Near Northallerton test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 27 roundabouts and 1 turn across 43 navigation steps.
This is an independent 19.1 km practice loop near Northallerton test centre, taking roughly 18 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 Little Burdon Roundabout and Blands Corner. 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 shops, named junctions, pubs and stations, 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 Northallerton 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 43-step drive on real, named roads (about 19.3 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast on Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road552 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Yarm Road/B6280.
47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road178 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit towards The North/Teesside/Durham.
11 m
Exit the roundabout towards The North/Teesside/Durham.
A661.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A66.
67 m
Exit the roundabout onto A66.
A661.1 km
Enter Little Burdon Roundabout and take the 1st exit towards The North/Durham/Darlington.
Little Burdon Roundabout7 m
Exit the roundabout towards The North/Durham/Darlington.
Stockton Road88 m
Keep left to stay on Stockton Road/A1150 towards The North/Durham/Darlington.
Stockton Road1.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Whinfield Road/A1150.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Whinfield Road/A1150.
Whinfield Road2.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Durham.
39 m
Exit the roundabout towards Durham.
North Road368 m
Turn right.
144 m
Turn left onto North Road/A167.
North Road237 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto North Road/A167.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto North Road/A167.
North Road621 m
Keep right to stay on North Road/A167.
North Road1.1 km
Move right onto North Road/A167. Continue on A167.
A167867 m
Enter Northgate Roundabout and take the 1st exit towards Northalleron/Barnard Castle/Teesside/A1(M) South.
Northgate Roundabout21 m
Exit the roundabout towards Northalleron/Barnard Castle/Teesside/A1(M) South.
A167229 m
Enter Freeman's Place Roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Northallerton/Barnard Castle/Yarm/A1(M) South.
Freeman's Place Roundabout29 m
Exit the roundabout towards Northallerton/Barnard Castle/Yarm/A1(M) South.
A167575 m
Enter Feethams Roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Northallerton/Barnard Castle/A1M(S).
Feethams Roundabout70 m
Exit the roundabout towards Northallerton/Barnard Castle/A1M(S).
Victoria Road371 m
Enter Grange Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit towards Northallerton/A1(M) South/Teesside.
Grange Road Roundabout16 m
Exit the roundabout towards Northallerton/A1(M) South/Teesside.
Grange Road998 m
Keep left to stay on Grange Road/A167.
Grange Road143 m
Keep left to stay on Grange Road/A167.
Grange Road262 m
Keep right to stay on Grange Road/A167.
Grange Road136 m
Keep right to stay on Grange Road/A167.
Grange Road118 m
Keep right to stay on Grange Road/A167.
Grange Road60 m
Enter Blands Corner and take the 1st exit towards Yarm/Teesside.
Blands Corner5 m
Exit the roundabout towards Yarm/Teesside.
A6639 m
Keep right to stay on A66 towards Yarm/Teesside.
A661.3 km
Keep right to stay on A66.
A661.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards Teesside.
48 m
Exit the roundabout towards Teesside.
A662.7 km
Turn left onto Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road215 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto B6280.
60 m
Exit the roundabout onto B6280.
B6280554 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Northallerton · Dual-carriageway 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Little Burdon 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.
McDonald's
Start near McDonald's.
Little Burdon Roundabout
Continue to Little Burdon Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Shuttle & Loom
Continue to Shuttle & Loom.
Springfield
Continue to Springfield.
Elmcroft
Continue to Elmcroft.
Harrowgate Hill Working Mens Club
Continue to Harrowgate Hill Working Mens Club.
Flawless Hair & Beauty
Continue to Flawless Hair & Beauty.
Marcel Unisex Hair Studio
Continue to Marcel Unisex Hair Studio.
St Mark's Church
Continue to St Mark's Church.
St Thomas Aquinas Church
Continue to St Thomas Aquinas Church.
Well
Continue to Well.
Retro Replay
Continue to Retro Replay.
Northgate United Reformed Church
Continue to Northgate United Reformed Church.
One & Only Salon
Continue to One & Only Salon.
Atisha Kapadampa Meditation Centre
Continue to Atisha Kapadampa Meditation Centre.
Life And Light Missions
Continue to Life And Light Missions.
Darlington Baptist Church
Continue to Darlington Baptist Church.
Grange
Continue to Grange.
Majestic
Continue to Majestic.
Blands Corner
Finish back near Blands Corner, completing the loop.
39 roundabouts · 1 turn
26 roundabouts · 23 turns
10 roundabouts · 11 turns
8 roundabouts · 4 turns
This route is 19.1 km and takes about 18 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Northallerton test centre, not an official DVSA route.