Near Leeds (Harehills) test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 34 roundabouts and 9 turns across 55 navigation steps.
This is an independent 35.4 km practice loop near Leeds (Harehills) test centre, taking roughly 33 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 Knowsthorpe Gate Roundabout. 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 roundabout approach & exit, 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 pubs, churches, named junctions and parks, 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 Leeds (Harehills) 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:
The full 55-step drive on real, named roads (about 35.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast on Harehills Lane/B6159.
Harehills Lane696 m
Turn left onto A64/York Road.
A6441 m
Take the exit on the right.
Osmondthorpe Lane1.3 km
Turn right onto Halton Moor Road.
Halton Moor Road275 m
Turn left onto Newmarket Lane.
Newmarket Lane363 m
Turn left onto A63/Pontefract Lane.
A63174 m
Enter Knowsthorpe Gate Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A63/Pontefract Lane.
Knowsthorpe Gate Roundabout64 m
Exit the roundabout onto A63/Pontefract Lane.
A63510 m
Enter Thornes Farm Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A63/Pontefract Lane.
Thornes Farm Roundabout63 m
Exit the roundabout onto A63/Pontefract Lane.
A63788 m
Enter Bell Wood Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A63/Pontefract Lane.
Bell Wood Roundabout101 m
Exit the roundabout onto A63/Pontefract Lane.
A63705 m
Enter East Leeds Link Interchange and take the 1st exit onto M1.
East Leeds Link Interchange51 m
Exit the roundabout onto M1.
M1300 m
Keep left to stay on M1.
M13.4 km
Take exit 46 onto A6120/A6120/A63 towards Leeds (East)/Airport/Selby.
M1632 m
Enter Austhorpe Interchange and take the 2nd exit onto A6120/Thorpe Park Link Road.
Austhorpe Interchange144 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6120/Thorpe Park Link Road.
A6120627 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A6120/William Parkin Way.
108 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6120/William Parkin Way.
A6120329 m
Enter Brown Moor Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A6120/William Parkin Way.
Brown Moor Roundabout74 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6120/William Parkin Way.
A6120381 m
Enter Manston Lane Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A6120/Ring Road Barnbow.
Manston Lane Roundabout50 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6120/Ring Road Barnbow.
A61201.7 km
Enter Leeds Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A6120/Ring Road Morwick Green.
Leeds Road Roundabout64 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6120/Ring Road Morwick Green. Continue on A6120.
A61202.6 km
Enter Skeltons Lane Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A6120/Ring Road Whinmoor Fields.
Skeltons Lane Roundabout69 m
Exit the roundabout onto A6120/Ring Road Whinmoor Fields.
A61201.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Wetherby Road/A58.
48 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wetherby Road/A58.
Wetherby Road646 m
Move left to stay on Wetherby Road/A58.
Wetherby Road23 m
Enter Wetherby Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Wetherby Road/A58.
Wetherby Road Roundabout62 m
Exit the roundabout onto Wetherby Road/A58. Continue on A58.
A582.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Easterly Road/A58.
49 m
Exit the roundabout onto Easterly Road/A58.
Easterly Road1.4 km
Move left onto Easterly Road/A58. Continue on A58.
A581.8 km
Move left onto A61/Chapeltown Road. Continue on A61.
A61333 m
Keep right to take A61/Sheepscar Street South.
A61202 m
Move left onto A58/Clay Pit Lane.
A58332 m
Stay straight to take the A58(M) ramp towards Inner Ring Road.
A58136 m
Keep left to take A58(M).
A58(M)2.2 km
Enter Armley Gyratory and take the 1st exit onto A58/Ingram Distributor.
Armley Gyratory52 m
Exit the roundabout onto A58/Ingram Distributor.
A58329 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Domestic Street/A58.
247 m
Exit the roundabout onto Domestic Street/A58.
Domestic Street215 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Domestic Road/A58.
48 m
Exit the roundabout onto Domestic Road/A58.
Domestic Road488 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Gelderd Road/A58.
89 m
Exit the roundabout onto Gelderd Road/A58.
Gelderd Road215 m
Continue on A58.
A58356 m
Enter Armley Gyratory and take the 3rd exit onto A58/Wellington Road.
Armley Gyratory372 m
Exit the roundabout onto A58/Wellington Road.
A58364 m
Continue on Inner Ring Road.
Inner Ring Road5.1 km
Turn left onto Harehills Lane/B6159.
Harehills Lane698 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Leeds (Harehills) · Roundabout practice loop 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.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Knowsthorpe Gate Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Brown Hare
Start near Brown Hare.
Leeds Swahili Cultural Community
Continue to Leeds Swahili Cultural Community.
Last Sun Dance
Continue to Last Sun Dance.
Knowsthorpe Gate Roundabout
Continue to Knowsthorpe Gate Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Country Park
Continue to Country Park.
Easterly Road Hollin Park Mount
Continue to Easterly Road Hollin Park Mount.
Oakwood McDonalds
Continue to Oakwood McDonalds.
Trinty United Church
Continue to Trinty United Church.
Al-Towbah Islamic Centre
Continue to Al-Towbah Islamic Centre.
North Street Meanwood Road
Continue to North Street Meanwood Road.
Little London Pocket Park Community Orchard
Continue to Little London Pocket Park Community Orchard.
Woodhouse Ln Car Pk
Continue to Woodhouse Ln Car Pk.
W12 Leeds Wellington Bridge
Continue to W12 Leeds Wellington Bridge.
Green Room
Continue to Green Room.
Annexe
Continue to Annexe.
York Road Marsh Lane
Continue to York Road Marsh Lane.
York Road Pontefract Lane
Continue to York Road Pontefract Lane.
York Road Raincliffe Road
Continue to York Road Raincliffe Road.
York Road Skelton Terrace
Continue to York Road Skelton Terrace.
York Road (A)
Finish back near York Road (A), completing the loop.
4 roundabouts · 20 turns
8 roundabouts · 6 turns
6 roundabouts · 23 turns
14 roundabouts · 19 turns
This route is 35.4 km and takes about 33 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Leeds (Harehills) test centre, not an official DVSA route.