Near Jarrow test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 24 roundabouts and 25 turns across 64 navigation steps.
This is an independent 14.6 km practice loop near Jarrow test centre, taking roughly 20 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.
On this route you’ll practise 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, pubs, churches and schools, 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 Jarrow 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:
The full 64-step drive on real, named roads (about 14.7 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west.
29 m
Turn right.
11 m
Turn left onto Riverbank Road.
Riverbank Road203 m
Turn right to stay on Riverbank Road.
Riverbank Road97 m
Turn left onto Washington Road.
Washington Road575 m
Keep right to stay on Washington Road.
Washington Road225 m
Keep left to stay on Washington Road.
Washington Road142 m
Turn left onto Craigavon Road.
Craigavon Road108 m
Turn right onto Cranleigh Road.
Cranleigh Road62 m
Turn right onto Coleridge Road.
Coleridge Road92 m
Move right onto Swan Court.
Swan Court65 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Swan Court.
Swan Court65 m
Move left onto Coleridge Road.
Coleridge Road92 m
Turn left onto Cranleigh Road.
Cranleigh Road61 m
Turn left onto Craigavon Road.
Craigavon Road108 m
Turn right onto Washington Road.
Washington Road368 m
Keep right to stay on Washington Road.
Washington Road799 m
Keep left to take North Hylton Road.
North Hylton Road50 m
Turn right onto Castletown Way.
Castletown Way333 m
Turn left onto Wessington Way/A1290.
Wessington Way1.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Roker/Seaburn/Wearmouth Bridge.
94 m
Exit the roundabout towards Roker/Seaburn/Wearmouth Bridge.
A1290103 m
Keep right to take Queen's Road/A1290.
Queen's Road1.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A1290.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1290.
A1290573 m
Turn right onto Church Street North/A1290.
Church Street North237 m
Move left onto A183.
A183248 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Dame Dorothy Street/A183.
26 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dame Dorothy Street/A183.
Dame Dorothy Street510 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Dame Dorothy Street/A183.
40 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dame Dorothy Street/A183.
Dame Dorothy Street639 m
Keep right to stay on Dame Dorothy Street/A183.
Dame Dorothy Street83 m
Move left to stay on Dame Dorothy Street/A183.
Dame Dorothy Street64 m
Move left onto A1018/Wearmouth Bridge. Continue on A1018.
A1018284 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A183/St. Mary's Boulevard.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto A183/St. Mary's Boulevard.
A183563 m
Enter Saint Michael's Way and take the 2nd exit onto A1231/Silksworth Row.
Saint Michael's Way37 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1231/Silksworth Row.
A1231178 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hylton Road.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hylton Road.
Hylton Road934 m
Turn right onto Rutland Street.
Rutland Street425 m
Turn right onto East Moor Road.
East Moor Road85 m
Turn left onto Neville Road.
Neville Road82 m
Turn left.
70 m
Make a sharp right onto East Moor Road.
East Moor Road54 m
Turn right onto Rutland Street.
Rutland Street83 m
Move left onto Neville Road.
Neville Road1.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto St Luke's Road.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto St Luke's Road.
St Luke's Road22 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto B1405.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto B1405.
B1405137 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto B1405.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto B1405.
B1405196 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto B1405.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto B1405.
B1405135 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Paul Watson Way/B1405.
56 m
Exit the roundabout onto Paul Watson Way/B1405.
Paul Watson Way50 m
Keep right to stay on Paul Watson Way/B1405.
Paul Watson Way495 m
Keep right to stay on Paul Watson Way/B1405.
Paul Watson Way21 m
Keep left to stay on Paul Watson Way/B1405.
Paul Watson Way79 m
Move left onto A1231/Cowies Way.
A1231843 m
Turn left onto Riverbank Road.
Riverbank Road71 m
Turn left.
40 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Jarrow · Residential + A-road practice loop 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.
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.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Lidl
Start near Lidl.
John Duckworth
Continue to John Duckworth.
Halfway House
Continue to Halfway House.
Colliery Tavern
Continue to Colliery Tavern.
Wheatsheaf
Continue to Wheatsheaf.
Salvation Army - Sunderland Monkwearmouth
Continue to Salvation Army - Sunderland Monkwearmouth.
Jacksons
Continue to Jacksons.
Dame Dorothy Primary School
Continue to Dame Dorothy Primary School.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Wearbank House
Continue to Wearbank House.
Berto's
Continue to Berto's.
St Peter's
Continue to St Peter's.
St Mary's Catholic Church
Continue to St Mary's Catholic Church.
Botanist
Continue to Botanist.
Helen McCardle House
Continue to Helen McCardle House.
Museum Vaults
Continue to Museum Vaults.
Oddies
Continue to Oddies.
Millfield
Continue to Millfield.
City Life Church
Continue to City Life Church.
Salvation Army - Sunderland Millfield
Finish back near Salvation Army - Sunderland Millfield, completing the loop.
48 roundabouts · 12 turns
28 roundabouts · 18 turns
20 roundabouts · 7 turns
16 roundabouts · 33 turns
This route is 14.6 km and takes about 20 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Jarrow test centre, not an official DVSA route.