Near Ballymena Test Centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 16 roundabouts and 15 turns across 44 navigation steps.
This is an independent 24.5 km practice loop near Ballymena Test Centre, taking roughly 21 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 Larne Road Roundabout, Old Antrim Mews, Pennybridge Roundabout and Ballykeel 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 20 catalogued landmarks, including shops, churches and named junctions, 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 Ballymena 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. An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast on Pennybridge Industrial Estate.
Pennybridge Industrial Estate
Turn left to stay on Pennybridge Industrial Estate.
Pennybridge Industrial Estate
Turn left onto Ballee Road East.
Ballee Road East
Enter Larne Road Roundabout and take the 6th exit onto A26.
Larne Road Roundabout
Exit the roundabout onto A26/Ballymena Bypass.
A26
Enter Ballee Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Antrim Road/A523.
Ballee Roundabout
Exit the roundabout onto Antrim Road/A523.
Antrim Road
Turn right onto Old Antrim Road.
Old Antrim Road
You have arrived at your destination.
Drive northwest on Old Antrim Road.
Old Antrim Road
Turn left onto Antrim Road/A523.
Antrim Road
Enter Ballee Roundabout and take the 1st exit toward A26/M2/A36.
Ballee Roundabout
Exit the roundabout toward A26/M2/A36.
Ballymena Bypass
Take exit 11 onto A42 toward A43/Ballymena/Broughshane/Cushendall.
Turn right onto Broughshane Road/A42. Continue on A42.
A42
Turn left onto Knockan Road/B94.
Knockan Road
Turn left onto Ballygarvey Road/C63.
Ballygarvey Road
You have arrived at your destination.
Drive northeast on Ballygarvey Road/C63.
Ballygarvey Road
Turn right onto Knockan Road/B94.
Knockan Road
Turn right onto Raceview Road/A42. Continue on A42.
A42
Take exit 11 onto M2 toward Belfast/Antrim.
M2
Take exit 10 onto A26 toward A36/Ballymena/Larne.
M2
Enter Larne Road Roundabout and take the 6th exit toward A26/Ballymena town centre/The Braid.
Larne Road Roundabout
Exit the roundabout toward A26/Ballymena town centre/The Braid.
Larne Road Link
Keep right to stay on Larne Road Link/A26.
Larne Road Link
Enter Pennybridge Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Larne Road Link/A26.
Pennybridge Roundabout
Exit the roundabout onto Larne Road Link/A26.
Larne Road Link
Enter Ballykeel Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Crebilly Road/C64.
Ballykeel Roundabout
Exit the roundabout onto Crebilly Road/C64.
Crebilly Road
Turn right onto Meadowvale.
Meadowvale
Turn right to stay on Meadowvale.
Meadowvale
You have arrived at your destination.
Drive southeast on Meadowvale.
Meadowvale
Turn left to stay on Meadowvale.
Meadowvale
Turn left onto Crebilly Road/C64.
Crebilly Road
Enter Ballykeel Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Larne Road Link/A26.
Ballykeel Roundabout
Exit the roundabout onto Larne Road Link/A26.
Larne Road Link
Enter Pennybridge Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Larne Road.
Pennybridge Roundabout
Exit the roundabout onto Larne Road.
Larne Road
Bear right.
Bear left onto Pennybridge Industrial Estate.
Pennybridge Industrial Estate
Turn left to stay on Pennybridge Industrial Estate.
Pennybridge Industrial Estate
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Ballymena Test Centre · 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.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Larne Road Roundabout, Pennybridge Roundabout, Ballykeel Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
GS Motorcycles
Start near GS Motorcycles.
Victory Praise Community Church
Continue to Victory Praise Community Church.
Wilsons
Continue to Wilsons.
Larne Road Roundabout
Continue to Larne Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Donnelly and Taggart Dacia
Continue to Donnelly and Taggart Dacia.
Donnelly and Taggart Renault
Continue to Donnelly and Taggart Renault.
Donnelly & Taggart Honda
Continue to Donnelly & Taggart Honda.
Tabernacle
Continue to Tabernacle.
Old Antrim Mews
Continue to Old Antrim Mews, taking the junction with good observation.
Broughshane Second Presbyterian Church
Continue to Broughshane Second Presbyterian Church.
Walter Youngs
Continue to Walter Youngs.
Edwin May Volkswagen
Continue to Edwin May Volkswagen.
Pennybridge Roundabout
Continue to Pennybridge Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
TrustFord
Continue to TrustFord.
Ballykeel Roundabout
Continue to Ballykeel Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Beggs and Partners
Continue to Beggs and Partners.
Village Floors
Continue to Village Floors.
Walter S Mercer
Continue to Walter S Mercer.
Curtis Peugeot
Continue to Curtis Peugeot.
Curtis Toyota
Finish back near Curtis Toyota, completing the loop.
12 roundabouts · 20 turns
36 roundabouts · 7 turns
18 roundabouts · 13 turns
14 roundabouts · 13 turns
This route is 24.5 km and takes about 21 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Ballymena Test Centre, not an official DVSA route.