Near Newtownards test centre
Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 12 roundabouts and 4 turns across 22 navigation steps.
This is an independent 18.3 km practice loop near Newtownards test centre, taking roughly 14 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 Comber Road Roundabout, Kempe Stones Road Roundabout and Scrabo Road 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 7 catalogued landmarks, including named junctions, shops 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 Newtownards 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 22-step drive on real, named roads. An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive east on Jubilee Road.
Jubilee Road
Turn right onto Comber Road/A21.
Comber Road
Enter Comber Road Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A20/Messines Road.
Comber Road Roundabout
Exit the roundabout onto A20/Messines Road.
A20
Enter Scrabo Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A20/Blair Mayne Road South.
Scrabo Road Roundabout
Exit the roundabout onto A20/Blair Mayne Road South.
A20
Enter Kempe Stones Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A20/Kempe Stones Road.
Kempe Stones Road Roundabout
Exit the roundabout onto A20/Kempe Stones Road.
A20
Turn left onto Ballyrainey Road/C266.
Ballyrainey Road
Turn right onto A22/Comber Road.
A22
You have arrived at your destination.
Drive southeast on A22/Comber Road.
A22
You have arrived at your destination.
Drive southeast on A22/Belfast Road. Continue on A22.
A22
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A21/Cherryvalley Line.
Exit the roundabout onto A21/Cherryvalley Line.
A21
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A21/Newtownards Road.
Exit the roundabout onto A21/Newtownards Road. Continue on A21.
A21
Enter Comber Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Comber Road/A21.
Comber Road Roundabout
Exit the roundabout onto Comber Road/A21.
Comber Road
Turn left onto Jubilee Road.
Jubilee Road
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Newtownards · 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.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Comber Road Roundabout, Kempe Stones Road Roundabout, Scrabo Road Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Navigate by these 7 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Comber Road Roundabout
Start near Comber Road Roundabout.
North Down Motor Factors
Continue to North Down Motor Factors.
Kempe Stones Road Roundabout
Continue to Kempe Stones Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Scrabo Road Roundabout
Continue to Scrabo Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Comber Fire Station
Continue to Comber Fire Station.
St Mary's Primary School
Continue to St Mary's Primary School.
St Mary’s Primary School
Finish back near St Mary’s Primary School, completing the loop.
8 roundabouts · 16 turns
8 roundabouts · 15 turns
16 roundabouts · 3 turns
10 roundabouts · 13 turns
This route is 18.3 km and takes about 14 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Newtownards test centre, not an official DVSA route.