Near Northallerton test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 26 roundabouts and 23 turns across 66 navigation steps.
This is an independent 18.3 km practice loop near Northallerton test centre, taking roughly 22 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 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 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 16 catalogued landmarks, including shops, named junctions 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 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 66-step drive on real, named roads (about 18.5 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 1st exit towards Haughton Le Skerne.
18 m
Exit the roundabout towards Haughton Le Skerne.
Stockton Road36 m
Move left onto Haughton Road.
Haughton Road123 m
Turn left onto Winchester Way.
Winchester Way109 m
Turn left onto Exeter Drive.
Exeter Drive61 m
Turn right onto Ely Close.
Ely Close44 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Ely Close.
Ely Close44 m
Turn left onto Exeter Drive.
Exeter Drive62 m
Turn right onto Winchester Way.
Winchester Way109 m
Turn right onto Haughton Road.
Haughton Road123 m
Move left onto Stockton Road.
Stockton Road30 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Stockton Road/A1150.
67 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stockton Road/A1150.
Stockton Road76 m
Keep straight to stay on Stockton Road/A1150.
Stockton Road1.0 km
Enter Little Burdon Roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards The South/Scotch Corner.
Little Burdon Roundabout83 m
Exit the roundabout towards The South/Scotch Corner.
A6660 m
Keep left to stay on A66 towards The South/Scotch Corner.
A661.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit towards A66 South.
71 m
Exit the roundabout towards A66 South.
A661.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Yarm Road/B6280.
79 m
Exit the roundabout onto Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road27 m
Keep right to stay on Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road138 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto B6280.
60 m
Exit the roundabout onto B6280.
B6280307 m
Keep right to take Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road378 m
Keep straight to stay on Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road337 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
34 m
Exit the roundabout onto Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road77 m
Keep straight to stay on Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road149 m
Turn left onto Estoril Road.
Estoril Road726 m
Turn left onto Firthmoor Crescent.
Firthmoor Crescent126 m
Turn left onto Ingleby Moor Crescent.
Ingleby Moor Crescent30 m
Move right onto Chestnut Drive.
Chestnut Drive152 m
Turn right to stay on Chestnut Drive.
Chestnut Drive186 m
Turn right to stay on Chestnut Drive.
Chestnut Drive70 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Chestnut Drive.
Chestnut Drive70 m
Turn left to stay on Chestnut Drive.
Chestnut Drive78 m
Keep right to stay on Chestnut Drive.
Chestnut Drive107 m
Turn left to stay on Chestnut Drive.
Chestnut Drive153 m
Move left onto Ingleby Moor Crescent.
Ingleby Moor Crescent30 m
Turn right onto Firthmoor Crescent.
Firthmoor Crescent126 m
Turn right onto Estoril Road South.
Estoril Road South726 m
Turn right onto Yarm Road/B6280.
Yarm Road114 m
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 Road1.3 km
Turn right onto Coombe Drive.
Coombe Drive916 m
Turn right onto Aviemore Court.
Aviemore Court14 m
Turn right to stay on Aviemore Court.
Aviemore Court27 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Aviemore Court.
Aviemore Court27 m
Turn left to stay on Aviemore Court.
Aviemore Court14 m
Turn left onto Coombe Drive.
Coombe Drive916 m
Turn left onto McMullen Road.
McMullen Road1.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards Yarm/Teesside.
30 m
Exit the roundabout towards Yarm/Teesside.
Yarm Road475 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Northallerton · Residential 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.
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 16 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.
Yarm Road
Continue to Yarm Road, taking the junction with good observation.
McColl's
Continue to McColl's.
St Herbert's Church
Continue to St Herbert's Church.
Yarm Road Fish and Chips
Continue to Yarm Road Fish and Chips.
ScS
Continue to ScS.
MMK Motor Company
Continue to MMK Motor Company.
Petco
Continue to Petco.
Kwik Fit
Continue to Kwik Fit.
SG Petch Accident Repair Centre
Continue to SG Petch Accident Repair Centre.
SG Petch Hyundai
Continue to SG Petch Hyundai.
SG Petch Kia
Continue to SG Petch Kia.
SG Petch Peugeot
Continue to SG Petch Peugeot.
Fast Fit Express
Continue to Fast Fit Express.
KFC
Finish back near KFC, completing the loop.
39 roundabouts · 1 turn
27 roundabouts · 1 turn
10 roundabouts · 11 turns
8 roundabouts · 4 turns
This route is 18.3 km and takes about 22 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Northallerton test centre, not an official DVSA route.