Near Jarrow test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 16 roundabouts and 33 turns across 56 navigation steps.
This is an independent 16.0 km practice loop near Jarrow test centre, taking roughly 21 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 Pallion New Road and Wessington Way. 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 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 11 catalogued landmarks, including shops, pubs, named junctions 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 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 56-step drive on real, named roads (about 16.1 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 right onto Riverbank Road.
Riverbank Road71 m
Turn right onto Castletown Way.
Castletown Way238 m
Turn left onto Wessington Way/A1290.
Wessington Way1.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit towards City Centre.
267 m
Exit the roundabout towards City Centre.
Camden Street32 m
Turn left onto Queen Alexandra Bridge/B1539. Continue on B1539.
B1539633 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Pallion New Road.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pallion New Road.
Pallion New Road334 m
Turn right.
41 m
Move left onto Carol Street.
Carol Street251 m
Turn left onto Alliance Street.
Alliance Street58 m
Turn right onto Alliance Place.
Alliance Place43 m
Turn right onto Fern Street.
Fern Street31 m
Turn right.
70 m
Turn right onto Deptford Road.
Deptford Road275 m
Move right.
41 m
Turn left onto Pallion New Road.
Pallion New Road340 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Pallion New Road/B1539.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pallion New Road/B1539. Continue on B1539.
B1539656 m
Enter Northern Way and take the 1st exit onto Wessington Way/A1290.
Northern Way76 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wessington Way/A1290. Continue on Wessington Way.
Wessington Way1.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1231/Wessington Way.
46 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1231/Wessington Way.
A1231764 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Gateshead/Newcastle/Teesside.
35 m
Exit the roundabout towards Gateshead/Newcastle/Teesside.
A1231702 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Ferryboat Lane.
63 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ferryboat Lane.
Ferryboat Lane437 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Ferryboat Lane.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ferryboat Lane.
Ferryboat Lane296 m
Turn right onto Calais Road.
Calais Road61 m
Turn left onto Cullercoats Road.
Cullercoats Road93 m
Turn left onto Clacton Road.
Clacton Road111 m
Turn left onto Cricklewood Road.
Cricklewood Road73 m
Turn right onto Ferryboat Lane.
Ferryboat Lane778 m
Turn right onto Washington Road.
Washington Road1.4 km
Turn left onto Rotherfield Road.
Rotherfield Road840 m
Turn left onto Rhodesia Road.
Rhodesia Road504 m
Turn left onto Rutherglen Road.
Rutherglen Road767 m
Turn left onto Wiltshire Road.
Wiltshire Road50 m
Turn left onto Westport Close.
Westport Close26 m
Turn left to stay on Westport Close.
Westport Close25 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Westport Close.
Westport Close25 m
Turn right to stay on Westport Close.
Westport Close26 m
Turn right onto Wiltshire Road.
Wiltshire Road50 m
Turn right to stay on Wiltshire Road.
Wiltshire Road767 m
Turn right onto Rhodesia Road.
Rhodesia Road528 m
Move left onto Redhill Road.
Redhill Road346 m
Turn right onto Radlett Road.
Radlett Road192 m
Turn left onto North Hylton Road.
North Hylton Road165 m
Turn right onto Castletown Way.
Castletown Way95 m
Turn right onto Riverbank Road.
Riverbank Road71 m
Turn left.
11 m
Turn left.
29 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Jarrow · Residential 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.
Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.
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.
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 11 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Halfords Autocentre
Start near Halfords Autocentre.
Sir William Mills
Continue to Sir William Mills.
Times Inn
Continue to Times Inn.
Pallion New Road
Continue to Pallion New Road, taking the junction with good observation.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Wessington Way
Continue to Wessington Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Evans Halshaw - Nissan
Continue to Evans Halshaw - Nissan.
Hylton Castle Cutting (SSSI)
Continue to Hylton Castle Cutting (SSSI).
St Cuthbert
Continue to St Cuthbert.
John Duckworth
Finish back near John Duckworth, completing the loop.
48 roundabouts · 12 turns
28 roundabouts · 18 turns
20 roundabouts · 7 turns
24 roundabouts · 25 turns
This route is 16.0 km and takes about 21 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Jarrow test centre, not an official DVSA route.