Near Sunderland test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 28 roundabouts and 6 turns across 38 navigation steps.
This is an independent 13.6 km practice loop near Sunderland test centre, taking roughly 17 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.
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, schools, churches 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 Sunderland 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 38-step drive on real, named roads (about 13.6 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west.
29 m
Turn right.
11 m
Turn right onto Riverbank Road.
Riverbank Road71 m
Turn right onto Castletown Way.
Castletown Way3.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1231/Silksworth Row.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1231/Silksworth Row.
A1231171 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1231/Saint Michael's Way.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1231/Saint Michael's Way.
A1231445 m
Enter Priestman Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A690/Burn Park Road.
Priestman Roundabout82 m
Exit the roundabout onto A690/Burn Park Road.
A690334 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 9th exit onto A690/New Durham Road.
486 m
Exit the roundabout onto A690/New Durham Road.
A690363 m
Enter Priestman Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A1231/Stockton Road.
Priestman Roundabout58 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1231/Stockton Road.
A1231152 m
Move right onto A1231/Stockton Road. Continue on A1231.
A1231487 m
Keep straight to stay on A1231.
A1231885 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A1018/Commercial Road.
30 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1018/Commercial Road.
A1018530 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A1018/Commercial Road.
76 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1018/Commercial Road.
A1018529 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hendon Road/A1018.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hendon Road/A1018.
Hendon Road441 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto West Lawrence Street/A1018.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto West Lawrence Street/A1018.
West Lawrence Street219 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Sans Street/A1018.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sans Street/A1018.
Sans Street268 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto West Wear Street/A1018.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto West Wear Street/A1018.
West Wear Street464 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A183/St. Mary's Boulevard.
12 m
Exit the roundabout onto A183/St. Mary's Boulevard.
A183563 m
Enter Saint Michael's Way and take the 2nd exit onto A1231/Silksworth Row.
Saint Michael's Way37 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1231/Silksworth Row.
A1231178 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A1231/Trimdon Street.
52 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1231/Trimdon Street.
A12313.2 km
Turn left onto Riverbank Road.
Riverbank Road71 m
Turn left.
11 m
Turn left.
29 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Sunderland · 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
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.
W H Forster
Start near W H Forster.
Currys
Continue to Currys.
Hope Street Xchange
Continue to Hope Street Xchange.
Priestman Building
Continue to Priestman Building.
Burn Park Methodist Church
Continue to Burn Park Methodist Church.
Elim Pentecostal Church
Continue to Elim Pentecostal Church.
University
Continue to University.
Trinity Church
Continue to Trinity Church.
West Park Church
Continue to West Park Church.
St. George's United Reformed Church
Continue to St. George's United Reformed Church.
Stockton Road URC Church
Continue to Stockton Road URC Church.
Basis@Sunderland
Continue to Basis@Sunderland.
Raich Carter
Continue to Raich Carter.
Charltons
Continue to Charltons.
G T Car Cosmetics
Continue to G T Car Cosmetics.
Jobling Accident Repairs
Continue to Jobling Accident Repairs.
St Mary's Catholic Church
Continue to St Mary's Catholic Church.
Botanist
Continue to Botanist.
Helen McCardle House
Continue to Helen McCardle House.
Museum Vaults
Finish back near Museum Vaults, completing the loop.
21 roundabouts · 12 turns
10 roundabouts · 28 turns
28 roundabouts · 18 turns
6 roundabouts · 35 turns
This route is 13.6 km and takes about 17 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Sunderland test centre, not an official DVSA route.