Near Bangor test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 11 roundabouts, 13 turns and 1 signalled junction across 28 navigation steps.
This is an independent 53.8 km practice route near Bangor test centre, taking roughly 40 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 Llys y Gwynt Interchange, Caernarfon Road Interchange and Treborth 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, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads 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, schools and shops, 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 Bangor 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:
Road mix
The full 93-step drive on real, named roads (about 53.8 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive south.
211 m
Turn left.
270 m
Turn left.
287 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Ffordd Llandegai/A5.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ffordd Llandegai/A5.
Ffordd Llandegai314 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Ffordd Llandegai.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ffordd Llandegai.
Ffordd Llandegai1.3 km
Turn right onto Ponc y Lôn.
Ponc y Lôn929 m
Turn right onto Lon Ddwr.
Lon Ddwr638 m
Move left onto Ffordd Llandegai.
Ffordd Llandegai653 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Ffordd Llandegai/A5.
38 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ffordd Llandegai/A5.
Ffordd Llandegai314 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Ffordd Llandegai/A5.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ffordd Llandegai/A5. Continue on A5.
A51.5 km
Turn left onto High Street.
High Street26 m
Turn right to stay on High Street.
High Street21 m
Turn right onto Lon Glan Mor / Beach Road/A5. Continue on A5.
A51.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Ffordd Llandegai/A5.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ffordd Llandegai/A5.
Ffordd Llandegai314 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A5.
33 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5.
A5519 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A5.
14 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5.
A5887 m
Enter Llys y Gwynt Interchange and take the 2nd exit onto A5.
Llys y Gwynt Interchange137 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5.
A5164 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A5.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5.
A54.6 km
Turn left onto Adwy'r Nant.
Adwy'r Nant168 m
Turn right onto Garneddwen.
Garneddwen21 m
Move right onto Ffordd Pant.
Ffordd Pant234 m
Turn right onto A5/Stryd Fawr. Continue on A5.
A54.8 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A5.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto A5.
A5155 m
Enter Llys y Gwynt Interchange and take the 1st exit onto A55.
Llys y Gwynt Interchange4 m
Exit the roundabout onto A55/E 22/Gwibffordd Gogledd Cymru / North Wales Expressway.
A557.1 km
Take exit 8 onto A5025 towards Benllech/Amlwch.
A55273 m
Keep right to take exit 8 onto A5025 towards Benllech/Amlwch.
A5519 m
Turn left onto Lôn Pant.
Lôn Pant145 m
Turn right onto Lôn Refail.
Lôn Refail553 m
Turn left onto Ffordd Teifion.
Ffordd Teifion166 m
Turn right onto Lôn y Wylan.
Lôn y Wylan78 m
Turn right onto Lôn y Wennol.
Lôn y Wennol203 m
Turn right onto Ffordd Teifion.
Ffordd Teifion131 m
Turn right onto Lôn y Wylan.
Lôn y Wylan78 m
Turn right onto Lôn y Wennol.
Lôn y Wennol203 m
Turn left onto Ffordd Teifion.
Ffordd Teifion35 m
Turn right onto Lôn Refail.
Lôn Refail553 m
Turn left onto Lôn Pant.
Lôn Pant1.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Ffordd Penmynydd/B5420.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ffordd Penmynydd/B5420.
Ffordd Penmynydd1.1 km
Turn right.
1.4 km
Turn right onto Ffordd Pentraeth/A5025.
Ffordd Pentraeth1.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Pentraeth Road/B5420.
19 m
Exit the roundabout onto Pentraeth Road/B5420.
Pentraeth Road1.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Mona Road/A5.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Mona Road/A5.
Mona Road396 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Menai Bridge/A5.
37 m
Exit the roundabout onto Menai Bridge/A5.
Menai Bridge481 m
Turn left to stay on Menai Bridge/A5.
