Near Jarrow test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 48 roundabouts and 12 turns across 65 navigation steps.
This is an independent 25.0 km practice loop near Jarrow test centre, taking roughly 27 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 Wessington Way and Nissan 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 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 named junctions, pubs, shops 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 65-step drive on real, named roads (about 24.9 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 Way252 m
Turn right onto A1231/Wessington Way.
A1231546 m
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 2nd exit onto A1231/Wessington Way.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1231/Wessington Way.
A1231391 m
Enter Hylton Grange Interchange and take the 2nd exit towards Washington:Gateshead/Nissan (Goods).
Hylton Grange Interchange163 m
Exit the roundabout towards Washington:Gateshead/Nissan (Goods).
A12311.2 km
Take the Nissan Interchange exit.
532 m
Enter Nissan Interchange and take the 4th exit onto A1231.
Nissan Interchange310 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1231/Sunderland Highway.
A12311.7 km
Enter Hylton Grange Interchange and take the 2nd exit towards Sunderland.
Hylton Grange Interchange171 m
Exit the roundabout towards Sunderland.
A1231388 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1231/Wessington Way.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1231/Wessington Way.
A1231698 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1231/Wessington Way.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1231/Wessington Way.
A1231765 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A1231/Wessington Way.
49 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1231/Wessington Way.
A1231550 m
Turn right towards City Centre/Pallion.
A12312.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1231/Silksworth Row.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1231/Silksworth Row.
A1231171 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1231/Saint Michael's Way.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1231/Saint Michael's Way.
A1231445 m
Enter Priestman Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1231/Stockton Road.
Priestman Roundabout38 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1231/Stockton Road.
A1231152 m
Move right onto A1231/Stockton Road. Continue on A1231.
A1231487 m
Keep straight to stay on A1231.
A1231885 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A1018/Commercial Road.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1018/Commercial Road.
A1018530 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A1018/Commercial Road.
76 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1018/Commercial Road.
A1018529 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hendon Road/A1018.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hendon Road/A1018.
Hendon Road441 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto West Lawrence Street/A1018.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto West Lawrence Street/A1018.
West Lawrence Street219 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Sans Street/A1018.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sans Street/A1018.
Sans Street268 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto West Wear Street/A1018.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto West Wear Street/A1018.
West Wear Street464 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards South Shields.
41 m
Exit the roundabout towards South Shields.
A1018330 m
Turn right onto Dame Dorothy Street/A183.
Dame Dorothy Street762 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Dame Dorothy Street/A183.
26 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dame Dorothy Street/A183. Continue on A183.
A183876 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Harbour View/A183.
44 m
Exit the roundabout onto Harbour View/A183. Continue on A183.
A183877 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 Street762 m
Turn right onto A1018/North Bridge Street.
A1018353 m
Move left towards Gateshead/Southwick.
A1290256 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1290.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1290.
A12901.3 km
Enter Northern Way and take the 4th exit onto Wessington Way/A1290.
Northern Way249 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wessington Way/A1290.
Wessington Way1.3 km
Turn right onto Castletown Way.
Castletown Way260 m
Turn left onto Riverbank Road.
Riverbank Road71 m
Turn left.
11 m
Turn left.
29 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Jarrow · Roundabout 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.
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.
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 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Wessington Way
Start near Wessington Way.
Nissan Interchange
Continue to Nissan Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Brewers Fayre
Continue to Brewers Fayre.
Honda Sunderland
Continue to Honda Sunderland.
Evans Halshaw - Renault
Continue to Evans Halshaw - Renault.
Place Cafe Bar and Bistro
Continue to Place Cafe Bar and Bistro.
Hope Street Xchange
Continue to Hope Street Xchange.
Priestman Building
Continue to Priestman Building.
Trinity Church
Continue to Trinity Church.
Basis@Sunderland
Continue to Basis@Sunderland.
Raich Carter
Continue to Raich Carter.
Charltons
Continue to Charltons.
St Mary's Catholic Church
Continue to St Mary's Catholic Church.
St Peter's
Continue to St Peter's.
Dame Dorothy Primary School
Continue to Dame Dorothy Primary School.
Tin of Sardines
Continue to Tin of Sardines.
Wearbank House
Continue to Wearbank House.
Hebron Church
Continue to Hebron Church.
Colliery Tavern
Continue to Colliery Tavern.
Halfway House
Finish back near Halfway House, completing the loop.
28 roundabouts · 18 turns
20 roundabouts · 7 turns
16 roundabouts · 33 turns
24 roundabouts · 25 turns
This route is 25.0 km and takes about 27 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Jarrow test centre, not an official DVSA route.