The A44 is a major road in the United Kingdom that runs from Oxford in southern England to Aberystwyth in west Wales.

A44 shield
A44
Route information
Maintained by English local authorities and North & Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent
Length154.3 mi[1][2] (248.3 km)
Major junctions
East end A40 in Oxford
Major intersections A34 in Oxford

A429 in Moreton-in-Marsh
A46 in Evesham
A422 near Worcester
A38 in Worcester
A49 near Leominster
A483 at Crossgates

A470 in Rhayader
West end A487 in Aberystwyth
Location
CountryUnited Kingdom
CountiesEngland:
Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire
Wales:
Powys, Ceredigion
Primary
destinations
Woodstock
Chipping Norton
Moreton-in-Marsh
Evesham
Worcester
Bromyard
Leominster
Kington
Old Radnor
Rhayader
Llangurig
Road network
A43 A45

History

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The original (1923) route of the A44 was Chipping Norton to Aberystwyth. No changes were made to the route of the A44 in the early years. After the Second World War, the section between Rhayader and Llangurig was renumbered A470, as part of the 186 miles (299 km) long road in Wales that connects Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. The A44 was extended to Oxford in the 1990s, replacing part of the A34 when the M40 motorway was completed.

Route

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Oxford–Evesham

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The road begins at a roundabout junction with the A40 road on the northern section of Oxford's ring road in Oxfordshire. It has a grade separated junction with the A34 road (leading to the M40 motorway and Winchester). From here, the road runs northwest, and has a 2-mile (3.2 km) section of dual-carriageway through the villages of Yarnton and Begbroke before reaching the town of Woodstock, home to Blenheim Palace. The road then reaches the main market street in Chipping Norton before entering the Cotswolds. The road here has many hills and turns, and is single-carriageway with some tight bends, with not much opportunity for overtaking.

The road then enters Gloucestershire, and the town of Moreton in Marsh, before sweeping up through woodland until it reaches Fish Hill near Broadway in Worcestershire. At this point, it becomes 3-lane and descends steeply through some sharp bends. It then bypasses Broadway before meeting up with the A46/A435 Evesham bypass.

Evesham–Leominster

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On reaching the northern end of the Evesham bypass the A44 heads northwest, passing Wyre Piddle and the town of Pershore before reaching the crossroads near Spetchley. The road then crosses the M5 motorway and onto Worcester's eastern bypass (A4440). It then turns south along the bypass before rejoining its original line west into the city itself. The road passes the Cathedral, crosses the River Severn and then meets the western end of the bypass.

After leaving Worcester, the A44 continues west past the village of Broadwas, following the River Teme until Knightwick where enters Herefordshire as it climbs over Bringsty Common before descending towards Bromyard. The A44 bypasses Bromyard town centre and heads west over the downs to Bredenbury. It then crosses the River Lugg before meeting the A49 Leominster bypass, where it turns left and heads through the town centre.

Leominster–Rhayader

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After leaving Leominster, the A44 crosses the River Arrow to bypass Monkland. The road then heads towards the black and white villages of Eardisland and Pembridge. After Pembridge the A44 meanders west, passing numerous orchards en route, before reaching Lyonshall, where the road meets the A480 and passes Offa's Dyke. A couple of miles later and the A44 meets Kington. The road bypasses the town and follows the River Arrow before reaching the Welsh border.

 
A44 at Penlon, near Pant Mawr, Powys

Leaving Herefordshire and entering Powys, the road continues through Walton and passes the village of New Radnor, before turning south to Llanfihangel Nant Melan. The road then turns northwest to do some serious hill-climbing before winding its way downhill to a plateau. A few miles later it reaches Penybont and Crossgates, where it meets the A483 road. Eight miles further the A44 reaches Rhayader.

A spoof sign on this section of the road, announcing "Llandegley International Airport 2½ m", has attracted international press coverage and been mentioned in Parliament.[3]

Rhayader–Aberystwyth

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On reaching the centre of Rhayader, traffic heads to the left of the clock tower before immediately turning right, where the road passes through the town and joins the A470 for 9 miles (14 km) to Llangurig, following the course of the River Wye. Leaving Llangurig, the road starts clinging to hillsides as it winds its way through the Cambrian Mountains.

