Near Larne test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts and 27 turns across 55 navigation steps.
This is an independent 15.3 km practice loop near Larne 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 Antiville Roundabout and Circular 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 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 named junctions, shops, 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 Larne 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 55-step drive on real, named roads (about 15.5 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northeast on Ballyloran Industrial Estate.
Ballyloran Industrial Estate118 m
Turn right onto Ballyboley Road.
Ballyboley Road313 m
Turn left onto Donaghy's Lane.
Donaghy's Lane99 m
Turn right onto Antiville Road.
Antiville Road57 m
Turn left to stay on Antiville Road.
Antiville Road39 m
Enter Antiville Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A8/E 01/E 18/Ballymena Road.
Antiville Roundabout8 m
Exit the roundabout onto A8/E 01/E 18/Ballymena Road. Continue on A8/E 01/E 18.
A81.7 km
Take the exit.
175 m
Enter Circular Road Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Circular Road/A2.
Circular Road Roundabout136 m
Exit the roundabout onto Circular Road/A2.
Circular Road146 m
Keep right to stay on A2.
A2644 m
Turn left onto Newington Avenue.
Newington Avenue218 m
Turn right onto Upper Waterloo Road.
Upper Waterloo Road262 m
Keep right to stay on Upper Waterloo Road.
Upper Waterloo Road48 m
Turn left onto Recreation Road.
Recreation Road177 m
Turn left onto Slemish Drive.
Slemish Drive80 m
Turn left onto Ferris Avenue.
Ferris Avenue334 m
Turn left onto Greenland Drive.
Greenland Drive79 m
Turn right onto Lower Waterloo Road.
Lower Waterloo Road130 m
Turn right onto Old Glenarm Road/C72.
Old Glenarm Road235 m
Keep right to stay on Old Glenarm Road/C72.
Old Glenarm Road250 m
Keep left to stay on Old Glenarm Road/C72.
Old Glenarm Road880 m
Turn left onto Ballycraigy Road.
Ballycraigy Road965 m
Move right onto Killyglen Road.
Killyglen Road268 m
Keep left to stay on Killyglen Road.
Killyglen Road608 m
Turn left onto Killyglen Link.
Killyglen Link162 m
Turn right onto Walnut Avenue.
Walnut Avenue10 m
Keep left to stay on Walnut Avenue.
Walnut Avenue307 m
Turn left onto Walnut Gardens.
Walnut Gardens155 m
Make a right U-turn onto Walnut Close.
Walnut Close146 m
Turn right onto Walnut Gardens.
Walnut Gardens327 m
Turn left onto Killyglen Link.
Killyglen Link162 m
Turn left onto Killyglen Road.
Killyglen Road35 m
Keep left to stay on Killyglen Road.
Killyglen Road1.3 km
Turn left onto Ballymullock Road/B148.
Ballymullock Road72 m
Keep right to stay on Ballymullock Road/B148.
Ballymullock Road460 m
Keep left to stay on Ballymullock Road/B148.
Ballymullock Road1.3 km
Turn left onto Ballyhampton Road North.
Ballyhampton Road North134 m
Keep straight to stay on Ballyhampton Road North.
Ballyhampton Road North140 m
Keep right to stay on Ballyhampton Road North.
Ballyhampton Road North416 m
Turn left onto Ballyhampton Road.
Ballyhampton Road99 m
Keep left to stay on Ballyhampton Road.
Ballyhampton Road103 m
Keep left to stay on Ballyhampton Road.
Ballyhampton Road364 m
Turn right.
226 m
Turn left onto Graham Road.
Graham Road212 m
Turn right onto Molyneaux Avenue.
Molyneaux Avenue201 m
Turn left to stay on Molyneaux Avenue.
Molyneaux Avenue23 m
Keep left to stay on Molyneaux Avenue.
Molyneaux Avenue23 m
Turn right to stay on Molyneaux Avenue.
Molyneaux Avenue201 m
Turn left onto Graham Road.
Graham Road22 m
Turn right onto Gordonvale Drive.
Gordonvale Drive214 m
Turn left onto Gordonstown Avenue.
Gordonstown Avenue80 m
Turn right onto Ballyhampton Road.
Ballyhampton Road558 m
Turn left onto Ballyloran Industrial Estate.
Ballyloran Industrial Estate118 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Larne · 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Antiville Roundabout, Circular Road 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.
Antiville Roundabout
Start near Antiville Roundabout.
Station Rd Chippy
Continue to Station Rd Chippy.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
CarNET Car Sales
Continue to CarNET Car Sales.
Circular Road Roundabout
Continue to Circular Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Larne Methodist Church
Continue to Larne Methodist Church.
R. A. Glass Associates
Continue to R. A. Glass Associates.
Robin Son's Furniture & Gifts
Continue to Robin Son's Furniture & Gifts.
24Hr Laundry
Continue to 24Hr Laundry.
Cutting Crew
Continue to Cutting Crew.
Graham's
Continue to Graham's.
Reid's Today Local
Continue to Reid's Today Local.
Square Chippy
Continue to Square Chippy.
Modern Tyres
Continue to Modern Tyres.
China Garden
Continue to China Garden.
Larne Mission Hall Fellowship
Continue to Larne Mission Hall Fellowship.
Ruby's Bar
Continue to Ruby's Bar.
Shekinah Christian Centre
Continue to Shekinah Christian Centre.
Viking Chippy
Continue to Viking Chippy.
Craigy Hill Methodist Church
Finish back near Craigy Hill Methodist Church, completing the loop.
21 roundabouts · 7 turns
24 turns
10 roundabouts · 11 turns
6 roundabouts · 18 turns
This route is 15.3 km and takes about 17 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Larne test centre, not an official DVSA route.