Near Knaresborough test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 2 roundabouts, 19 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 32 navigation steps.
This is an independent 54.6 km practice loop near Knaresborough test centre, taking roughly 40 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 A6055. 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 churches, stations, pubs and named junctions, 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 Knaresborough 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 61-step drive on real, named roads (about 54.6 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northwest.
58 m
Turn left.
35 m
Turn left onto Grimbald Crag Close.
Grimbald Crag Close248 m
Turn right onto Grimbald Crag Way/B6164. Continue on B6164.
B6164937 m
Turn left onto A59/York Road. Continue on A59.
A591.3 km
Turn left onto A59/Bond End.
A5962 m
Turn right onto High Bond End/B6165. Continue on B6165.
B61653.3 km
Turn right onto Havikil Lane.
Havikil Lane367 m
Turn right onto Mire Syke Lane.
Mire Syke Lane395 m
Turn right onto New Road.
New Road399 m
Turn left onto Ripley Road/B6165.
Ripley Road1.1 km
Turn right onto Netheredge Drive.
Netheredge Drive282 m
Turn left to stay on Netheredge Drive.
Netheredge Drive368 m
Turn left onto Lands Lane.
Lands Lane90 m
Turn left onto Ripley Road/B6165. Continue on B6165.
B61656.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards Harrogate.
5 m
Exit the roundabout towards Harrogate.
A613.6 km
Enter New Park Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A59/Skipton Road.
New Park Roundabout17 m
Exit the roundabout onto A59/Skipton Road.
A592.5 km
Enter Empress Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A661/Wetherby Road.
Empress Roundabout38 m
Exit the roundabout onto A661/Wetherby Road.
A6613.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Wetherby.
37 m
Exit the roundabout towards Wetherby.
Harrogate Road3.0 km
Turn right onto New Road.
New Road370 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on New Road.
New Road370 m
Turn left onto Harrogate Road/A661.
Harrogate Road3.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards The North/The South/York.
68 m
Exit the roundabout towards The North/The South/York.
A6582.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards York/A1(M).
36 m
Exit the roundabout towards York/A1(M).
A6581.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards York/A1(M).
34 m
Exit the roundabout towards York/A1(M).
A592.1 km
Turn left to stay on York Road.
York Road693 m
Move left onto Shortsill Lane.
Shortsill Lane1.4 km
Move left onto Moor Lane.
Moor Lane2.2 km
Turn left to stay on Moor Lane.
Moor Lane2.0 km
Turn left onto Harrogate Road/A6055. Continue on A6055.
A60553.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Boroughbridge Road/A6055.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Boroughbridge Road/A6055.
Boroughbridge Road168 m
Turn right onto Greengate Lane.
Greengate Lane401 m
Turn left onto Scriven Road.
Scriven Road567 m
Make a sharp left onto Boroughbridge Road/A6055.
Boroughbridge Road636 m
Turn left onto Greengate Lane.
Greengate Lane27 m
Turn left.
23 m
Turn right onto Boroughbridge Road/A6055.
Boroughbridge Road819 m
Move left onto Stockwell Road.
Stockwell Road180 m
Turn left onto Stockwell Avenue.
Stockwell Avenue206 m
Turn left onto Stockwell Crescent.
Stockwell Crescent142 m
Turn left onto Stockwell Grove.
Stockwell Grove220 m
Turn left onto Stockwell Road.
Stockwell Road517 m
Turn left onto Stockwell Lane.
Stockwell Lane329 m
Turn right onto Nora Avenue.
Nora Avenue168 m
Turn right onto Manor Road.
Manor Road386 m
Turn right to stay on Manor Road.
Manor Road106 m
Turn left to stay on Manor Road.
Manor Road40 m
Turn right onto Park Row.
Park Row130 m
Turn left onto Park Crest.
Park Crest260 m
Turn left onto A59/High Street. Continue on A59.
A59849 m
Turn right onto Wetherby Road/B6164. Continue on B6164.
B6164938 m
Turn left onto Grimbald Crag Close.
Grimbald Crag Close230 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Knaresborough · Route 1 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.
Multiple roundabouts
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 18.4 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, 40, 50, 60 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.
Gracious Street Methodist Church
Start near Gracious Street Methodist Church.
Knaresborough Bus Station
Continue to Knaresborough Bus Station.
St John's House plaque
Continue to St John's House plaque.
Killinghall Methodist Chapel
Continue to Killinghall Methodist Chapel.
Bilton Area Methodist Church
Continue to Bilton Area Methodist Church.
Saint Joseph's
Continue to Saint Joseph's.
Kingdom Hall
Continue to Kingdom Hall.
Wedderburn, adjacent to Willaston Crescent
Continue to Wedderburn, adjacent to Willaston Crescent.
Woodlands Lancaster Park Rd
Continue to Woodlands Lancaster Park Rd.
Woodlands St Nicholas Rd
Continue to Woodlands St Nicholas Rd.
Crimple, opposite Stonefall Cemetery
Continue to Crimple, opposite Stonefall Cemetery.
Kestrel
Continue to Kestrel.
Plumpton Rocks
Continue to Plumpton Rocks.
Tiger Inn
Continue to Tiger Inn.
Bluebell
Continue to Bluebell.
St Bartholomew's
Continue to St Bartholomew's.
A6055
Continue to A6055, taking the junction with good observation.
Knaresborough St John's Church of England Primary School
Continue to Knaresborough St John's Church of England Primary School.
Mediterranean Garden
Continue to Mediterranean Garden.
Nippers Nursery
Finish back near Nippers Nursery, completing the loop.
9 roundabouts · 17 turns · 1 set of lights
8 roundabouts · 13 turns
2 roundabouts · 16 turns · 5 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 23 turns · 3 sets of lights
This route is 54.6 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Knaresborough test centre, not an official DVSA route.