Near Knaresborough test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 3 roundabouts, 15 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 30 navigation steps.
This is an independent 16.3 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.
On this route you’ll practise roundabout approach & exit, dual-carriageway joins, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, 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 stations, 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 46-step drive on real, named roads (about 16.2 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.
B6164682 m
Turn right onto Manse Lane.
Manse Lane24 m
Turn right.
32 m
Turn left onto Wetherby Road/B6164.
Wetherby Road277 m
Turn right onto Farfield Avenue.
Farfield Avenue296 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 Avenue276 m
Turn left onto Rievaulx Close.
Rievaulx Close56 m
Turn left.
27 m
Make a right U-turn.
27 m
Turn right onto Rievaulx Close.
Rievaulx Close56 m
Turn left onto Rievaulx Avenue.
Rievaulx Avenue68 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Aspin Lane.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Aspin Lane.
Aspin Lane304 m
Turn left onto Aspin Park Lane.
Aspin Park Lane128 m
Turn right onto Aspin Oval.
Aspin Oval321 m
Turn left onto Aspin Lane.
Aspin Lane673 m
Turn left onto Gracious Street/B6163. Continue on B6163.
B6163949 m
Turn right onto Forest Moor Road.
Forest Moor Road674 m
Turn left onto Forest Moor Drive.
Forest Moor Drive119 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Forest Moor Drive.
Forest Moor Drive119 m
Turn left onto Forest Moor Road.
Forest Moor Road890 m
Turn right onto Forest Lane.
Forest Lane349 m
Turn right onto Fairways Avenue.
Fairways Avenue254 m
Turn left onto Links Way.
Links Way104 m
Turn right onto Fairways Drive.
Fairways Drive88 m
Turn right onto Fairways Avenue.
Fairways Avenue406 m
Turn left onto Forest Lane.
Forest Lane349 m
Turn left onto Forest Moor Road.
Forest Moor Road1.6 km
Turn left onto Belmont View/B6163. Continue on B6163.
B61631.1 km
Turn left onto A59/High Street.
A59596 m
Turn right onto Boroughbridge Road/A6055.
Boroughbridge Road1.1 km
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 Road546 m
Move right onto Park Row.
Park Row284 m
Turn left onto A59/York Place. Continue on A59.
A59704 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 3 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.
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.
Roundabout
Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.
Dual-carriageway join
About 1.3 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 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.
Next
Continue to Next.
Asda Express
Continue to Asda Express.
George & Dragon Inn
Continue to George & Dragon Inn.
J&L Bradley Heating Engineers Ltd.
Continue to J&L Bradley Heating Engineers Ltd..
United Reformed Church
Continue to United Reformed Church.
Cricketers
Continue to Cricketers.
Half Moon
Continue to Half Moon.
Mother Shipton's Museum and Gift Shop
Continue to Mother Shipton's Museum and Gift Shop.
Mother Shipton Inn
Continue to Mother Shipton Inn.
Commercial Hotel
Continue to Commercial Hotel.
Gracious Street Methodist Church
Continue to Gracious Street Methodist Church.
Knaresborough Bus Station
Continue to Knaresborough Bus Station.
Carriages
Continue to Carriages.
Woodwards
Continue to Woodwards.
Dawn til Dusk
Continue to Dawn til Dusk.
Forge Garage
Continue to Forge Garage.
Mediterranean Garden
Continue to Mediterranean Garden.
Fish-a-rama
Continue to Fish-a-rama.
Nippers Nursery
Finish back near Nippers Nursery, 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 16.3 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.