Oxford–Evesham 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 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 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 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. , 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 ", has attracted international press coverage and been mentioned in
Parliament.
Rhayader–Aberystwyth 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 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 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==