Near Ballymena Test Centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 18 roundabouts and 13 turns across 36 navigation steps.
This is an independent 9.4 km practice loop near Ballymena Test Centre, taking roughly 10 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 Pennybridge Roundabout, Ballykeel Roundabout, Braidwater Roundabout, Old Antrim Mews and Larne Road 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 and 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 20 catalogued landmarks, including shops, named junctions, churches 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 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 36-step drive on real, named roads (about 9.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northwest on Pennybridge Industrial Estate.
Pennybridge Industrial Estate332 m
Turn right to stay on Pennybridge Industrial Estate.
Pennybridge Industrial Estate123 m
Turn right.
3 m
Turn left onto Larne Road.
Larne Road59 m
Enter Pennybridge Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Larne Road Link/A26.
Pennybridge Roundabout5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Larne Road Link/A26.
Larne Road Link352 m
Enter Ballykeel Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Larne Road Link/A26.
Ballykeel Roundabout27 m
Exit the roundabout onto Larne Road Link/A26.
Larne Road Link619 m
Enter Braidwater Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Larne Road Link/A26.
Braidwater Roundabout26 m
Exit the roundabout onto Larne Road Link/A26.
Larne Road Link434 m
Keep right to stay on A26.
A26474 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto North Road/A26.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto North Road/A26.
North Road111 m
Enter Audley Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto North Road/A26.
Audley Roundabout72 m
Exit the roundabout onto North Road/A26.
North Road108 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A26.
8 m
Exit the roundabout onto A26.
A26475 m
Turn right onto Larne Road Link/A26.
Larne Road Link50 m
Keep left to take Bridge Street/A523.
Bridge Street97 m
Move left onto Bridge Street/A523. Continue on A523.
A523307 m
Turn right onto Gilmore Street/A523.
Gilmore Street67 m
Turn left onto Queen Street/A523. Continue on A523.
A5231.6 km
Turn left onto Old Antrim Road.
Old Antrim Road342 m
Turn left onto Old Antrim Mews.
Old Antrim Mews51 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Old Antrim Mews.
49 m
Exit the roundabout onto Old Antrim Mews.
Old Antrim Mews51 m
Turn right onto Old Antrim Road.
Old Antrim Road343 m
Turn left onto Antrim Road/A523.
Antrim Road340 m
Enter Ballee Roundabout and take the 1st exit towards A26/M2/A36.
Ballee Roundabout25 m
Exit the roundabout towards A26/M2/A36.
A261.3 km
Take exit 10 onto A26 towards A36/Ballymena/Larne.
A26465 m
Enter Larne Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Ballee Road East.
Larne Road Roundabout45 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ballee Road East.
Ballee Road East444 m
Turn right onto Pennybridge Industrial Estate.
Pennybridge Industrial Estate161 m
Turn right to stay on Pennybridge Industrial Estate.
Pennybridge Industrial Estate439 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Ballymena Test Centre · 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.
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 Pennybridge Roundabout, Ballykeel Roundabout, Braidwater 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.
TrustFord
Start near TrustFord.
Pennybridge Roundabout
Continue to Pennybridge Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Ballykeel Roundabout
Continue to Ballykeel Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
Braidwater Roundabout
Continue to Braidwater Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Currys
Continue to Currys.
Halfords
Continue to Halfords.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Ballymena Methodist Church
Continue to Ballymena Methodist Church.
Kebab House
Continue to Kebab House.
Merchant
Continue to Merchant.
Dreams
Continue to Dreams.
Algram
Continue to Algram.
Moat Bar
Continue to Moat Bar.
Winemark
Continue to Winemark.
Donnelly and Taggart Dacia
Continue to Donnelly and Taggart Dacia.
Tabernacle
Continue to Tabernacle.
Old Antrim Mews
Continue to Old Antrim Mews, taking the junction with good observation.
Larne Road Roundabout
Continue to Larne Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Victory Praise Community Church
Finish back near Victory Praise Community Church, completing the loop.
16 roundabouts · 15 turns
12 roundabouts · 20 turns
36 roundabouts · 7 turns
14 roundabouts · 13 turns
This route is 9.4 km and takes about 10 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Ballymena Test Centre, not an official DVSA route.