Near Sunderland test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 21 roundabouts and 12 turns across 39 navigation steps.
This is an independent 27.0 km practice loop near Sunderland test centre, taking roughly 24 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 Wessington Way, Chester Road Interchange, Downhill Lane Interchange and Abingdon Way. 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 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 shops, named junctions, churches and schools, 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 39-step drive on real, named roads (about 27.0 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 Way252 m
Turn right onto A1231/Wessington Way.
A1231546 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1231/Wessington Way.
46 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1231/Wessington Way.
A1231764 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Gateshead/Newcastle/Teesside.
35 m
Exit the roundabout towards Gateshead/Newcastle/Teesside.
A1231702 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1231/Wessington Way.
36 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1231/Wessington Way.
A1231391 m
Enter Hylton Grange Interchange and take the 1st exit onto A19.
Hylton Grange Interchange17 m
Exit the roundabout onto A19.
A191.6 km
Take the Chester Road Interchange exit onto A183 towards Chester-le-Street/Sunderland.
569 m
Enter Chester Road Interchange and take the 8th exit.
Chester Road Interchange776 m
Exit the roundabout onto A19.
A195.2 km
Take the Testo's Roundabout exit.
A19787 m
Enter Testo's Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Newcastle Road/A184.
Testo's Roundabout221 m
Exit the roundabout onto Newcastle Road/A184.
Newcastle Road401 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Abingdon Way/B1298.
6 m
Exit the roundabout onto Abingdon Way/B1298.
Abingdon Way489 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Abingdon Way/B1298.
14 m
Exit the roundabout onto Abingdon Way/B1298.
Abingdon Way148 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Henley Way/B1298.
34 m
Exit the roundabout onto Henley Way/B1298.
Henley Way322 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 6th exit onto Hubert Street/B1298.
79 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hubert Street/B1298. Continue on B1298.
B12981.5 km
Turn right onto Boker Lane.
Boker Lane625 m
Turn left onto Front Street/A184. Continue on A184.
A1843.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A184.
126 m
Exit the roundabout onto A184.
A1844.3 km
Turn left onto Dipe Lane.
Dipe Lane109 m
Move right onto Hylton Lane.
Hylton Lane1.9 km
Turn left onto Washington Road.
Washington Road1.3 km
Turn right onto Riverbank Road.
Riverbank Road97 m
Turn left to stay on Riverbank Road.
Riverbank Road203 m
Turn right.
11 m
Turn left.
29 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Sunderland · 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.
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.
KFC
Start near KFC.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Wessington Way
Continue to Wessington Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Chester Road Interchange
Continue to Chester Road Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Downhill Lane Interchange
Continue to Downhill Lane Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Abingdon Way
Continue to Abingdon Way, taking the junction with good observation.
Master Chef
Continue to Master Chef.
Walkeasy Chiropody Centre
Continue to Walkeasy Chiropody Centre.
Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Continue to Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
Boldon School
Continue to Boldon School.
Black Bull
Continue to Black Bull.
Boldon United Reformed Church
Continue to Boldon United Reformed Church.
East Boldon Infants' School
Continue to East Boldon Infants' School.
St George's And The Martyr
Continue to St George's And The Martyr.
Spa Fusion
Continue to Spa Fusion.
East Boldon Methodist Church
Continue to East Boldon Methodist Church.
Grey Horse
Continue to Grey Horse.
Dhaka Tandoori Takeaway
Continue to Dhaka Tandoori Takeaway.
Bunny Hill Wellness
Continue to Bunny Hill Wellness.
Lidl
Finish back near Lidl, completing the loop.
10 roundabouts · 28 turns
28 roundabouts · 18 turns
6 roundabouts · 35 turns
28 roundabouts · 6 turns
This route is 27.0 km and takes about 24 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Sunderland test centre, not an official DVSA route.