Near Knaresborough test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 5 roundabouts, 21 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 33 navigation steps.
This is an independent 16.8 km practice loop near Knaresborough test centre, taking roughly 45 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, schools, churches 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 75-step drive on real, named roads (about 16.7 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 Lane232 m
Turn right to stay on Manse Lane.
Manse Lane222 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Manse Lane.
Manse Lane222 m
Turn left to stay on Manse Lane.
Manse Lane232 m
Turn right onto Wetherby Road/B6164.
Wetherby Road255 m
Turn left onto A59/York Road.
A59413 m
Turn right onto York Lane.
York Lane218 m
Turn right onto Princess Avenue.
Princess Avenue268 m
Turn left onto Chain Lane.
Chain Lane395 m
Turn left onto Manor Road.
Manor Road336 m
Turn left onto Manor Drive.
Manor Drive227 m
Turn left to stay on Manor Drive.
Manor Drive49 m
Turn left to stay on Manor Drive.
Manor Drive1 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Manor Drive.
Manor Drive1 m
Turn right to stay on Manor Drive.
Manor Drive49 m
Turn right to stay on Manor Drive.
Manor Drive226 m
Turn right onto Manor Road.
Manor Road148 m
Turn left onto Nora Avenue.
Nora Avenue168 m
Turn left onto Stockwell Lane.
Stockwell Lane178 m
Turn right onto Hambleton Terrace.
Hambleton Terrace92 m
Move left onto Hambleton Grove.
Hambleton Grove165 m
Turn left onto Stockwell Road.
Stockwell Road113 m
Turn left onto Stockwell Lane.
Stockwell Lane513 m
Turn left onto Halfpenny Lane.
Halfpenny Lane109 m
Turn left onto Halfpenny Court.
Halfpenny Court57 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Halfpenny Court.
Halfpenny Court57 m
Turn left onto Halfpenny Lane.
Halfpenny Lane59 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Halfpenny Lane.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Halfpenny Lane.
Halfpenny Lane422 m
Turn left onto Meadow Road.
Meadow Road263 m
Turn right to stay on Meadow Road.
Meadow Road18 m
Move right onto The Briars.
The Briars209 m
Turn left onto Hawthorn Avenue.
Hawthorn Avenue46 m
Turn left onto Blind Lane incorporating Alexandra Grove.
Blind Lane incorporating Alexandra Grove168 m
Move right onto Somerley Lane.
Somerley Lane83 m
Turn left onto Boroughbridge Road/A6055.
Boroughbridge Road337 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 right onto Stockwell Road.
Stockwell Road29 m
Move right onto Boroughbridge Road/A6055.
Boroughbridge Road622 m
Turn left onto Park Grove.
Park Grove324 m
Turn left onto Scriven Road.
Scriven Road105 m
Turn left onto Park Avenue.
Park Avenue210 m
Turn left to stay on Park Avenue.
Park Avenue52 m
Turn left onto Park Grove.
Park Grove241 m
Turn left onto Scriven Road.
Scriven Road328 m
Make a sharp left onto Boroughbridge Road/A6055.
Boroughbridge Road437 m
Turn right onto Hyde Park Road.
Hyde Park Road773 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Halfpenny Lane.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Halfpenny Lane.
Halfpenny Lane169 m
Turn left onto Stockwell Lane.
Stockwell Lane17 m
Turn right onto Chain Lane.
Chain Lane699 m
Turn right onto A59/York Road.
A59433 m
Turn right onto York Lane.
York Lane218 m
Turn right onto Princess Avenue.
Princess Avenue268 m
Turn right onto Chain Lane.
Chain Lane132 m
Turn left onto A59/York Road.
A59933 m
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 3rd exit towards Bradford/Harrogate/Skipton.
56 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 9 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.
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 3.7 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.
Next
Continue to Next.
Asda Express
Continue to Asda Express.
Fairdeal Motors
Continue to Fairdeal Motors.
Travis Perkins
Continue to Travis Perkins.
Nippers Nursery
Continue to Nippers Nursery.
Knaresborough St John's Church of England Primary School
Continue to Knaresborough St John's Church of England Primary School.
Meadowside Primary School
Continue to Meadowside Primary School.
Dawn til Dusk
Continue to Dawn til Dusk.
Yorkshire Fish and Chips
Continue to Yorkshire Fish and Chips.
Park Grove Methodist Church
Continue to Park Grove Methodist Church.
Abbey Electrical
Continue to Abbey Electrical.
Chain Lane Fisheries
Continue to Chain Lane Fisheries.
Chilli Hut
Continue to Chilli Hut.
Premier
Continue to Premier.
MyLockup.com
Continue to MyLockup.com.
Vantage Toyota
Continue to Vantage Toyota.
York Road
Continue to York Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Barker and Stonehouse
Continue to Barker and Stonehouse.
McDonald's
Finish back near McDonald's, 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 16.8 km and takes about 45 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Knaresborough test centre, not an official DVSA route.