Near Mallusk test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 14 roundabouts and 15 turns across 38 navigation steps.
This is an independent 25.5 km practice loop near Mallusk test centre, taking roughly 20 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 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 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 pubs, shops, parks and churches, 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 38-step drive on real, named roads (about 25.5 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 6th exit onto E 01/E 18.
Sandyknowes Roundabout386 m
Exit the roundabout onto E 01/E 18.
E 01505 m
Keep left to take M2.
M24.5 km
Take exit 2 onto A2.
Shore Road799 m
Make a sharp right towards A2.
Shore Road1.3 km
Turn left onto C32.
C32684 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Church Road.
5 m
Exit the roundabout onto Church Road.
Church Road231 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Mill Road.
96 m
Exit the roundabout onto Mill Road.
Mill Road508 m
Turn right onto Shore Road/A2.
Shore Road908 m
Make a sharp right towards A2.
Shore Road300 m
Turn left to take the M2 ramp.
M24.7 km
Keep left to take exit 4 to stay on E 01/E 18 towards Larne/Glengormley.
E 01594 m
Keep right to take A6.
E 0141 m
Enter Sandyknowes Roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A8(M)/E 01/E 18.
Sandyknowes Roundabout285 m
Exit the roundabout onto A8(M)/E 01/E 18.
A8(M)1.5 km
Enter Corr's Corner and take the 2nd exit onto A8/E 01/E 18.
Corr's Corner61 m
Exit the roundabout onto A8/E 01/E 18.
A81.3 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A8/E 01/E 18.
204 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 Road586 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 · Roundabout 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.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
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.
Jolly Beggar
Start near Jolly Beggar.
McAuley Tree Surgery | Belfast Tree Surgeons
Continue to McAuley Tree Surgery | Belfast Tree Surgeons.
a.g air & co
Continue to a.g air & co.
Greggs
Continue to Greggs.
Trevor & Menas
Continue to Trevor & Menas.
Bellevue Arms
Continue to Bellevue Arms.
T Tyres
Continue to T Tyres.
Fountain Bar
Continue to Fountain Bar.
Smooth Dry Cleaners
Continue to Smooth Dry Cleaners.
Patton Hire Centre Ltd
Continue to Patton Hire Centre Ltd.
Sofatime
Continue to Sofatime.
Screwfix
Continue to Screwfix.
Starplan Kitchens and Bedrooms
Continue to Starplan Kitchens and Bedrooms.
Decorator's Touch Belfast
Continue to Decorator's Touch Belfast.
Subway
Continue to Subway.
Dees Exhausts
Continue to Dees Exhausts.
Finlay Park
Continue to Finlay Park.
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
Continue to Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Corr's Corner
Continue to Corr's Corner, taking the junction with good observation.
Winemark
Finish back near Winemark, completing the loop.
16 turns
14 roundabouts · 30 turns
4 roundabouts · 27 turns
18 turns
This route is 25.5 km and takes about 20 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Mallusk test centre, not an official DVSA route.