Near Middlesbrough test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts, 15 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 24 navigation steps.
This is an independent 41.6 km practice loop near Middlesbrough 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 Cargo Fleet Lane Roundabout, Marton Road Interchange and Longlands 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, 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 named junctions, pubs, shops and churches, 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 Middlesbrough 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 82-step drive on real, named roads (about 41.6 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northwest on Maxwell Road.
Maxwell Road57 m
Turn left onto Sotherby Road.
Sotherby Road218 m
Turn right onto Queensway.
Queensway288 m
Turn left onto South Bank Road.
South Bank Road454 m
Turn right onto Cargo Fleet Lane/A171.
Cargo Fleet Lane123 m
Enter Cargo Fleet Lane Roundabout and take the 8th exit towards The North/Stockton/Middlesbrough Centre/North Ormesby.
Cargo Fleet Lane Roundabout239 m
Exit the roundabout towards The North/Stockton/Middlesbrough Centre/North Ormesby.
A661.5 km
Take the Marton Road Interchange exit.
Marton Road Interchange319 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A66/Marton Road Interchange.
188 m
Exit the roundabout onto A66.
A66439 m
Keep right to stay on A66.
A66454 m
Take the Middlehaven Interchange exit.
A66182 m
Turn left onto Shepherdson Way.
Shepherdson Way143 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Shepherdson Way.
48 m
Exit the roundabout onto Shepherdson Way.
Shepherdson Way450 m
Turn left onto The Halyard.
The Halyard186 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto The Leeway.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto The Leeway.
The Leeway1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Dockside Road/B1513.
54 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dockside Road/B1513.
Dockside Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Old Station Road/B1513.
44 m
Exit the roundabout onto Old Station Road/B1513.
Old Station Road294 m
Turn left onto Imperial Avenue.
Imperial Avenue248 m
Turn right to stay on Imperial Avenue.
Imperial Avenue119 m
Turn right onto Tilbury Road.
Tilbury Road272 m
Turn right onto Old Station Road/B1513.
Old Station Road486 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Dockside Road/B1513.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dockside Road/B1513.
Dockside Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Works Road/B1513.
53 m
Exit the roundabout onto Works Road/B1513.
Works Road381 m
Enter Cargo Fleet Lane Roundabout and take the 4th exit towards The North/Stockton/Middlesbrough Centre/North Ormesby.
Cargo Fleet Lane Roundabout114 m
Exit the roundabout towards The North/Stockton/Middlesbrough Centre/North Ormesby.
A661.5 km
Take the Marton Road Interchange exit.
Marton Road Interchange319 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A66/Marton Road Interchange.
188 m
Exit the roundabout onto A66.
A66439 m
Keep right to stay on A66.
A662.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A66.
63 m
Exit the roundabout onto A66.
A66527 m
Turn right onto Normanby Road.
Normanby Road1.5 km
Turn right onto Belmont Avenue.
Belmont Avenue204 m
Turn left onto Kingsway Avenue.
Kingsway Avenue68 m
Turn left onto Park Avenue.
Park Avenue207 m
Turn left onto Normanby Road.
Normanby Road1.4 km
Turn left onto Redcar Road.
Redcar Road218 m
Turn left onto Victoria Street.
Victoria Street322 m
Turn left onto Hampden Street.
Hampden Street200 m
Turn right onto Normanby Road.
Normanby Road976 m
Turn right onto Belmont Avenue.
Belmont Avenue204 m
Turn left onto Kingsway Avenue.
Kingsway Avenue68 m
Turn left onto Park Avenue.
Park Avenue207 m
Turn left onto Normanby Road.
Normanby Road1.6 km
Turn left onto A66.
A66517 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A66.
86 m
Exit the roundabout onto A66.
A662.9 km
Take the Marton Road Interchange exit.
Marton Road Interchange319 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A66/Marton Road Interchange.
188 m
Exit the roundabout onto A66.
A66439 m
Keep left to take A172 towards Stokesley.
A1721.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards North Ormesby.
18 m
Exit the roundabout towards North Ormesby.
Longlands Road1.2 km
Turn right onto Cargo Fleet Lane/A171.
Cargo Fleet Lane2.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto High Street/B1380.
63 m
Exit the roundabout onto High Street/B1380.
High Street166 m
Turn left onto Church Lane.
Church Lane825 m
Turn left.
123 m
Turn right.
43 m
Turn left onto Church Lane.
Church Lane116 m
Turn left onto Ormesby Bank/A171. Continue on A171.
A171862 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto High Street/B1380.
2 m
Exit the roundabout onto High Street/B1380.
High Street166 m
Turn left onto Church Lane.
Church Lane318 m
Turn left onto Jubilee Bank.
Jubilee Bank198 m
Move right onto Church Lane.
Church Lane131 m
Turn right onto High Street/B1380.
High Street168 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Eston.
26 m
Exit the roundabout towards Eston.
B13801.8 km
Turn left onto Normanby Road.
Normanby Road1.6 km
Turn left onto Trunk Road/A1085.
Trunk Road617 m
Turn right onto Skipper's Lane.
Skipper's Lane555 m
Move left onto Sotherby Road.
Sotherby Road691 m
Turn left onto Maxwell Road.
Maxwell Road51 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Middlesbrough · Route 1 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.
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
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Cargo Fleet Lane Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 11.8 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 (30, 40, 50 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.
Cargo Fleet Lane Roundabout
Start near Cargo Fleet Lane Roundabout.
Marton Road Interchange
Continue to Marton Road Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Riverside Fan Zone
Continue to Riverside Fan Zone.
Londis
Continue to Londis.
Derek Slack Skoda
Continue to Derek Slack Skoda.
South Bank Mosque
Continue to South Bank Mosque.
St John the Evangelist
Continue to St John the Evangelist.
Cut Price Carpets
Continue to Cut Price Carpets.
Golden Dragon
Continue to Golden Dragon.
Riverside Pizzeria
Continue to Riverside Pizzeria.
Burger King
Continue to Burger King.
Longlands Road
Continue to Longlands Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Buccaneer
Continue to Buccaneer.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Continue to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Ormesby Crossroads
Continue to Ormesby Crossroads.
Pied Piper
Continue to Pied Piper.
St. Gabriel's RC Church
Continue to St. Gabriel's RC Church.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
S. G. Petch
Continue to S. G. Petch.
ATS Euromaster
Finish back near ATS Euromaster, completing the loop.
7 roundabouts · 20 turns · 2 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 16 turns · 2 sets of lights
11 roundabouts · 13 turns · 3 sets of lights
7 roundabouts · 12 turns · 2 sets of lights
This route is 41.6 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Middlesbrough test centre, not an official DVSA route.