 
The 'Elvis Rock' beside the A44 road

The road enters Ceredigion and the next hamlet is Eisteddfa Gurig which, at 1339 feet (408 metres) above sea level, is its highest point and the location of the iconic Elvis Rock. The A44 then descends into the remote settlement of Ponterwyd. The road passes several abandoned mines en route to the villages of Goginan and Capel Bangor, where it meets the River Rheidol. The road then passes the village of Llanbadarn Fawr, continuing for the last mile through the outskirts of Aberystwyth before terminating on the A487 at Penglais Hill.

Former routes

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Bypasses and realignments

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  • Evesham: the route used to go through the centre of the town, but now runs to the north.
  • Evesham–Worcester: the route used to run on a road to the south. The old route is now known as the B4084.
  • Leominster–Kington: for 4.8 miles (7.7 km) west of Barons' Cross the road formerly followed a more northerly route, crossing the River Arrow at Eardisland.
  • Kington, Herefordshire, the road bypasses the centre of the town using the former Leominster and Kington Railway trackbed north of the town.
  • Wyre Piddle. In 2003 the A44 was rerouted down the A4538 between Evesham and Worcester and therefore no longer goes down Pershore High Street.

Junction list

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CountyLocationmi[1][2]kmDestinationsNotes
OxfordshireOxford0.00.0   A40 / Woodstock Road (A4144 south) / Five Mile Drive to M40 – London, Cheltenham, City centre, Wolvercote, Summertown, Headington, WitneyEastern terminus
Gosford and Water Eaton0.40.64     A34 to M40 / A420 / A41 – Newbury, Swindon, The Midlands, Banbury, Northampton, Cowley, Abingdon, Bicester, BotleyTo A41 signed eastbound only
0.71.1  A4260 north – KidlingtonSouthern terminus of A4260
Shipton-on-Cherwell and ThruppKidlington boundary4.36.9  A4095 (Bladon Road / Upper Campsfield Road) – Witney, Bicester, Long Hanborough, Bladon, Kirtlington
Chipping Norton15.224.5  A3400 north – Stratford, ShipstonSouthern terminus of A3400
16.626.7  A361 north (Banbury Road) / B4026 (Over Norton Road) – Banbury, Over Norton, Great Rollright, BloxhamBloxham signed eastbound only; eastern terminus of A361 concurrency
16.827.0  A361 south (Burford Road) to B4450 / B4026 – Burford, Churchill, CharlburyWestern terminus of A361 concurrency
OxfordshireWarwickshire boundarySalfordLittle Compton boundary20.032.2  A436 west – Stow, OddingtonEastern terminus of A436
GloucestershireMoreton-in-Marsh24.839.9  A429 north (High Street) – Stratford, BatsfordBatsford signed westbound only; eastern terminus of A429 concurrency
24.940.1  A429 south (Stow Road) – Stow-on-the-Wold, Cirencester, Bourton-on-the-WaterBourton signed eastbound only; western terminus of A429 concurrency
Bourton-on-the-Hill28.445.7  A424 south-east – Stow, Bourton-on-the-WaterInformation signed eastbound only; north-western terminus of A424
WorcestershireEvesham37.961.0    A46 south / Broadway Road to M5 / A435 – Cheltenham, Evesham, Pershore, TewkesburyEastern terminus of A46 concurrency
Norton and Lenchwick40.264.7    A46 north to M42 / A435 – The North, Stratford, Birmingham, Redditch, Salford Priors, Alcester, BidfordThe North and Bidford signed eastbound only; western terminus of A46 concurrency
40.465.0  A4184 south / B4088 (Evesham Road) – Evesham, Harvington, NortonNorthern terminus of A4184
