Terrace.
Morrison Terrace198 m
Turn left onto Millersfield.
Millersfield246 m
Turn right onto Millersfield Close.
Millersfield Close50 m
Turn right to stay on Millersfield Close.
Millersfield Close20 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Millersfield Close.
Millersfield Close20 m
Turn left to stay on Millersfield Close.
Millersfield Close50 m
Turn left onto Millersfield.
Millersfield246 m
Turn right onto Morrison Terrace.
Morrison Terrace198 m
Turn left onto A6079.
A6079908 m
Move left onto A69/E 18.
A69786 m
Take the Bridge End Roundabout exit.
A69322 m
Take the Bridge End Roundabout ramp on the right.
A6934 m
Enter Bridge End Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Rotary Way/A6079.
Bridge End Roundabout177 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rotary Way/A6079.
Rotary Way634 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A6079.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6079.
A6079145 m
Move left.
25 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Station Road/A6079.
1 m
Exit the roundabout onto Station Road/A6079.
Station Road215 m
Keep left to stay on Station Road/A6079.
Station Road144 m
Turn right onto Priestpopple/A6079.
Priestpopple175 m
Turn right onto Priestpopple/B6305.
Priestpopple814 m
Move right onto Burnland Terrace/B6531.
Burnland Terrace401 m
Keep left to stay on B6531.
B65312.3 km
Turn right onto A69/E 18.
A697.2 km
Take the Stagshaw Road Interchange exit.
176 m
Take the Stagshaw Road Interchange ramp on the right.
213 m
Turn right onto A68.
A68103 m
Enter Stagshaw Road Interchange and take the 2nd exit onto A69.
Stagshaw Road Interchange125 m
Exit the roundabout onto A69/E 18.
A693.9 km
Take the Bridge End Roundabout exit.
A69162 m
Take the Bridge End Roundabout ramp on the right.
A69124 m
Take the Bridge End Roundabout ramp on the right.
A69108 m
Take the Bridge End Roundabout ramp on the right.
A6973 m
Enter Bridge End Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Rotary Way/A6079.
Bridge End Roundabout1 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rotary Way/A6079.
Rotary Way633 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A6079.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6079.
A6079145 m
Move left.
25 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Alemouth Road.
22 m
Exit the roundabout onto Alemouth Road.
Alemouth Road197 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Haugh Lane.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Haugh Lane.
Haugh Lane294 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Hexham · Route 1 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.
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 Bridge End Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 26.2 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, 60, 70 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.
Hexham Abbey
Start near Hexham Abbey.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
St Aidan's URC Church
Continue to St Aidan's URC Church.
Trinity Methodist Church
Continue to Trinity Methodist Church.
Co-operative Food
Continue to Co-operative Food.
Hexham Middle School
Continue to Hexham Middle School.
Hydro
Continue to Hydro.
West End Methodist Church
Continue to West End Methodist Church.
Bridge End Roundabout
Continue to Bridge End Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Stagshaw Road Interchange
Continue to Stagshaw Road Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Coach And Horses
Continue to Coach And Horses.
Fox
Continue to Fox.
Globe Inn
Continue to Globe Inn.
Hexham Community Church
Continue to Hexham Community Church.
Methodist Church
Continue to Methodist Church.
Hadrian
Continue to Hadrian.
Bristol Street Motors
Continue to Bristol Street Motors.
Co-operative Funeralcare
Continue to Co-operative Funeralcare.
Fawdington Suzuki
Continue to Fawdington Suzuki.
Waitrose
Finish back near Waitrose, completing the loop.
4 roundabouts · 18 turns · 1 set of lights
6 roundabouts · 14 turns · 1 set of lights
4 roundabouts · 17 turns · 1 set of lights
5 roundabouts · 10 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 55.7 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Hexham test centre, not an official DVSA route.