Near Whitby test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 10 roundabouts and 22 turns across 43 navigation steps.
This is an independent 13.4 km practice loop near Whitby 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.
Along the way you'll meet Upgang Lane and Four Lane Ends. 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. 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 15 catalogued landmarks, including shops, churches, named junctions and pubs, 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 Whitby 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 43-step drive on real, named roads (about 13.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast on The Ropery.
The Ropery56 m
Turn right onto Green Lane.
Green Lane188 m
Turn left onto Spital Bridge.
Spital Bridge319 m
Turn right.
32 m
Turn right onto A171.
A1711.1 km
Turn left onto Chubb Hill Road/A174.
Chubb Hill Road298 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Sandsend/Saltburn.
14 m
Exit the roundabout towards Sandsend/Saltburn.
Upgang Lane381 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Upgang Lane/A174.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Upgang Lane/A174. Continue on A174.
A174687 m
Turn left onto Love Lane/B1416.
Love Lane538 m
Turn right onto Castle Road/B1460.
Castle Road233 m
Move left onto High Stakesby Road/B1416. Continue on B1416.
B1416571 m
Enter Four Lane Ends and take the 2nd exit towards Ruswarp/Sneaton.
Four Lane Ends24 m
Exit the roundabout towards Ruswarp/Sneaton.
B14161.2 km
Turn right towards Sleights/Pickering.
The Carrs1.1 km
Turn right.
47 m
Turn left.
15 m
Make a right U-turn.
15 m
Turn right.
47 m
Turn left onto The Carrs/B1410.
The Carrs1.1 km
Turn left onto High Street/B1416. Continue on B1416.
B14161.2 km
Enter Four Lane Ends and take the 2nd exit towards Sandsend/Saltburn.
Four Lane Ends32 m
Exit the roundabout towards Sandsend/Saltburn.
Stakesby Road22 m
Turn left onto Stakesby Road/B1416. Continue on B1416.
B1416552 m
Move right onto Castle Road/B1460. Continue on B1460.
B1460486 m
Turn right onto Abbeville Avenue.
Abbeville Avenue67 m
Turn right to stay on Abbeville Avenue.
Abbeville Avenue18 m
Turn left onto Oak Road.
Oak Road87 m
Turn left onto Laburnum Grove.
Laburnum Grove1 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Laburnum Grove.
Laburnum Grove1 m
Turn right onto Oak Road.
Oak Road87 m
Turn right onto Abbeville Avenue.
Abbeville Avenue18 m
Turn left to stay on Abbeville Avenue.
Abbeville Avenue67 m
Turn right onto Stakesby Road/B1460. Continue on B1460.
B1460637 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Chubb Hill Road/A174.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Chubb Hill Road/A174.
Chubb Hill Road301 m
Turn right onto Downdinner Hill/A174.
A1741.1 km
Turn left.
32 m
Turn left onto Spital Bridge.
Spital Bridge319 m
Turn right onto Green Lane.
Green Lane188 m
Turn left onto The Ropery.
The Ropery56 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Whitby · 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.
Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.
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 15 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Whitby Cheese Co.
Start near Whitby Cheese Co..
Harrison's Garage
Continue to Harrison's Garage.
Kingdom Hall Of Jehovahs Witnesses
Continue to Kingdom Hall Of Jehovahs Witnesses.
Upgang Lane
Continue to Upgang Lane, taking the junction with good observation.
Costcutter
Continue to Costcutter.
Gino's
Continue to Gino's.
Parade Fisheries
Continue to Parade Fisheries.
Rainbow
Continue to Rainbow.
Lidl
Continue to Lidl.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Four Lane Ends
Continue to Four Lane Ends, taking the junction with good observation.
Jackson's Butchers
Continue to Jackson's Butchers.
Bridge Inn
Continue to Bridge Inn.
Colin Duck Grocers & Off Licence
Continue to Colin Duck Grocers & Off Licence.
Fletcher And Woodhouse Ltd
Finish back near Fletcher And Woodhouse Ltd, completing the loop.
10 roundabouts · 15 turns
4 roundabouts · 12 turns
4 roundabouts · 22 turns
5 roundabouts · 10 turns
This route is 13.4 km and takes about 17 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Whitby test centre, not an official DVSA route.