Near Ballymena Test Centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 14 roundabouts and 13 turns across 37 navigation steps.
This is an independent 9.4 km practice loop near Ballymena Test Centre, taking roughly 12 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 Ballykeel Roundabout, Braidwater 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 roundabout approach & exit 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 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 37-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 left to take A523.
A523476 m
Turn left onto Galgorm Road/A42.
Galgorm Road796 m
Turn left onto Cambridge Avenue.
Cambridge Avenue475 m
Turn right onto Grangewood Avenue.
Grangewood Avenue64 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Grangewood Avenue.
Grangewood Avenue64 m
Turn left onto Grangegorm Drive.
Grangegorm Drive475 m
Turn right onto Galgorm Road/A42.
Galgorm Road1.1 km
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 Road637 m
Turn left onto Shetland Gardens.
Shetland Gardens42 m
Turn right.
35 m
Turn left onto Shetland Gardens.
Shetland Gardens110 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Shetland Gardens.
Shetland Gardens110 m
Turn right.
35 m
Turn left onto Shetland Gardens.
Shetland Gardens42 m
Turn right onto Crebilly Road/C64.
Crebilly Road638 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 3rd exit onto Larne Road.
Pennybridge Roundabout57 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 · School-zone 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 Ballykeel Roundabout, Braidwater Roundabout, Pennybridge 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.
Curtis Toyota
Start near Curtis Toyota.
TrustFord
Continue to TrustFord.
Village Floors
Continue to Village Floors.
Ballykeel Roundabout
Continue to Ballykeel Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Sainsbury's
Continue to Sainsbury's.
Currys
Continue to Currys.
Poundstretcher
Continue to Poundstretcher.
Ballymena Fire Station & Northern Area Headquarters
Continue to Ballymena Fire Station & Northern Area Headquarters.
Ballymena Gospel Hall
Continue to Ballymena Gospel Hall.
Ballymena Bus Station
Continue to Ballymena Bus Station.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Smithfield Arms
Continue to Smithfield Arms.
Kwik Fit
Continue to Kwik Fit.
Merchant
Continue to Merchant.
St Patrick's Parish Church
Continue to St Patrick's Parish Church.
Braidwater Roundabout
Continue to Braidwater Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
W.Allen Meats
Continue to W.Allen Meats.
Pennybridge Roundabout
Continue to Pennybridge Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Curtis Peugeot
Finish back near Curtis Peugeot, completing the loop.
16 roundabouts · 15 turns
12 roundabouts · 20 turns
36 roundabouts · 7 turns
18 roundabouts · 13 turns
This route is 9.4 km and takes about 12 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Ballymena Test Centre, not an official DVSA route.