Near Sunderland test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 28 roundabouts and 18 turns across 54 navigation steps.
This is an independent 17.5 km practice loop near Sunderland 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.
On this route you’ll practise 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 pubs, shops, 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 54-step drive on real, named roads (about 17.6 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 Way759 m
Keep right at the fork.
108 m
Turn right onto Paul Watson Way/B1405.
Paul Watson Way636 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto B1405.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto B1405.
B1405134 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto B1405.
49 m
Exit the roundabout onto B1405.
B1405194 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto B1405.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto B1405.
B1405137 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto St Luke's Road.
45 m
Exit the roundabout onto St Luke's Road.
St Luke's Road183 m
Turn left onto Embleton Green.
Embleton Green112 m
Turn right onto Sapphire Road.
Sapphire Road95 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Sapphire Road.
Sapphire Road95 m
Turn left onto Embleton Green.
Embleton Green112 m
Turn right onto St Luke's Road.
St Luke's Road182 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto B1405.
2 m
Exit the roundabout onto B1405.
B1405137 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto B1405.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto B1405.
B1405196 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto B1405.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto B1405.
B1405135 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Paul Watson Way/B1405.
56 m
Exit the roundabout onto Paul Watson Way/B1405.
Paul Watson Way567 m
Keep left to stay on Paul Watson Way/B1405.
Paul Watson Way79 m
Move left onto A1231/Cowies Way. Continue on A1231.
A1231597 m
Turn right onto Wessington Way/A1290.
Wessington Way1.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Roker/Seaburn/Wearmouth Bridge.
94 m
Exit the roundabout towards Roker/Seaburn/Wearmouth Bridge.
A12901.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A1290.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1290.
A1290192 m
Make a sharp left onto A1018/North Bridge Street. Continue on A1018.
A10181.5 km
Make a right U-turn at Charlton Road/B1291 to stay on A1018.
A10182.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A183/St. Mary's Boulevard.
37 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 2nd exit onto Hylton Road.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hylton Road.
Hylton Road744 m
Turn right onto John Candlish Road.
John Candlish Road269 m
Turn left onto King's Terrace.
King's Terrace33 m
Turn left.
72 m
Turn left onto King's Place.
King's Place31 m
Turn right onto John Candlish Road.
John Candlish Road195 m
Turn left onto Hylton Road.
Hylton Road748 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A1231/Trimdon Street.
1 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 · 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.
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.
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.
Halfway House
Start near Halfway House.
Colliery Tavern
Continue to Colliery Tavern.
Z.I.G.S
Continue to Z.I.G.S.
Monkwearmouth Spiritualist Church
Continue to Monkwearmouth Spiritualist Church.
Grange
Continue to Grange.
Wheatsheaf
Continue to Wheatsheaf.
Hebron Church
Continue to Hebron Church.
St Peter's
Continue to St Peter's.
St Mary's Catholic Church
Continue to St Mary's Catholic Church.
University of Sunderland
Continue to University of Sunderland.
Botanist
Continue to Botanist.
Helen McCardle House
Continue to Helen McCardle House.
Ship Isis
Continue to Ship Isis.
Place Cafe Bar and Bistro
Continue to Place Cafe Bar and Bistro.
Oddies
Continue to Oddies.
Millfield
Continue to Millfield.
City Life Church
Continue to City Life Church.
Spar-Tan
Continue to Spar-Tan.
Doxford Gates
Continue to Doxford Gates.
W H Forster
Finish back near W H Forster, completing the loop.
21 roundabouts · 12 turns
10 roundabouts · 28 turns
6 roundabouts · 35 turns
28 roundabouts · 6 turns
This route is 17.5 km and takes about 23 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Sunderland test centre, not an official DVSA route.