Near Hexham test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts and 9 turns across 17 navigation steps.
This is an independent 23.2 km practice loop near Hexham test centre, taking roughly 25 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, busy a-roads, independent driving 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, pubs and stations, 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 44-step drive on real, named roads (about 23.2 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 Place54 m
Move right onto Giles Place.
Giles Place56 m
Turn left to stay on Giles Place.
Giles Place23 m
Turn left onto Gilesgate.
Gilesgate109 m
Turn right onto Haugh Lane.
Haugh Lane448 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Alemouth Road.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Alemouth Road.
Alemouth Road199 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A6079.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6079.
A6079166 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Rotary Way/A6079.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rotary Way/A6079.
Rotary Way629 m
Enter Bridge End Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A69.
Bridge End Roundabout181 m
Exit the roundabout onto A69/E 18.
A694.0 km
Take the Stagshaw Road Interchange exit.
390 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.
A69468 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.
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 Road360 m
Turn left onto Dean Street.
Dean Street294 m
Turn right.
50 m
Turn left onto Dene Park/A695. Continue on A695.
A6953.6 km
Turn right to stay on A695.
A695413 m
Turn left.
444 m
Turn left onto B6321.
B63214.7 km
Move left onto Priestpopple/B6305. Continue on B6305.
B6305432 m
Turn right onto Beaumont Street.
Beaumont Street225 m
Move left onto Church Row.
Church Row26 m
Turn right onto Market Place.
Market Place31 m
Turn left.
17 m
Turn right onto Hallstile Bank.
Hallstile Bank165 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Haugh Lane.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Haugh Lane.
Haugh Lane294 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Hexham · Route 6 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.
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 8.1 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.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
ATS Euromaster
Start near ATS Euromaster.
Bridge End Roundabout
Continue to Bridge End Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Bristol Street Motors
Continue to Bristol Street Motors.
Old Tannery
Continue to Old Tannery.
Stagshaw Road Interchange
Continue to Stagshaw Road Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
KwikFit
Continue to KwikFit.
Platform Bar
Continue to Platform Bar.
Salon Ruelle
Continue to Salon Ruelle.
Station Inn
Continue to Station Inn.
Arnold Clark
Continue to Arnold Clark.
Gilesgate Autocare
Continue to Gilesgate Autocare.
Mathew Charlton
Continue to Mathew Charlton.
Coach And Horses
Continue to Coach And Horses.
Hexham Bus Station
Continue to Hexham Bus Station.
Hexham Bus Station Stand B
Continue to Hexham Bus Station Stand B.
Hexham Community Church
Continue to Hexham Community Church.
Forum
Continue to Forum.
Grapes
Continue to Grapes.
Hexham Abbey
Continue to Hexham Abbey.
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
4 roundabouts · 17 turns · 1 set of lights
This route is 23.2 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Hexham test centre, not an official DVSA route.