Near Mallusk test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 4 roundabouts and 27 turns across 42 navigation steps.
This is an independent 8.3 km practice loop near Mallusk test centre, taking roughly 11 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.
On this route you’ll practise 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, pubs, churches and schools, 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 42-step drive on real, named roads (about 9.2 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 Road77 m
Keep right to stay on Trench Road.
Trench Road188 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 Road168 m
Keep right to stay on Scullions Road/B95.
Scullions Road358 m
Enter Sandyknowes Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Ballyhenry Road/B90.
Sandyknowes Roundabout278 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ballyhenry Road/B90.
Ballyhenry Road313 m
Turn right onto Dorchester Drive.
Dorchester Drive182 m
Turn left onto Dorchester Avenue.
Dorchester Avenue62 m
Turn right onto Dorchester Gardens.
Dorchester Gardens52 m
Turn left.
63 m
Make a right U-turn.
63 m
Turn right onto Dorchester Gardens.
Dorchester Gardens52 m
Turn left onto Dorchester Avenue.
Dorchester Avenue62 m
Turn right onto Dorchester Drive.
Dorchester Drive101 m
Turn left to stay on Dorchester Drive.
Dorchester Drive81 m
Turn left onto Ballyhenry Road/B90.
Ballyhenry Road315 m
Enter Sandyknowes Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Scullions Road/B95.
Sandyknowes Roundabout177 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 Road418 m
Turn right onto Aylesbury Avenue.
Aylesbury Avenue72 m
Turn left to stay on Aylesbury Avenue.
Aylesbury Avenue295 m
Turn left onto Aylesbury Place.
Aylesbury Place84 m
Turn left onto Mayfield Link.
Mayfield Link685 m
Turn left.
41 m
Move right.
8 m
Move left onto Mallusk Road/B95.
Mallusk Road1.5 km
Turn left onto Tudor Park.
Tudor Park149 m
Turn left to stay on Tudor Park.
Tudor Park101 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Tudor Park.
Tudor Park101 m
Turn right to stay on Tudor Park.
Tudor Park149 m
Turn right onto Mallusk Road/B95.
Mallusk Road987 m
Turn left 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 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.
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.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Mallusk Bodyworks
Start near Mallusk Bodyworks.
McAuley Tree Surgery | Belfast Tree Surgeons
Continue to McAuley Tree Surgery | Belfast Tree Surgeons.
Philip White Tyres
Continue to Philip White Tyres.
A. McLeod
Continue to A. McLeod.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Jolly Beggar
Continue to Jolly Beggar.
Mace Express
Continue to Mace Express.
Renault Trucks
Continue to Renault Trucks.
TrustFord
Continue to TrustFord.
J&F Group
Continue to J&F Group.
Winemark
Continue to Winemark.
W Hall Limited - The Forklift Centre
Continue to W Hall Limited - The Forklift Centre.
MBNI Truck & Van
Continue to MBNI Truck & Van.
Mitsubishi
Continue to Mitsubishi.
Spar
Continue to Spar.
Costcutter
Continue to Costcutter.
Magowan Tyres
Continue to Magowan Tyres.
Hyde Park Presbyterian Church
Continue to Hyde Park Presbyterian Church.
Village Quarter
Continue to Village Quarter.
Academy Sports and Community Hub
Finish back near Academy Sports and Community Hub, completing the loop.
14 roundabouts · 15 turns
16 turns
14 roundabouts · 30 turns
18 turns
This route is 8.3 km and takes about 11 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Mallusk test centre, not an official DVSA route.