Near Leeds (Harehills) test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts and 20 turns across 42 navigation steps.
This is an independent 20.6 km practice loop near Leeds (Harehills) test centre, taking roughly 24 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 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, stations, churches and schools, 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 42-step drive on real, named roads (about 20.7 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. Continue on A64.
A643.5 km
Enter Barwick Road Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Old Ring Road Cross Gates/B6902.
Barwick Road Roundabout97 m
Exit the roundabout onto Old Ring Road Cross Gates/B6902.
Old Ring Road Cross Gates481 m
Turn left onto Manston Drive.
Manston Drive329 m
Turn left onto Church Lane.
Church Lane160 m
Turn right onto Sandbed Lane.
Sandbed Lane87 m
Turn right.
46 m
Make a right U-turn.
46 m
Turn left onto Sandbed Lane.
Sandbed Lane87 m
Turn right onto Church Lane.
Church Lane50 m
Turn right to stay on Church Lane.
Church Lane387 m
Turn left onto Barwick Road.
Barwick Road451 m
Enter Barwick Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A64/Barwick Road.
Barwick Road Roundabout56 m
Exit the roundabout onto A64/Barwick Road. Continue on A64.
A645.3 km
Keep right to take Inner Ring Road.
Inner Ring Road1.3 km
Take the A660 exit.
A64(M)330 m
Take the A660 ramp on the right.
105 m
Keep right to take A660.
A660279 m
Keep left to stay on A660/Woodhouse Lane.
A660374 m
Take the exit on the right.
A660334 m
Turn left onto St. Marks Road.
St. Marks Road72 m
Turn right onto Shay Street.
Shay Street179 m
Turn right onto Woodhouse Street.
Woodhouse Street80 m
Turn left onto Craven Road.
Craven Road162 m
Turn left onto Eltham Rise.
Eltham Rise17 m
Turn left.
25 m
Turn left.
8 m
Make a right U-turn.
8 m
Turn right.
25 m
Turn right onto Eltham Rise.
Eltham Rise17 m
Turn right onto Craven Road.
Craven Road162 m
Turn right onto Woodhouse Street.
Woodhouse Street80 m
Turn left onto Shay Street.
Shay Street179 m
Turn left onto St. Marks Road.
St. Marks Road72 m
Turn right to stay on St. Marks Road.
St. Marks Road274 m
Move left.
35 m
Move left onto A660/Blenheim Walk. Continue on A660.
A660381 m
Take the A64(M) ramp.
50 m
Take the A64(M) ramp.
A64(M)3.6 km
Turn left onto Harehills Lane/B6159.
Harehills Lane698 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Leeds (Harehills) · School-zone 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.
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.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
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.
York Road Hawkhill Avenue
Continue to York Road Hawkhill Avenue.
Parish Church Hall
Continue to Parish Church Hall.
York Road Bridle Path Walk
Continue to York Road Bridle Path Walk.
Seacroft Hospital;York Road Lyme Chase
Continue to Seacroft Hospital;York Road Lyme Chase.
York Road Watson Road
Continue to York Road Watson Road.
York Road Selby Road
Continue to York Road Selby Road.
York Road Gipton Approach
Continue to York Road Gipton Approach.
York Road (A)
Continue to York Road (A).
York Road Skelton Terrace
Continue to York Road Skelton Terrace.
York Road Raincliffe Road
Continue to York Road Raincliffe Road.
York Road Berking Avenue
Continue to York Road Berking Avenue.
York Road Marsh Lane
Continue to York Road Marsh Lane.
Annexe
Continue to Annexe.
Woodhouse Building
Continue to Woodhouse Building.
Cavendish Road University Steps
Continue to Cavendish Road University Steps.
Cuvilly Building
Continue to Cuvilly Building.
Leeds University H
Continue to Leeds University H.
York Road Burmantofts Street
Continue to York Road Burmantofts Street.
Hour Of Grace Prayer Ministry
Finish back near Hour Of Grace Prayer Ministry, completing the loop.
34 roundabouts · 9 turns
8 roundabouts · 6 turns
6 roundabouts · 23 turns
14 roundabouts · 19 turns
This route is 20.6 km and takes about 24 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Leeds (Harehills) test centre, not an official DVSA route.