Near Knaresborough test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts and 13 turns across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 44.9 km practice loop near Knaresborough test centre, taking roughly 35 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 Hookstone Chase. 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, named junctions 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 74-step drive on real, named roads (about 44.9 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 4th exit towards Bradford/Harrogate/Skipton.
81 m
Exit the roundabout towards Bradford/Harrogate/Skipton.
A6581.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Bradford/Harrogate/Skipton.
32 m
Exit the roundabout towards Bradford/Harrogate/Skipton.
A6581.8 km
Turn right onto Thistle Hill/B6163. Continue on B6163.
B61631.9 km
Turn left.
55 m
Turn left onto Castle Ings Road.
Castle Ings Road74 m
Make a sharp left onto Waterside.
Waterside125 m
Turn right onto Blands Hill/B6163. Continue on B6163.
B6163564 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 left onto Forest Lane.
Forest Lane27 m
Turn right onto Hookstone Chase.
Hookstone Chase358 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Hookstone Chase.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hookstone Chase.
Hookstone Chase285 m
Turn right onto Hookstone Close.
Hookstone Close18 m
Turn left onto Hookstone Chase.
Hookstone Chase117 m
Make a left U-turn at Woodlands Walk to stay on Hookstone Chase.
Hookstone Chase417 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hookstone Chase.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hookstone Chase.
Hookstone Chase263 m
Turn left onto Crossways Drive.
Crossways Drive381 m
Turn right onto Forest Lane.
Forest Lane291 m
Turn right onto Hookstone Chase.
Hookstone Chase358 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Hookstone Chase.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hookstone Chase.
Hookstone Chase772 m
Turn left onto A661/Wetherby Road.
A6612.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Wetherby.
37 m
Exit the roundabout towards Wetherby.
Harrogate Road493 m
Turn right onto Plompton Road.
Plompton Road2.2 km
Move right.
64 m
Turn right onto A658/John Metcalf Way. Continue on A658.
A6581.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards Harrogate.
6 m
Exit the roundabout towards Harrogate.
A6611.2 km
Turn right onto Forest Lane.
Forest Lane1.1 km
Turn left onto Hookstone Chase.
Hookstone Chase358 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Hookstone Chase.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hookstone Chase.
Hookstone Chase328 m
Turn left onto Eleanor Road.
Eleanor Road476 m
Turn left onto A661/Wetherby Road.
A6612.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards The North/The South/York.
7 m
Exit the roundabout towards The North/The South/York.
A6582.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards Knaresborough.
13 m
Exit the roundabout towards Knaresborough.
Grimbald Crag Way113 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Grimbald Crag Way/B6164.
11 m
Exit the roundabout onto Grimbald Crag Way/B6164. Continue on B6164.
B61641.1 km
Turn left onto A59/York Road. Continue on A59.
A59704 m
Turn left onto Gracious Street/B6163. Continue on B6163.
B61631.1 km
Turn right onto Forest Moor Road.
Forest Moor Road1.6 km
Turn left onto Forest Lane.
Forest Lane1.1 km
Turn right onto A661/Wetherby Road.
A66117 m
Turn left onto Rudding Lane.
Rudding Lane2.5 km
Turn left onto A658/John Metcalf Way. Continue on A658.
A6582.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards The North/The South/York.
41 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 4th exit towards Bradford/Harrogate/Skipton.
81 m
Exit the roundabout towards Bradford/Harrogate/Skipton.
A6581.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards Knaresborough.
59 m
Exit the roundabout towards Knaresborough.
Grimbald Crag Way113 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Grimbald Crag Way/B6164.
11 m
Exit the roundabout onto Grimbald Crag Way/B6164.
Grimbald Crag Way137 m
Turn right onto Grimbald Crag Close.
Grimbald Crag Close230 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Knaresborough · Route 4 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.
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 20.9 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.
Barker and Stonehouse
Start near Barker and Stonehouse.
Next
Continue to Next.
Cricketers
Continue to Cricketers.
Half Moon
Continue to Half Moon.
Mother Shipton Inn
Continue to Mother Shipton Inn.
Harrogate Brewery Tap
Continue to Harrogate Brewery Tap.
Hookstone Chase
Continue to Hookstone Chase, taking the junction with good observation.
Woodlands
Continue to Woodlands.
Crimple, opposite Stonefall Cemetery
Continue to Crimple, opposite Stonefall Cemetery.
Woodlands Eleanor Road
Continue to Woodlands Eleanor Road.
Woodlands Sainsburys
Continue to Woodlands Sainsburys.
Kestrel
Continue to Kestrel.
Radcliffe Arms
Continue to Radcliffe Arms.
St Joseph & St James
Continue to St Joseph & St James.
Asda Express
Continue to Asda Express.
Nippers Nursery
Continue to Nippers Nursery.
George & Dragon Inn
Continue to George & Dragon Inn.
Gracious Street Methodist Church
Continue to Gracious Street Methodist Church.
United Reformed Church
Continue to United Reformed Church.
CTD Tiles
Finish back near CTD Tiles, completing the loop.
9 roundabouts · 17 turns · 1 set of lights
2 roundabouts · 19 turns · 3 sets of lights
2 roundabouts · 16 turns · 5 sets of lights
4 roundabouts · 23 turns · 3 sets of lights
This route is 44.9 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Knaresborough test centre, not an official DVSA route.