Near Knaresborough test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 24 turns and 1 signalled junction across 39 navigation steps.
This is an independent 25.5 km practice loop near Knaresborough test centre, taking roughly 50 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 York Road. 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 shops, pubs, schools and churches, 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 100-step drive on real, named roads (about 25.4 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 left onto Grimbald Crag Way/B6164.
Grimbald Crag Way133 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Grimbald Crag Way.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Grimbald Crag Way.
Grimbald Crag Way111 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards York/A1(M).
8 m
Exit the roundabout towards York/A1(M).
A6581.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards Goldsborough.
57 m
Exit the roundabout towards Goldsborough.
1.1 km
Turn left onto Church Street.
Church Street722 m
Turn left.
1 m
Make a right U-turn.
1 m
Turn right onto Church Street.
Church Street723 m
Turn right.
1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Knaresborough.
35 m
Exit the roundabout towards Knaresborough.
A59240 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A59/York Road.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto A59/York Road.
A59300 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A59/York Road.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto A59/York Road.
A591.1 km
Turn right onto Princess Drive.
Princess Drive39 m
Turn left to stay on Princess Drive.
Princess Drive39 m
Turn right onto Princess Close.
Princess Close32 m
Turn right.
10 m
Make a right U-turn.
10 m
Turn left onto Princess Close.
Princess Close32 m
Turn left onto Princess Drive.
Princess Drive39 m
Turn right to stay on Princess Drive.
Princess Drive39 m
Turn left onto A59/York Road.
A591.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A59/York Road.
27 m
Exit the roundabout onto A59/York Road.
A59294 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A59/York Road.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto A59/York Road.
A59234 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Goldsborough.
32 m
Exit the roundabout towards Goldsborough.
1.1 km
Turn left onto Church Street.
Church Street102 m
Move left onto Station Road.
Station Road286 m
Turn right onto Princess Mead.
Princess Mead316 m
Turn right onto Church Street.
Church Street190 m
Turn right.
1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Knaresborough.
35 m
Exit the roundabout towards Knaresborough.
A59240 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A59/York Road.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto A59/York Road.
A59300 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A59/York Road.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto A59/York Road.
A591.4 km
Turn right onto York Lane.
York Lane218 m
Turn right onto Princess Avenue.
Princess Avenue268 m
Turn left onto Chain Lane.
Chain Lane111 m
Turn right onto Eastfield.
Eastfield418 m
Turn right onto Nidderdale Drive.
Nidderdale Drive347 m
Turn right onto A59/York Road.
A59321 m
Turn right onto Chain Lane.
Chain Lane700 m
Turn left onto Stockwell Lane.
Stockwell Lane531 m
Turn left onto Park Row.
Park Row284 m
Turn left onto A59/York Place. Continue on A59.
A59724 m
Turn left onto Chain Lane.
Chain Lane132 m
Turn left onto Princess Avenue.
Princess Avenue268 m
Turn left onto York Lane.
York Lane218 m
Turn right onto A59/York Road.
A5916 m
Turn left onto King James Road.
King James Road221 m
Turn right onto Stockdale Walk.
Stockdale Walk304 m
Turn left onto Gracious Street/B6163. Continue on B6163.
B6163282 m
Turn right.
55 m
Turn right onto Castle Ings Road.
Castle Ings Road108 m
Turn right onto Union Street.
Union Street51 m
Turn left onto Briggate/B6163. Continue on B6163.
B6163188 m
Turn left onto Cheapside.
Cheapside62 m
Move right.
22 m
Move right onto Castlegate.
Castlegate63 m
Turn right onto Chapel Street.
Chapel Street126 m
Turn right onto Gracious Street/B6163. Continue on B6163.
B6163321 m
Turn right.
55 m
Turn right onto Castle Ings Road.
Castle Ings Road108 m
Turn right onto Union Street.
Union Street51 m
Turn left onto Briggate/B6163. Continue on B6163.
B6163213 m
Turn right onto Windsor Lane.
Windsor Lane734 m
Turn left onto Aspin Park Drive.
Aspin Park Drive615 m
Turn right onto Rievaulx Avenue.
Rievaulx Avenue68 m
Turn left onto Fountains Way.
Fountains Way275 m
Turn left onto Farfield Avenue.
Farfield Avenue266 m
Turn right onto Grimbald Way.
Grimbald Way67 m
Turn right onto Grimbald Road.
Grimbald Road180 m
Turn left onto Byland Mews.
Byland Mews48 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Byland Mews.
Byland Mews48 m
Turn left onto Grimbald Road.
Grimbald Road59 m
Turn right onto Farfield Avenue.
Farfield Avenue190 m
Turn right onto Grimbald Way.
Grimbald Way67 m
Turn right onto Grimbald Road.
Grimbald Road239 m
Turn right onto Farfield Avenue.
Farfield Avenue43 m
Turn left onto Rievaulx Avenue.
Rievaulx Avenue68 m
Turn left onto Fountains Way.
Fountains Way275 m
Turn left onto Farfield Avenue.
Farfield Avenue266 m
Turn right onto Grimbald Way.
Grimbald Way67 m
Turn right onto Grimbald Road.
Grimbald Road239 m
Turn left onto Farfield Avenue.
Farfield Avenue106 m
Turn right onto Wetherby Road/B6164. Continue on B6164.
B6164374 m
Turn left onto Grimbald Crag Close.
Grimbald Crag Close230 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Knaresborough · Route 11 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.
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.
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 7.6 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, 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.
Argos
Start near Argos.
Barker and Stonehouse
Continue to Barker and Stonehouse.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Bay Horse Inn
Continue to Bay Horse Inn.
Goldsborough Church of England Primary School
Continue to Goldsborough Church of England Primary School.
St Mary, Goldsborough
Continue to St Mary, Goldsborough.
Vantage Toyota
Continue to Vantage Toyota.
MyLockup.com
Continue to MyLockup.com.
York Road
Continue to York Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Abbey Electrical
Continue to Abbey Electrical.
Chain Lane Fisheries
Continue to Chain Lane Fisheries.
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.
Fish-a-rama
Continue to Fish-a-rama.
George & Dragon Inn
Continue to George & Dragon Inn.
United Reformed Church
Continue to United Reformed Church.
Cross Keys
Continue to Cross Keys.
Gracious Street Methodist Church
Continue to Gracious Street Methodist Church.
Market Tavern
Continue to Market Tavern.
Aragon Fish and Chips
Finish back near Aragon Fish and Chips, completing the loop.
9 roundabouts · 17 turns · 1 set of lights
2 roundabouts · 19 turns · 3 sets of lights
8 roundabouts · 13 turns
2 roundabouts · 16 turns · 5 sets of lights
This route is 25.5 km and takes about 50 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Knaresborough test centre, not an official DVSA route.