Near Hexham test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts, 17 turns and 1 signalled junction across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 33.8 km practice loop near Hexham test centre, taking roughly 30 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 pubs, shops, 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 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 74-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.
46 m
Turn left.
32 m
Turn right onto Haugh Lane Industrial Estate.
Haugh Lane Industrial Estate72 m
Turn right onto Haugh Lane.
Haugh Lane304 m
Keep right to take Eilansgate.
Eilansgate475 m
Turn left onto Leazes Crescent/B6531. Continue on B6531.
B6531552 m
Keep right to take Burnland Terrace/B6531.
Burnland Terrace22 m
Turn right onto Allendale Road/B6305.
Allendale Road671 m
Turn right.
168 m
Turn left onto Allendale Road/B6305.
Allendale Road185 m
Turn left onto Whetstone Bridge Road.
Whetstone Bridge Road225 m
Turn right.
201 m
Turn right onto Hellpool Lane.
Hellpool Lane28 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.
389 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 onto A6079.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6079.
A6079144 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 3rd exit onto Alemouth Road.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto Alemouth Road.
Alemouth Road199 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Station Road/A6079.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Station Road/A6079.
Station Road215 m
Keep left to stay on Station Road/A6079.
Station Road144 m
Turn left onto Dean Street.
Dean Street206 m
Keep right at the fork.
121 m
Keep left at the fork.
211 m
Turn left.
180 m
Make a right U-turn.
103 m
Turn left.
77 m
Turn right.
245 m
Turn left onto White Cross.
White Cross566 m
Turn left onto Monks Terrace.
Monks Terrace112 m
Turn right onto Corbridge Road/A695.
Corbridge Road3.3 km
Turn right to stay on A695.
A695412 m
Turn left.
230 m
Keep left at the fork.
213 m
Turn left onto B6321.
B6321717 m
Keep left to take Corbridge Road/A695.
Corbridge Road3.9 km
Move left onto Priestpopple/B6305. Continue on B6305.
B6305256 m
Turn left 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.
Hencotes296 m
Turn left onto St Cuthbert's Lane.
St Cuthbert's Lane94 m
Keep right to stay on St Cuthbert's Lane.
St Cuthbert's Lane104 m
Keep left to stay on St Cuthbert's Lane.
St Cuthbert's Lane38 m
Turn left onto Priestlands Crescent.
Priestlands Crescent21 m
Turn left to stay on Priestlands Crescent.
Priestlands Crescent22 m
Turn right onto St Cuthbert's Lane.
St Cuthbert's Lane126 m
Keep right to stay on St Cuthbert's Lane.
St Cuthbert's Lane94 m
Turn right onto Hencotes/B6305.
Hencotes281 m
Turn left onto Beaumont Street.
Beaumont Street225 m
Move left onto Church Row.
Church Row78 m
Move left onto Market Street.
Market Street363 m
Turn right onto Haugh Lane.
Haugh Lane158 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Hexham · Route 2 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 Bridge End Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 11.8 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.
Fox
Start near Fox.
Wylam Garage Nissan
Continue to Wylam Garage Nissan.
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.
Platform Bar
Continue to Platform Bar.
Station Inn
Continue to Station Inn.
Gilesgate Autocare
Continue to Gilesgate Autocare.
Mathew Charlton
Continue to Mathew Charlton.
Arnold Clark
Continue to Arnold Clark.
Hexham Bus Station
Continue to Hexham Bus Station.
Hexham Bus Station Stand B
Continue to Hexham Bus Station Stand B.
Mr Ant's
Continue to Mr Ant's.
Hats & Glad Rags
Continue to Hats & Glad Rags.
St Aidan's URC Church
Continue to St Aidan's URC Church.
Hexham Abbey
Continue to Hexham Abbey.
Hexham Community Church
Continue to Hexham Community Church.
Trinity Methodist Church
Finish back near Trinity Methodist Church, completing the loop.
3 roundabouts · 21 turns · 1 set of lights
4 roundabouts · 18 turns · 1 set of lights
6 roundabouts · 14 turns · 1 set of lights
5 roundabouts · 10 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 33.8 km and takes about 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Hexham test centre, not an official DVSA route.