Near Newry test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts and 6 turns across 17 navigation steps.
This is an independent 21.0 km practice loop near Newry 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 Sheepbridge Roundabout and Cloghogue 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 shops, named junctions, churches and parks, 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 Newry 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 17-step drive on real, named roads (about 21.0 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north.
133 m
Turn right onto Rathfriland Road/A25.
Rathfriland Road341 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Rathfriland Road/A25.
17 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rathfriland Road/A25.
Rathfriland Road2.5 km
Turn left onto Turmore Road/C339.
Turmore Road2.6 km
Turn left onto Belfast Road.
Belfast Road1.1 km
Enter Sheepbridge Roundabout and take the 2nd exit.
Sheepbridge Roundabout70 m
Exit the roundabout onto A1/E 01/Newry Bypass.
A18.4 km
Take the Newry South exit onto A2 towards Newry/Warrenpoint/Forkhill/Mourne coustal route.
421 m
Enter Cloghogue Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A2.
Cloghogue Roundabout6 m
Exit the roundabout onto A2.
A23.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Sandys Street/A25.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sandys Street/A25. Continue on A25.
A251.7 km
Turn right.
48 m
Move left.
203 m
Turn right.
41 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Newry · Dual-carriageway 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.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
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.
Roundabout
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Sheepbridge Roundabout, Cloghogue 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.
Hillview Motors
Start near Hillview Motors.
Sheepbridge Roundabout
Continue to Sheepbridge Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Volvo Trucks
Continue to Volvo Trucks.
Cloghogue Roundabout
Continue to Cloghogue Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Continue to Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
Pet Connection
Continue to Pet Connection.
SuperValu
Continue to SuperValu.
St Mary of the Assumption
Continue to St Mary of the Assumption.
First Presbyterian
Continue to First Presbyterian.
Fisher Park
Continue to Fisher Park.
Irish National Foresters
Continue to Irish National Foresters.
Newry U3A
Continue to Newry U3A.
St Colmans Park
Continue to St Colmans Park.
Bank Bar
Continue to Bank Bar.
Brass Monkey
Continue to Brass Monkey.
Bridge Bar
Continue to Bridge Bar.
Ginger Jane's
Continue to Ginger Jane's.
Phoenix
Continue to Phoenix.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Spar
Finish back near Spar, completing the loop.
10 roundabouts · 15 turns
2 roundabouts · 16 turns
8 roundabouts · 24 turns
5 roundabouts · 4 turns
This route is 21.0 km and takes about 17 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Newry test centre, not an official DVSA route.