Near Middlesbrough test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 7 roundabouts, 9 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 20 navigation steps.
This is an independent 41.6 km practice loop near Middlesbrough test centre, taking roughly 30 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 Marton Road Interchange, Tees Dock Road Roundabout and Cargo Fleet Lane 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 multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 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 shops, named junctions, 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 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 77-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 right onto Sotherby Road.
Sotherby Road393 m
Turn left onto Brunel Road.
Brunel Road330 m
Turn right onto Middlesbrough Road.
Middlesbrough Road98 m
Turn right onto Old Middlesbrough Road.
Old Middlesbrough Road282 m
Turn right onto Blatchford Road.
Blatchford Road108 m
Turn left onto Owens Road.
Owens Road168 m
Turn right onto Webb Road.
Webb Road159 m
Turn right onto Brunel Road.
Brunel Road243 m
Turn right onto Middlesbrough Road.
Middlesbrough Road98 m
Turn right onto Old Middlesbrough Road.
Old Middlesbrough Road460 m
Turn right onto Webb Road.
Webb Road291 m
Turn right onto Brunel Road.
Brunel Road243 m
Turn right onto Middlesbrough Road.
Middlesbrough Road460 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A66.
5 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 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 Road2.2 km
Turn left onto Fabian Road.
Fabian Road908 m
Turn left onto Myrddin Baker Road.
Myrddin Baker Road145 m
Turn left onto Barmouth Road.
Barmouth Road206 m
Turn left onto Tawney Road.
Tawney Road108 m
Turn right onto Fabian Road.
Fabian Road76 m
Turn left onto Church Lane.
Church Lane837 m
Turn right onto High Street/B1380. Continue on B1380.
B13802.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto High Street/B1380.
29 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.
A17157 m
Turn right to take the ramp towards Redcar/Saltburn.
A1744.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Teesport/(Middlesbrough)/Grangetown.
45 m
Exit the roundabout towards Teesport/(Middlesbrough)/Grangetown.
A10531.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1053.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1053.
A1053312 m
Enter Tees Dock Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A66/Bolckow Road.
Tees Dock Road Roundabout18 m
Exit the roundabout onto A66/Bolckow Road.
A66885 m
Turn right onto Eston Road.
Eston Road503 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Eston Road.
112 m
Exit the roundabout onto Eston Road.
Eston Road468 m
Turn left onto A66.
A66887 m
Enter Tees Dock Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1053/Tees Dock Road.
Tees Dock Road Roundabout59 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1053/Tees Dock Road.
A1053321 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Trunk Road/A1085.
159 m
Exit the roundabout onto Trunk Road/A1085. Continue on A1085.
A1085581 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Birchington Avenue.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Birchington Avenue.
Birchington Avenue663 m
Turn left onto Stafford Road.
Stafford Road150 m
Turn left onto Shakespeare Avenue.
Shakespeare Avenue60 m
Turn left onto Kingsley Road.
Kingsley Road154 m
Turn right onto Birchington Avenue.
Birchington Avenue601 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Broadway/A1085.
57 m
Exit the roundabout onto Broadway/A1085. Continue on A1085.
A1085581 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A1053.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1053.
A1053312 m
Enter Tees Dock Road Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A66/Bolckow Road.
Tees Dock Road Roundabout171 m
Exit the roundabout onto A66/Bolckow Road. Continue on A66.
A662.6 km
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 right to stay on A66.
A661.3 km
Enter Cargo Fleet Lane Roundabout and take the 5th exit towards Whitby/Guisborough.
Cargo Fleet Lane Roundabout183 m
Exit the roundabout towards Whitby/Guisborough.
Cargo Fleet Lane140 m
Turn left onto South Bank Road.
South Bank Road439 m
Turn right onto Queensway.
Queensway288 m
Turn left onto Sotherby Road.
Sotherby Road218 m
Turn right onto Maxwell Road.
Maxwell Road51 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Middlesbrough · Route 12 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.
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 Tees Dock Road Roundabout, Cargo Fleet Lane Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 21.4 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, 60, 70 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.
ATS Euromaster
Start near ATS Euromaster.
Evans Halshaw Nissan
Continue to Evans Halshaw Nissan.
S.G. Petch
Continue to S.G. Petch.
Marton Road Interchange
Continue to Marton Road Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Derek Slack Skoda
Continue to Derek Slack Skoda.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
South Bank Mosque
Continue to South Bank Mosque.
St John the Evangelist
Continue to St John the Evangelist.
Progress Schools - Tees Valley
Continue to Progress Schools - Tees Valley.
St. Andrew's Church
Continue to St. Andrew's Church.
Co-operative Food
Continue to Co-operative Food.
Tesco Express
Continue to Tesco Express.
Farmfoods
Continue to Farmfoods.
St. Gabriel's RC Church
Continue to St. Gabriel's RC Church.
Pied Piper
Continue to Pied Piper.
Gateway Buoys
Continue to Gateway Buoys.
Tees Dock Road Roundabout
Continue to Tees Dock Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Burger King
Continue to Burger King.
Taco Bell
Continue to Taco Bell.
Cargo Fleet Lane Roundabout
Finish back near Cargo Fleet Lane Roundabout, 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 30 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Middlesbrough test centre, not an official DVSA route.