Near Ballymena Test Centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 12 roundabouts and 20 turns across 52 navigation steps.
This is an independent 14.4 km practice loop near Ballymena 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 Larne Road Roundabout, Braidwater Roundabout, Ballykeel Roundabout and Pennybridge 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 multiple roundabouts, 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 churches, named junctions, shops 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 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 52-step drive on real, named roads (about 14.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive southeast on Pennybridge Industrial Estate.
Pennybridge Industrial Estate439 m
Turn left to stay on Pennybridge Industrial Estate.
Pennybridge Industrial Estate161 m
Turn left onto Ballee Road East.
Ballee Road East74 m
Keep left to stay on Ballee Road East.
Ballee Road East353 m
Enter Larne Road Roundabout and take the 6th exit onto A26.
Larne Road Roundabout610 m
Exit the roundabout onto A26.
A26117 m
Take exit 10 onto A26 towards Belfast/Antrim.
A26102 m
Take exit 10 onto A26 towards Belfast/Antrim.
A26112 m
Take exit 10 onto A26 towards Belfast/Antrim.
A26119 m
Take exit 10 onto A26 towards Belfast/Antrim.
A261.4 km
Enter Ballee Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Antrim Road/A523.
Ballee Roundabout199 m
Exit the roundabout onto Antrim Road/A523.
Antrim Road580 m
Turn right onto Ballee Way.
Ballee Way205 m
Turn right onto Drumtara.
Drumtara117 m
Turn right to stay on Drumtara.
Drumtara24 m
Turn left to stay on Drumtara.
Drumtara8 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Drumtara.
Drumtara8 m
Turn right to stay on Drumtara.
Drumtara24 m
Turn left to stay on Drumtara.
Drumtara117 m
Turn left onto Ballee Way.
Ballee Way206 m
Turn right onto Antrim Road/A523. Continue on A523.
A5231.6 km
Turn left onto Waveney Road/A523.
Waveney Road369 m
Turn left onto Galgorm Road/A42.
Galgorm Road353 m
Turn left onto Leighinmohr Avenue.
Leighinmohr Avenue114 m
Keep left to stay on Leighinmohr Avenue.
Leighinmohr Avenue247 m
Keep left to stay on Leighinmohr Avenue.
Leighinmohr Avenue317 m
Turn right to stay on Leighinmohr Avenue.
Leighinmohr Avenue14 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Leighinmohr Avenue.
Leighinmohr Avenue14 m
Turn left to stay on Leighinmohr Avenue.
Leighinmohr Avenue223 m
Keep left to stay on Leighinmohr Avenue.
Leighinmohr Avenue129 m
Keep left to stay on Leighinmohr Avenue.
Leighinmohr Avenue325 m
Turn right onto Galgorm Road/A42.
Galgorm Road635 m
Turn right onto A26.
A26743 m
Enter Braidwater Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Larne Road Link/A26.
Braidwater Roundabout39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Larne Road Link/A26.
Larne Road Link621 m
Enter Ballykeel Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Crebilly Road/C64.
Ballykeel Roundabout5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Crebilly Road/C64.
Crebilly Road782 m
Turn left onto Orkney Drive.
Orkney Drive478 m
Move left.
85 m
Turn left onto Orkney Drive.
Orkney Drive70 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Orkney Drive.
Orkney Drive70 m
Turn right.
86 m
Move right onto Orkney Drive.
Orkney Drive477 m
Turn right onto Crebilly Road/C64.
Crebilly Road784 m
Enter Ballykeel Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Larne Road Link/A26.
Ballykeel Roundabout3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Larne Road Link/A26.
Larne Road Link351 m
Enter Pennybridge Roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
Pennybridge Roundabout56 m
Exit the roundabout onto Larne Road.
Larne Road46 m
Move right.
30 m
Move left onto Pennybridge Industrial Estate.
Pennybridge Industrial Estate102 m
Turn left to stay on Pennybridge Industrial Estate.
Pennybridge Industrial Estate332 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Ballymena Test Centre · Residential 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Larne Road Roundabout, Braidwater 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.
Victory Praise Community Church
Start near Victory Praise Community Church.
Larne Road Roundabout
Continue to Larne Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Tabernacle
Continue to Tabernacle.
Donnelly and Taggart Dacia
Continue to Donnelly and Taggart Dacia.
Phoenix
Continue to Phoenix.
Arbuckle and Calderwood
Continue to Arbuckle and Calderwood.
Algram
Continue to Algram.
Ballymena Fire Station & Northern Area Headquarters
Continue to Ballymena Fire Station & Northern Area Headquarters.
Ballymena Bus Station
Continue to Ballymena Bus Station.
Smithfield Arms
Continue to Smithfield Arms.
Kwik Fit
Continue to Kwik Fit.
St Patrick's Parish Church
Continue to St Patrick's Parish Church.
Braidwater Roundabout
Continue to Braidwater Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Ballykeel Roundabout
Continue to Ballykeel Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
W.Allen Meats
Continue to W.Allen Meats.
Mace
Continue to Mace.
Ballykeel Pentecostal Church
Continue to Ballykeel Pentecostal Church.
Pennybridge Roundabout
Continue to Pennybridge Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Beggs and Partners
Continue to Beggs and Partners.
Curtis Toyota
Finish back near Curtis Toyota, completing the loop.
16 roundabouts · 15 turns
36 roundabouts · 7 turns
18 roundabouts · 13 turns
14 roundabouts · 13 turns
This route is 14.4 km and takes about 17 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Ballymena Test Centre, not an official DVSA route.