Near Newry test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 10 roundabouts and 15 turns across 33 navigation steps.
This is an independent 12.2 km practice loop near Newry test centre, taking roughly 15 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 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 33-step drive on real, named roads (about 12.2 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. Continue on A25.
A251.7 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A28/Trevor Hill.
9 m
Exit the roundabout onto A28/Trevor Hill.
A28424 m
Turn right onto Needham Bridge/A27.
A27540 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Upper Edward Street/B79.
41 m
Exit the roundabout onto Upper Edward Street/B79. Continue on B79.
B79321 m
Turn left onto Maginnis Street.
Maginnis Street63 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Maginnis Street.
Maginnis Street63 m
Turn left onto Corry Square/B79. Continue on B79.
B79217 m
Turn left onto Merchants Quay/A2.
Merchants Quay53 m
Move left to stay on Merchants Quay/A2.
Merchants Quay23 m
Turn right onto Sugar Island/A2.
A2780 m
Make a right U-turn onto A28.
A28100 m
Turn left.
22 m
Turn right onto Saint Colman's Park.
Saint Colman's Park8 m
Turn right to stay on Saint Colman's Park.
Saint Colman's Park21 m
Turn left onto A28.
A28728 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.
A252.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Hilltown Road/B8.
35 m
Exit the roundabout onto Hilltown Road/B8. Continue on B8.
B82.0 km
Turn right onto Derryleckagh Road/C334.
Derryleckagh Road130 m
Turn right onto Clanrye Terrace.
Clanrye Terrace48 m
Turn right onto Ballyholland Road.
Ballyholland Road38 m
Turn left onto Derryleckagh Road/C334.
Derryleckagh Road89 m
Turn left onto Hilltown Road/B8. Continue on B8.
B82.0 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Rathfriland Road/A25.
39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Rathfriland Road/A25.
Rathfriland Road342 m
Turn left.
48 m
Move left.
203 m
Turn right.
41 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Newry · 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.
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.
Ginger Jane's
Continue to Ginger Jane's.
Salvation Army
Continue to Salvation Army.
Bellini’s
Continue to Bellini’s.
Cobbles
Continue to Cobbles.
Mace
Continue to Mace.
Nail City
Continue to Nail City.
Human Resources
Continue to Human Resources.
McGuigan’s
Continue to McGuigan’s.
McClelland Park
Continue to McClelland Park.
Newry Metropolitan Church
Continue to Newry Metropolitan Church.
LilyWhites
Continue to LilyWhites.
Bridge Bar
Continue to Bridge Bar.
McSwiggin's
Continue to McSwiggin's.
Irish National Foresters
Continue to Irish National Foresters.
Newry U3A
Continue to Newry U3A.
Croziers
Continue to Croziers.
Phoenix
Continue to Phoenix.
Corry Park
Continue to Corry Park.
Hillview Motors
Finish back near Hillview Motors, completing the loop.
8 roundabouts · 6 turns
2 roundabouts · 16 turns
8 roundabouts · 24 turns
5 roundabouts · 4 turns
This route is 12.2 km and takes about 15 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Newry test centre, not an official DVSA route.