Near Northallerton test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts and 4 turns across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 9.6 km practice loop near Northallerton test centre, taking roughly 13 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 Yarm 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 independent driving. 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 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 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 28-step drive on real, named roads (about 10.7 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northwest on Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road131 m
Keep straight to stay on Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road337 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Yarm Road/B6280.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road77 m
Keep straight to stay on Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road1.3 km
Turn left onto Ridsdale Street.
Ridsdale Street187 m
Turn right.
24 m
Turn right.
72 m
Turn right.
22 m
Turn left onto Ridsdale Street.
Ridsdale Street1.4 km
Keep right to stay on Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road108 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto McMullen Road.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto McMullen Road.
McMullen Road1.7 km
Turn right onto Haughton Road.
Haughton Road266 m
Turn right onto St Andrews Close.
St Andrews Close18 m
Turn left onto Haughton Green.
Haughton Green192 m
Make a left U-turn to stay on Haughton Green.
Haughton Green472 m
Turn left onto McMullen Road.
McMullen Road1.7 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Yarm Road/B6280.
83 m
Exit the roundabout onto Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road714 m
Turn right onto The Broadway.
The Broadway241 m
Turn right onto The Byway.
The Byway328 m
Turn left onto The Broadway.
The Broadway88 m
Turn left onto Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road602 m
Keep right to stay on Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road108 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards Yarm/Teesside.
42 m
Exit the roundabout towards Yarm/Teesside.
Yarm Road475 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Northallerton · Residential + A-road 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
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.
McColl's
Start near McColl's.
Yarm Road
Continue to Yarm Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Yarm Road Fish and Chips
Continue to Yarm Road Fish and Chips.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Papa Joe's
Continue to Papa Joe's.
St Herbert's Church
Continue to St Herbert's Church.
Wheatsheaf
Continue to Wheatsheaf.
Glenwood Paints
Continue to Glenwood Paints.
One Stop
Continue to One Stop.
Discount Booze
Continue to Discount Booze.
East India Takeaway
Continue to East India Takeaway.
W A Whitfield
Continue to W A Whitfield.
Subway
Continue to Subway.
ScS
Continue to ScS.
Kwik Fit
Continue to Kwik Fit.
MMK Motor Company
Continue to MMK Motor Company.
SG Petch Hyundai
Continue to SG Petch Hyundai.
SG Petch Kia
Continue to SG Petch Kia.
Fast Fit Express
Continue to Fast Fit Express.
KFC
Finish back near KFC, completing the loop.
39 roundabouts · 1 turn
27 roundabouts · 1 turn
26 roundabouts · 23 turns
10 roundabouts · 11 turns
This route is 9.6 km and takes about 13 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Northallerton test centre, not an official DVSA route.