Near Newtownards test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 16 roundabouts and 3 turns across 21 navigation steps.
This is an independent 15.1 km practice loop near Newtownards test centre, taking roughly 13 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, Scrabo Road Roundabout, Frederick Street Roundabout and John Street 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 multiple roundabouts, 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 11 catalogued landmarks, including shops, named junctions 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 21-step drive on real, named roads (about 15.1 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 right onto Comber Road/A21.
Comber Road90 m
Enter Comber Road Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A20/Messines Road.
Comber Road Roundabout72 m
Exit the roundabout onto A20/Messines Road.
A201.4 km
Enter Scrabo Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A20/Blair Mayne Road South.
Scrabo Road Roundabout30 m
Exit the roundabout onto A20/Blair Mayne Road South.
A20266 m
Enter Kempe Stones Road Roundabout and take the 7th exit onto Nursery Road.
Kempe Stones Road Roundabout409 m
Exit the roundabout onto Nursery Road.
Nursery Road541 m
Enter Frederick Street Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto John Street.
Frederick Street Roundabout75 m
Exit the roundabout onto John Street.
John Street109 m
Enter John Street Roundabout and take the 1st exit onto John Street.
John Street Roundabout26 m
Exit the roundabout onto John Street.
John Street314 m
Turn right onto South Street/A21. Continue on A21.
A21778 m
Enter Comber Road Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A21/Comber Road.
Comber Road Roundabout40 m
Exit the roundabout onto A21/Comber Road. Continue on A21.
A214.6 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto A21/Newtownards Road.
101 m
Exit the roundabout onto A21/Newtownards Road. Continue on A21.
A214.6 km
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 · Roundabout 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.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
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 11 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.
Comber Road Roundabout
Continue to Comber Road Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
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.
Asda
Continue to Asda.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
McDonald's
Continue to McDonald's.
Frederick Street Roundabout
Continue to Frederick Street Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
John Street Roundabout
Continue to John Street Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Old Manor Mill
Continue to Old Manor Mill.
Scrabo Hall
Finish back near Scrabo Hall, completing the loop.
8 roundabouts · 16 turns
12 roundabouts · 4 turns
8 roundabouts · 15 turns
10 roundabouts · 13 turns
This route is 15.1 km and takes about 13 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Newtownards test centre, not an official DVSA route.