Menai Bridge111 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Ffordd Caergybi/A5.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ffordd Caergybi/A5.
Ffordd Caergybi976 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Ffordd Caergybi/A5.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ffordd Caergybi/A5.
Ffordd Caergybi1.2 km
Turn left onto Allt Glanrafon.
Allt Glanrafon39 m
Make a sharp right to stay on Allt Glanrafon.
Allt Glanrafon40 m
Turn right onto Ffordd Caergybi/A5.
Ffordd Caergybi1.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Ffordd Caergybi/A5.
23 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ffordd Caergybi/A5.
Ffordd Caergybi974 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Treborth Road/A487.
20 m
Exit the roundabout onto Treborth Road/A487.
Treborth Road1.6 km
Enter Treborth Road Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Treborth Road/A487.
Treborth Road Roundabout144 m
Exit the roundabout onto Treborth Road/A487.
Treborth Road1.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Ffordd Caergybi/A5.
54 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ffordd Caergybi/A5.
Ffordd Caergybi976 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Ffordd Caergybi/A5.
28 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ffordd Caergybi/A5. Continue on A5.
A51.7 km
Turn left onto Ffordd Deiniol/A5.
Ffordd Deiniol124 m
Move right onto Farrar Road/A5. Continue on A5.
A5320 m
Move right onto Station Road/B5107.
Station Road703 m
Turn right onto College Road.
College Road158 m
Turn right onto Stryd Deiniol.
Stryd Deiniol54 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Stryd Deiniol.
Stryd Deiniol54 m
Turn right onto College Road.
College Road432 m
Move right onto Upper Garth Road.
Upper Garth Road551 m
Turn right onto Castle View Terrace.
Castle View Terrace53 m
Turn left onto Garth Hill.
Garth Hill61 m
Turn right onto Lower Garth Road.
Lower Garth Road76 m
Turn left onto Lon Glan Mor / Beach Road/A5. Continue on A5.
A52.2 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Ffordd Llandegai/A5.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ffordd Llandegai/A5.
Ffordd Llandegai314 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Ffordd Llandegai.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ffordd Llandegai.
Ffordd Llandegai1.1 km
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Bangor · Route 5 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.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near 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 Treborth Road Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 17.1 km of this loop is dual carriageway. Build your speed on the slip road, take an effective rearward observation, and merge without forcing other traffic to brake.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 mph). Watch for repeater signs and adjust early, examiners mark you down for carrying the wrong speed into a new limit.
Residential streets
Narrow residential roads mean parked cars, pedestrians and reduced visibility. Cover the brake, keep your speed down and be ready to give way.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
St Cross Church
Start near St Cross Church.
Llys y Gwynt Interchange
Continue to Llys y Gwynt Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Canolfan Cefnfaes
Continue to Canolfan Cefnfaes.
Bethania
Continue to Bethania.
Asda Express
Continue to Asda Express.
Caernarfon Road Interchange
Continue to Caernarfon Road Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Four Crosses
Continue to Four Crosses.
Salon
Continue to Salon.
Bridge Inn
Continue to Bridge Inn.
Bangor University
Continue to Bangor University.
Eifionydd
Continue to Eifionydd.
Catholic Chaplaincy
Continue to Catholic Chaplaincy.
Penrallt Baptist Church
Continue to Penrallt Baptist Church.
Hiraethog
Continue to Hiraethog.
Treborth Road Roundabout
Continue to Treborth Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Antelope
Continue to Antelope.
Bangor
Continue to Bangor.
Bangor Morrisons
Continue to Bangor Morrisons.
Brigantia Building
Continue to Brigantia Building.
Capel y Fynnon
Finish back near Capel y Fynnon, completing the loop.
20 roundabouts · 9 turns
11 roundabouts · 12 turns · 3 sets of lights
8 roundabouts · 15 turns
7 roundabouts · 16 turns
This route is 53.8 km and takes about 40 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Bangor test centre, not an official DVSA route.