Pinvin46.574.8  A4104 west (Terrace Road) / B4082 (Main Street) – Village centre, Pershore, Upton SnodsburyEastern terminus of A4104
Spetchley51.182.2     A422 east / A4538 north (Pershore Lane) to M5 north / A38 – Stratford, DroitwichWestern terminus of A422; southern terminus of A4538
Warndon52.784.8   A4440 north (Nunnery Way) / Wildwood Drive – Worcester (east)Eastern terminus of A4440 concurrency
Whittington53.586.1     A4440 west (Whittington Road) to M5 / A4103 / A449 / B4084 – Worcester (west), Hereford, Malvern, PershoreWorcester signed westbound only; western terminus of A4440 concurrency
Worcester55.088.5  A38 south (Commandery Road) – TewkesburyEastern terminus of A38 concurrency
55.188.7   A38 north to A449 – Bromsgrove, KidderminsterInformation signed westbound only; western terminus of A38 concurrency
55.5–
55.6
89.3–
89.5
   A449 north (Croft Road) to A38 – Bromsgrove, KidderminsterEastern terminus of A449 concurrency
55.7–
55.9
89.6–
90.0
   A449 south (Bromwich Road) to A38 – Malvern, Ledbury, Tewkesbury
  A443 north-west (Hylton Road) – Tenbury
Ledbury signed westbound only; western terminus of A449 concurrency; south-eastern terminus of A443
Rushwick57.592.5    A4103 west / Grove Way (A4440 east) to M5 / A422 – Hereford, Evesham, StratfordEastern terminus of A4103; western terminus of A4440
HerefordshireBromyard69.7112.2  A465 west (Hereford Road) – HerefordEastern terminus of A465
Leominster80.1128.9  A49 south – HerefordEastern terminus of A49 concurrency
Kimbolton80.9130.2  A49 north – Shrewsbury, LudlowLudlow signed eastbound only; western terminus of A49 concurrency
Monkland and Stretford85.5137.6   A4110 to A4113 – Hereford, Canon Pyon, Knighton, KingslandBrief concurrency
Eardisland86.1138.6  A4112 south-west to A438 – Brecon, Dilwyn, WeobleyNorth-eastern terminus of A4112
Lyonshall93.1149.8  A480 south-east – Hereford, LyonshallNorth-western terminus of A480
94.9152.7  A4111 south / Headbrook to A438 – Hereford, Brecon, Kington, EardisleyNorthern terminus of A4111
HerefordshirePowys boundaryLower HarptonOld Radnor boundary97.8157.4EnglandWales boundary
PowysNew Radnor105.3169.5  A481 west – Hundred House [cy], Builth WellsEastern terminus of A481
Penybont110.9178.5  A488 north – KnightonSouthern terminus of A488
Crossgates112.8181.5  A483 – Llandrindod Wells, Newtown, LlanddewiLlanddewi signed eastbound only
Rhayader120.9194.6  A470 south (South Street) / B4518 (West Street) – Builth WellsEastern terminus of A470 concurrency
Llangurig130.0209.2   A470 north to A489 – Dolgellau, NewtownWestern terminus of A470 concurrency
CeredigionPonterwyd142.6229.5  A4120 west – Devil's BridgeEastern terminus of A4120
Llanbadarn Fawr153.3246.7   A4120 east (Heol-y-Bont) to A487 – Southgate [cy], CardiganWestern terminus of A4120
Aberystwyth154.3248.3  A487 (Penglais Road) – Cardigan, MachynllethWestern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "A40 Woodstock Rd, A40, Oxford OX2 8AL, UK to A44, Moreton-in-Marsh, UK to 78-70 A44, Worcester WR5 2DY, UK to A44, Presteigne LD8 2RB, UK". Google Maps. Alphabet Inc. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b "A44, Presteigne LD8 2RB, UK to A487, Aberystwyth SY23 2JT, UK". Google Maps. Alphabet Inc. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  3. ^ Brockway, Derek (6 May 2010). "Llandegley International Airport". Retrieved 20 February 2022.
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52°11′35″N 2°18′12″W / 52.19302°N 2.30335°W / 52.19302; -2.30335