Near Newtownards test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 10 roundabouts and 13 turns across 31 navigation steps.
This is an independent 8.7 km practice loop near Newtownards test centre, taking roughly 11 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 Kempe Stones Road Roundabout, Scrabo Road Roundabout and Comber 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 and 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, stations, pubs 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 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 31-step drive on real, named roads (about 8.7 km). 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 Road736 m
Turn left onto Comber Road/A21. Continue on A21.
A21854 m
Turn left onto High Street/A20. Continue on A20.
A20170 m
Keep right to stay on A20.
A20345 m
Turn right onto William Street/C251.
William Street382 m
Turn right onto Talbot Street.
Talbot Street149 m
Turn left onto Glenbrook Road.
Glenbrook Road41 m
Turn right to stay on Glenbrook Road.
Glenbrook Road65 m
Turn right onto Talbot Street.
Talbot Street1.2 km
Enter Kempe Stones Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A20/Blair Mayne Road South.
Kempe Stones Road Roundabout74 m
Exit the roundabout onto A20/Blair Mayne Road South.
A20279 m
Enter Scrabo Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Scrabo Road.
Scrabo Road Roundabout3 m
Exit the roundabout onto Scrabo Road.
Scrabo Road50 m
Turn left.
6 m
Make a right U-turn.
6 m
Turn right onto Scrabo Road.
Scrabo Road48 m
Enter Scrabo Road Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto A20/Messines Road.
Scrabo Road Roundabout10 m
Exit the roundabout onto A20/Messines Road.
A201.4 km
Enter Comber Road Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A21/Comber Road.
Comber Road Roundabout100 m
Exit the roundabout onto A21/Comber Road.
A21671 m
Turn right onto Blenheim Drive.
Blenheim Drive206 m
Turn right onto Lancaster Walk.
Lancaster Walk40 m
Turn right to stay on Lancaster Walk.
Lancaster Walk42 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Lancaster Walk.
Lancaster Walk42 m
Turn left to stay on Lancaster Walk.
Lancaster Walk40 m
Turn left onto Blenheim Drive.
Blenheim Drive206 m
Turn left onto A21/Comber Road.
A21661 m
Enter Comber Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Comber Road/A21.
Comber Road Roundabout57 m
Exit the roundabout onto Comber Road/A21.
Comber Road93 m
Turn left onto Jubilee Road.
Jubilee Road736 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Newtownards · 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.
Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Kempe Stones Road Roundabout, Scrabo Road Roundabout, Comber Road 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.
North Down Motor Factors
Start near North Down Motor Factors.
Street Life
Continue to Street Life.
Ards Model Centre
Continue to Ards Model Centre.
Broadway
Continue to Broadway.
Knead Bakery
Continue to Knead Bakery.
School Days
Continue to School Days.
Newtownards Bus Station
Continue to Newtownards Bus Station.
Regency Gift House
Continue to Regency Gift House.
Regent Flooring
Continue to Regent Flooring.
Spirit Merchant
Continue to Spirit Merchant.
Beauty by Michelle
Continue to Beauty by Michelle.
Focus Print & Design
Continue to Focus Print & Design.
Saint Marks
Continue to Saint Marks.
John Dory's Fish & Chips
Continue to John Dory's Fish & Chips.
Sound Asleep
Continue to Sound Asleep.
Winebarrel
Continue to Winebarrel.
Kempe Stones Road Roundabout
Continue to Kempe Stones Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
Scrabo Road Roundabout
Continue to Scrabo Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Comber Road Roundabout
Finish back near Comber Road Roundabout, completing the loop.
8 roundabouts · 16 turns
12 roundabouts · 4 turns
8 roundabouts · 15 turns
16 roundabouts · 3 turns
This route is 8.7 km and takes about 11 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Newtownards test centre, not an official DVSA route.