The A44 is a major road in the United Kingdom that runs from Oxford in southern England to Aberystwyth in west Wales.
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 creation of a through route between South and North Wales. The A44 was extended to Oxford in the 1990s, replacing part of the A34 when the M40 motorway was completed.
In 2004 a bypass was constructed around Wyre Piddle. As a result, the A44 was rerouted down the A4538 between Evesham and Worcester and therefore no longer goes down Pershore High Street. The old route is now known as the B4084.
The road begins at a roundabout junction with the A40 road on the northern outskirts of Oxford 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 close to the village of Kidlington 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.