Near Middlesbrough test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 14 turns and 7 signalled junctions across 31 navigation steps.
This is an independent 50.1 km practice loop near Middlesbrough 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 Cargo Fleet Lane Roundabout 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, 20 mph zones, 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, shops, churches and pubs, 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 102-step drive on real, named roads (about 50.1 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 Road447 m
Turn right onto Westerby Road.
Westerby Road497 m
Turn right onto Queensway.
Queensway249 m
Turn left onto Sotherby Road.
Sotherby Road126 m
Turn left onto Telford Road.
Telford Road254 m
Turn left onto South Bank Road.
South Bank Road663 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.
A662.7 km
Take the Hartington Interchange exit towards Middlesborough Centre/Riverside Park.
237 m
Enter Hartington Interchange and take the 1st exit onto Hartington Road/B1272.
Hartington Interchange29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hartington Road/B1272.
Hartington Road518 m
Turn left onto Borough Road/B1272. Continue on Borough Road.
Borough Road977 m
Turn left onto Marton Road.
Marton Road558 m
Enter Marton Road Interchange and take the 2nd exit onto A66.
Marton Road Interchange54 m
Exit the roundabout onto A66.
A66800 m
Take the Hartington Interchange exit towards Middlesborough Centre/Riverside Park.
237 m
Enter Hartington Interchange and take the 1st exit onto Hartington Road/B1272.
Hartington Interchange29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hartington Road/B1272.
Hartington Road518 m
Turn left onto Borough Road/B1272.
Borough Road199 m
Turn right onto Linthorpe Road/B1272. Continue on Linthorpe Road.
Linthorpe Road1.6 km
Move left onto The Avenue.
The Avenue238 m
Turn left onto Eastbourne Road.
Eastbourne Road392 m
Move left.
35 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Valley Road.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Valley Road.
Valley Road14 m
Turn right onto Bishopton Road.
Bishopton Road342 m
Turn right onto Fairfield Road.
Fairfield Road71 m
Turn left onto Brough Court.
Brough Court44 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Brough Court.
Brough Court44 m
Turn left onto Fairfield Road.
Fairfield Road138 m
Turn right onto Meadowsweet Lane.
Meadowsweet Lane104 m
Turn left onto Bishopton Road.
Bishopton Road144 m
Turn right onto Valley Road.
Valley Road591 m
Enter Park Road South and take the 2nd exit onto Park Vale Road.
Park Road South29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Park Vale Road.
Park Vale Road527 m
Turn left onto Park Lane.
Park Lane396 m
Turn right onto Woodlands Road.
Woodlands Road326 m
Turn right onto Southfield Road.
Southfield Road523 m
Turn right onto Marton Road.
Marton Road474 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Longlands Road/A172.
2 m
Exit the roundabout onto Longlands Road/A172.
Longlands Road407 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards North Ormesby.
80 m
Exit the roundabout towards North Ormesby.
A10853.3 km
Turn right onto Normanby Road.
Normanby Road604 m
Turn right onto The AVenue.
The AVenue78 m
Enter The Avenue and take the 3rd exit onto Sycamore Crescent.
The Avenue161 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sycamore Crescent.
Sycamore Crescent239 m
Turn left onto Normanby Road.
Normanby Road701 m
Turn left onto Beech Grove.
Beech Grove148 m
Turn left.
2 m
Make a right U-turn.
2 m
Turn right onto Beech Grove.
Beech Grove148 m
Turn right onto Normanby Road.
Normanby Road306 m
Turn right onto Trunk Road/A1085. Continue on A1085.
A10853.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards Stokesley.
6 m
Exit the roundabout towards Stokesley.
Longlands Road421 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Marton Road/A172.
1 m
Exit the roundabout onto Marton Road/A172.
Marton Road118 m
Turn left to stay on Marton Road/A172.
Marton Road912 m
Enter Belle Vue Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Marton Burn Road.
Belle Vue Roundabout42 m
Exit the roundabout onto Marton Burn Road.
Marton Burn Road225 m
Turn right to stay on Marton Burn Road.
Marton Burn Road433 m
Turn left onto The Vale.
The Vale485 m
Turn left onto Emerson Avenue.
Emerson Avenue859 m
Enter Belle Vue Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Marton Road/A172.
Belle Vue Roundabout18 m
Exit the roundabout onto Marton Road/A172.
Marton Road1.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Longlands Road/A172.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Longlands Road/A172.
Longlands Road407 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards North Ormesby.
80 m
Exit the roundabout towards North Ormesby.
A10853.3 km
Turn right onto Normanby Road.
Normanby Road882 m
Turn left onto Fabian Road.
Fabian Road28 m
Turn left.
142 m
Turn right onto Burns Road.
Burns Road158 m
Turn right onto Shelley Crescent.
Shelley Crescent184 m
Turn left onto Burns Road.
Burns Road96 m
Turn left.
142 m
Turn right onto Fabian Road.
Fabian Road28 m
Turn right onto Normanby Road.
Normanby Road1.6 km
Turn left onto Hampden Street.
Hampden Street200 m
Turn left onto Maxton Road.
Maxton Road245 m
Turn right onto Shinwell Crescent.
Shinwell Crescent88 m
Turn right onto Hampden Street.
Hampden Street397 m
Turn right onto Normanby Road.
Normanby Road762 m
Turn right onto Trunk Road/A1085. Continue on A1085.
A10853.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards Stokesley.
6 m
Exit the roundabout towards Stokesley.
Longlands Road421 m
Enter Marton Road and take the 3rd exit onto Longlands Road/A172.
Marton Road37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Longlands Road/A172.
Longlands Road407 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards North Ormesby.
80 m
Exit the roundabout towards North Ormesby.
A10853.3 km
Make a right U-turn at Normanby Road to stay on A1085.
A10852.1 km
Turn right onto Cargo Fleet Lane/A171.
Cargo Fleet Lane756 m
Enter Cargo Fleet Lane Roundabout and take the 7th exit towards Whitby/Guisborough.
Cargo Fleet Lane Roundabout184 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 6 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 Cargo Fleet Lane Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 3.2 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, 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.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
St Columba
Continue to St Columba.
Linthorpe Road Methodist Church
Continue to Linthorpe Road Methodist Church.
Dana's Family Bakery
Continue to Dana's Family Bakery.
Church of the Sacred Heart
Continue to Church of the Sacred Heart.
Holy Name of Mary Roman Catholic Church
Continue to Holy Name of Mary Roman Catholic Church.
Dar-ul Islam Central Mosque
Continue to Dar-ul Islam Central Mosque.
Longlands Road
Continue to Longlands Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Buccaneer
Continue to Buccaneer.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Mackenzie Thorpe Centre
Continue to Mackenzie Thorpe Centre.
Salvation Army Pallister Park
Continue to Salvation Army Pallister Park.
St Joseph’s
Continue to St Joseph’s.
Grove Hill
Continue to Grove Hill.
Freshy's
Continue to Freshy's.
Saint Peter's Catholic College
Continue to Saint Peter's Catholic College.
Kiosk
Continue to Kiosk.
Pizza & Co
Continue to Pizza & Co.
Smithfield Timber
Finish back near Smithfield Timber, 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 50.1 km and takes about 45 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Middlesbrough test centre, not an official DVSA route.