Near Newry test centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 8 roundabouts and 24 turns across 41 navigation steps.
This is an independent 9.7 km practice loop near Newry test centre, taking roughly 16 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, churches, pubs 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 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 41-step drive on real, named roads (about 9.7 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 left onto Rathfriland Road/A25.
Rathfriland Road652 m
Turn right onto Upper Damolly Road.
Upper Damolly Road113 m
Turn left onto Chestnut Grove.
Chestnut Grove52 m
Turn right to stay on Chestnut Grove.
Chestnut Grove177 m
Turn left to stay on Chestnut Grove.
Chestnut Grove207 m
Turn right to stay on Chestnut Grove.
Chestnut Grove71 m
Turn left onto Ashgrove Avenue.
Ashgrove Avenue345 m
Turn left onto Ashgrove Road.
Ashgrove Road118 m
Turn left onto A28/Belfast Road. Continue on A28.
A28687 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A28/Downshire Road.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto A28/Downshire Road.
A2856 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A28/Trevor Hill.
13 m
Exit the roundabout onto A28/Trevor Hill.
A28424 m
Turn right onto Needham Bridge/A27.
A27470 m
Turn left onto Patrick Street/B79.
Patrick Street316 m
Turn right onto Dorans Hill/C218.
Dorans Hill351 m
Turn right onto Hillside Court.
Hillside Court7 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Hillside Court.
Hillside Court7 m
Turn left onto Dorans Hill/C218.
Dorans Hill351 m
Turn left onto Patrick Street/B79.
Patrick Street316 m
Turn left onto Monaghan Street/A25.
Monaghan Street70 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 5th exit onto Monaghan Street/A25.
56 m
Exit the roundabout onto Monaghan Street/A25.
Monaghan Street472 m
Turn left onto Merchants Quay/A2.
Merchants Quay241 m
Move left to stay on Merchants Quay/A2.
Merchants Quay23 m
Turn right onto Sugar Island/A2. Continue on A2.
A2158 m
Turn left onto A28/Trevor Hill.
A28195 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Sandys Street/A25.
21 m
Exit the roundabout onto Sandys Street/A25. Continue on A25.
A251.0 km
Turn left onto Upper Damolly Road.
Upper Damolly Road699 m
Turn left onto Ashfield Avenue.
Ashfield Avenue94 m
Turn left.
1 m
Make a right U-turn.
1 m
Turn right onto Ashfield Avenue.
Ashfield Avenue94 m
Turn right onto Upper Damolly Road.
Upper Damolly Road699 m
Turn left onto Rathfriland Road/A25.
Rathfriland Road652 m
Turn right.
48 m
Move left.
203 m
Turn right.
41 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Newry · 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.
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.
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.
Spar
Start near Spar.
McCabe's Furniture
Continue to McCabe's Furniture.
Raphael's
Continue to Raphael's.
Downshire Road Presbyterian Church
Continue to Downshire Road Presbyterian Church.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
McSwiggin's
Continue to McSwiggin's.
Bellini’s
Continue to Bellini’s.
Cobbles
Continue to Cobbles.
Gadget Garage
Continue to Gadget Garage.
D'Lux salon
Continue to D'Lux salon.
Southern Regional College
Continue to Southern Regional College.
Dolce Vita
Continue to Dolce Vita.
Human Resources
Continue to Human Resources.
Railway Bar
Continue to Railway Bar.
Iceland
Continue to Iceland.
Zip Yard
Continue to Zip Yard.
Joe Magee’s
Continue to Joe Magee’s.
Fairbairn Opticians
Continue to Fairbairn Opticians.
Brass Monkey
Continue to Brass Monkey.
Corry Park
Finish back near Corry Park, completing the loop.
8 roundabouts · 6 turns
10 roundabouts · 15 turns
2 roundabouts · 16 turns
5 roundabouts · 4 turns
This route is 9.7 km and takes about 16 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Newry test centre, not an official DVSA route.