The A380 leaves the A38 at
Kennford, some from that road's junction with the
M5 motorway, and from the centre of the city of
Exeter. It then proceeds in a generally southerly direction, climbing over the
Haldon Hills, past junctions for
Mamhead and
Teignmouth, before descending past the towns of
Kingsteignton and
Newton Abbot and continuing on a flyover over the Penn Inn roundabout heading towards
Torquay. Before the current road layout existed, the two carriageways used to split in the Haldon Hills with the Exeter bound carriageway taking a more northern route closer to Ugbrooke House. Beyond Newton Abbot, the road
bypasses the village of
Kingskerswell on the South Devon Highway. The road soon comes to Edginswell (a signal controlled junction) at Torquay where it meets the A3022 that (as
Dual carriageway) serves the large seaside resort of Torquay. The road then heads right up a hill towards Gallows Gate roundabout then Preston Down roundabout and then Churscombe Cross roundabout on the Paignton ring road where the road reduces to single carriageway and enters Paignton finally ending at
Collaton St Mary inland from Paignton, where it meets the A3022 (again) and the
A385 at
Tweenaways Cross. Prior to the construction of the Kingkerswell bypass, the A380 passed through Kingkerswell (although the original route was along Fore Street) and into Torquay along the current A3022 terminating on the now declassified Union Street which was then the A379. Another branch ran past Torre Abbey to the sea front. ==Kingskerswell bypass==