Near Mallusk test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 14 roundabouts and 30 turns across 50 navigation steps.
This is an independent 14.5 km practice loop near Mallusk 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 Manse Road Roundabout and Corr's Corner. 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 shops, pubs, churches and named junctions, 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 Mallusk 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 50-step drive on real, named roads (about 14.5 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northwest on Commercial Way.
Commercial Way82 m
Turn left onto Michelin Road.
Michelin Road80 m
Turn right onto Trench Road.
Trench Road266 m
Turn left onto Cloughmore Road.
Cloughmore Road204 m
Turn left onto Mallusk Road/B95.
Mallusk Road520 m
Turn left onto Scullions Road/B95.
Scullions Road527 m
Enter Sandyknowes Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Ballyhenry Road/B90.
Sandyknowes Roundabout278 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ballyhenry Road/B90.
Ballyhenry Road897 m
Turn left onto Glencroft Road.
Glencroft Road72 m
Turn right onto Glencroft Gardens.
Glencroft Gardens59 m
Turn left to stay on Glencroft Gardens.
Glencroft Gardens26 m
Turn right to stay on Glencroft Gardens.
Glencroft Gardens3 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Glencroft Gardens.
Glencroft Gardens3 m
Turn left to stay on Glencroft Gardens.
Glencroft Gardens26 m
Turn right to stay on Glencroft Gardens.
Glencroft Gardens59 m
Turn left onto Glencroft Road.
Glencroft Road72 m
Turn left onto Ballyhenry Road/B90.
Ballyhenry Road186 m
Enter Manse Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Manse Road/B90.
Manse Road Roundabout18 m
Exit the roundabout onto Manse Road/B90.
Manse Road136 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Manse Road/B90.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Manse Road/B90.
Manse Road883 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Carnmoney Road North/C31.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Carnmoney Road North/C31.
Carnmoney Road North950 m
Turn left onto Doagh Road/B59.
Doagh Road1.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A8/E 01/E 18.
4 m
Exit the roundabout onto A8/E 01/E 18.
A81.3 km
Enter Corr's Corner and take the 3rd exit onto A8(M)/E 01/E 18.
Corr's Corner76 m
Exit the roundabout onto A8(M)/E 01/E 18.
A8(M)1.5 km
Enter Sandyknowes Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Scullions Road/B95.
Sandyknowes Roundabout228 m
Exit the roundabout onto Scullions Road/B95.
Scullions Road475 m
Move left.
30 m
Turn right onto Mallusk Road/B95.
Mallusk Road17 m
Turn left onto Scullions Road/B95.
Scullions Road694 m
Turn right onto Aylesbury Place.
Aylesbury Place287 m
Turn right onto Blackrock Walk.
Blackrock Walk51 m
Turn left onto Blackrock Row.
Blackrock Row311 m
Turn left onto Blackrock Close.
Blackrock Close40 m
Turn left to stay on Blackrock Close.
Blackrock Close11 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Blackrock Close.
Blackrock Close11 m
Turn right to stay on Blackrock Close.
Blackrock Close40 m
Turn right onto Blackrock Row.
Blackrock Row311 m
Turn right onto Blackrock Walk.
Blackrock Walk51 m
Turn left onto Blackrock Boulevard.
Blackrock Boulevard287 m
Turn left onto Mayfield Link.
Mayfield Link685 m
Turn left onto Mallusk Road/B95.
Mallusk Road569 m
Turn right onto Cloughmore Road.
Cloughmore Road204 m
Turn right onto Trench Road.
Trench Road266 m
Turn left onto Michelin Road.
Michelin Road80 m
Turn right onto Commercial Way.
Commercial Way82 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Mallusk · Residential + A-road 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 Manse 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.
McAuley Tree Surgery | Belfast Tree Surgeons
Start near McAuley Tree Surgery | Belfast Tree Surgeons.
Mallusk Bodyworks
Continue to Mallusk Bodyworks.
W Hall Limited - The Forklift Centre
Continue to W Hall Limited - The Forklift Centre.
a.g air & co
Continue to a.g air & co.
Ashers
Continue to Ashers.
Centra
Continue to Centra.
Jade House
Continue to Jade House.
Jolly Beggar
Continue to Jolly Beggar.
Mace Express
Continue to Mace Express.
Mallusk Barbers
Continue to Mallusk Barbers.
Philip White Tyres
Continue to Philip White Tyres.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Renault Trucks
Continue to Renault Trucks.
TrustFord
Continue to TrustFord.
Ballyhenry Presbyterian Church
Continue to Ballyhenry Presbyterian Church.
Manse Road Roundabout
Continue to Manse Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Today's Local
Continue to Today's Local.
Corr's Corner
Continue to Corr's Corner, taking the junction with good observation.
J&F Group
Continue to J&F Group.
Winemark
Finish back near Winemark, completing the loop.
14 roundabouts · 15 turns
16 turns
4 roundabouts · 27 turns
18 turns
This route is 14.5 km and takes about 17 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Mallusk test centre, not an official DVSA route.