Near Northallerton test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 39 roundabouts and 1 turn across 44 navigation steps.
This is an independent 29.1 km practice loop near Northallerton test centre, taking roughly 23 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. 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 10 catalogued landmarks, including shops, pubs, named junctions 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 44-step drive on real, named roads (about 29.1 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 2nd exit towards Yarm.
45 m
Exit the roundabout towards Yarm.
A671.9 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A67.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto A67.
A671.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A67.
56 m
Exit the roundabout onto A67.
A671.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit.
64 m
Exit the roundabout.
254 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto St George Way.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto St George Way.
St George Way512 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto St George Way.
87 m
Exit the roundabout onto St George Way.
St George Way513 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
54 m
Exit the roundabout.
253 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A67.
6 m
Exit the roundabout onto A67.
A671.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A67.
52 m
Exit the roundabout onto A67.
A671.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Sadberge Road.
57 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sadberge Road.
Sadberge Road2.0 km
Turn left to take the A66 ramp.
A661.6 km
Enter Little Burdon Roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards The North/Durham/Darlington.
Little Burdon Roundabout52 m
Exit the roundabout towards The North/Durham/Darlington.
Stockton Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Whinfield Road/A1150.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Whinfield Road/A1150. Continue on A1150.
A11502.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Salters Lane North/A1150.
52 m
Exit the roundabout onto Salters Lane North/A1150. Continue on A1150.
A11502.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Stockton Road/A1150.
42 m
Exit the roundabout onto Stockton Road/A1150.
Stockton Road1.1 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.
A661.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit towards A66 South.
71 m
Exit the roundabout towards A66 South.
A661.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards The South/Scotch Corner.
42 m
Exit the roundabout towards The South/Scotch Corner.
A662.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit towards Teesside.
135 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 · Roundabout 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.
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 10 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
McDonald's
Start near McDonald's.
Old Farmhouse Inn
Continue to Old Farmhouse Inn.
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.
Flawless Hair & Beauty
Continue to Flawless Hair & Beauty.
Harrowgate Hill Working Mens Club
Continue to Harrowgate Hill Working Mens Club.
Ladbrokes
Continue to Ladbrokes.
New Chapter
Finish back near New Chapter, completing the loop.
27 roundabouts · 1 turn
26 roundabouts · 23 turns
10 roundabouts · 11 turns
8 roundabouts · 4 turns
This route is 29.1 km and takes about 23 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Northallerton test centre, not an official DVSA route.