The A338 is a major primary route in southern England, that runs from the junction with the A35 at Poole in Dorset to the junction with the A420 at Besselsleigh in Oxfordshire, a distance of . In Bournemouth and Poole the road is known as the Wessex Way. Route The road begins at County Gates in Westbourne, before heading northward as a grade separated dual carriageway, one of the main roads in the South East Dorset conurbation. From near Bournemouth International Airport it follows the western side of the Avon valley, joining the route of the A31 road heading north-east for to cross the valley, before turning left at Ringwood in Hampshire where it joins the original, single carriageway route to the east of the river. Heading northward up the east side of the Avon, it crosses to the west again near the town of Fordingbridge. After crossing into Wiltshire near Downton, it meets the A354 road at a roundabout near Britford on the southern outskirts of Salisbury, before joining the route of the A36 road as it bypasses the city centre to dual carriageway standard. It then joins the A30 road at St. Mark's Roundabout, before separating in a north-easterly direction to follow the entire length of the River Bourne. It has a grade-separated junction with the main A303 road and then passes through the town of Tidworth. From there the road travels north to Collingbourne Ducis, where it twists through the village around the church to a mini-roundabout. It turns left to continue northwards alongside the Bourne through another narrow stretch at Collingbourne Kingston to another mini-roundabout before again heading north. Near Burbage the continued route north to Swindon is designated A346, the A338 turning off to the right at a roundabout and heading east then north-east and crossing the border into Berkshire. It passes through the town of Hungerford, where it meets the A4 road (to Marlborough and Newbury). It meets the M4 motorway at junction 14, passes through the village of Great Shefford and crosses into Oxfordshire. It goes through Wantage where it meets the A417 road, and past the villages of Grove, East Hanney and Frilford. It terminates at its junction with the A420 road near Bessels Leigh, south-west of Oxford. History The section of the A338 south of the A31 to the west of the Avon consists mostly of a relatively newly built road.