The A538 is a road in England linking Macclesfield, Cheshire to Altrincham in Greater Manchester, through Prestbury,

Wilmslow Wilmslow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England, south of Manchester city centre. The population was 24,497 at the 2011 Census. History Toponymy Wilmslow derives its name from Old ...

and

Hale Hale may refer to: Places Australia *Hale, Northern Territory, a locality *Hale River, in southeastern Northern Territory Canada *Hale, Ontario, in Algoma District United Kingdom * Hale, Cumbria, a hamlet near Beetham, Cumbria *Hale, Greater Man ...

and providing access to Manchester Airport and the

M56 motorway The M56 motorway, also known as the North Cheshire motorway, serves the Cheshire and Greater Manchester areas of England. It runs east to west from junction 4 of the M60 at Gatley, south of Manchester, to Dunkirk, approximately north of Ches ...

. The road is a

Primary route The United Kingdom has a network of roads, of varied quality and capacity, totalling about . Road distances are shown in miles or yards and UK speed limits are indicated in miles per hour (mph) or by the use of the national speed limit (NSL) sy ...

between the A34 Junction in Wilmslow and Manchester Airport / M56 motorway.

Route

The A538 starts in Macclesfield at the traffic light controlled junction on Hibel Road. Here the road in known as Beech Lane and continues north through Tytherington, becoming Manchester Road. A short distance after leaving Tytherington, the A538 turns left into Heybridge Lane. The road then proceeds into Prestbury at a 30 mph speed limit, crossing over the Stoke-on-Trent to Manchester Piccadilly railway line. Into Prestbury village the speed limit drops to 20 mph. In Prestbury village, the road veers right at a roundabout and climbs towards Wilmslow, reverting to a 30 mph speed limit. This is now Wilmslow Road, becoming Prestbury Road close to

Mottram Hall Mottram Hall (also known as Mottram New Hall or the Mottram Hall Hotel) is a former country house to the northeast of the village of Mottram St. Andrew, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated ...

. On the outskirts of Wilmslow, there is a roundabout with the A5102, then a half mile straight road to the A34. The A538 joins the A34 here by turning right at a roundabout, running down to a roundabout where it turns left; here the road gains Primary Status. It goes under the Wilmslow railway viaduct holding the Crewe to Manchester Piccadilly railway line, turns right at a roundabout where the B5166 joins, and runs past Wilmslow town centre to a set of traffic lights where it turns left and becomes Manchester Road. Between the roundabout and the traffic lights it is part of what was the A34 before the A34 Wilmslow bypass was built in the mid-1990s. From the traffic lights, the road heads out toward Manchester Airport, being initially Water Lane, then shortly after, Altrincham Road. After leaving Wilmslow, the road is speed restricted to 40 mph or 50 mph through to the junction with the

. The road goes down a steep hill to the

Oversleyford :''There are places called Oversley elsewhere in England.'' Oversley and Oversleyford (sometimes Oversley Ford) is a name used for some places in an area near Manchester Airport. * Oversleyford Bridge, where the A538 road from Altrincham to Wilmslo ...

Bridge over the

river Bollin The River Bollin is a major tributary of the River Mersey in the north-west of England. It rises in Macclesfield Forest at the western end of the Peak District, and can be seen in spring form, from the Buxton to Macclesfield road. The stream t ...

, up afterwards, and through two tunnels under Manchester Airport's runways; since 1960 it has been diverted twice here (its original route survives partly as 'Old Wilmslow Road' through the minor crossroads by the Ringway chapel). After the tunnels, the road runs to a complex traffic light controlled roundabout junction with the M56 motorway Westbound and Runger Lane (which serves as an access road to Manchester Airport; it then goes under the M56 motorway to a roundabout junction with the M56 northbound. After this roundabout, the road loses its Primary Status. The road from here on has a 30 mph speed restriction as the rest of the route is through built-up areas. The A538 goes through

Hale Barns Hale Barns is a village near Altrincham in Greater Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre, 2 miles west of Manchester Airport and close to the River Bollin. At the 2011 census, the village had a population of 9,736. Medieval ...

and

until a mini roundabout where it is turns right; this is now Altrincham Town Centre. It goes through three set of traffic lights and passes the combined bus / rail station, and veers left and runs through to a traffic light controlled cross roads, the junction with the A560 / B5164, where the A538 ends. {{DEFAULTSORT:5-0538 Roads in England Roads in Cheshire