The A404 is a road in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 that starts at Paddington

Paddington

Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...

 in London

Central London

Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...

 and leads to Maidenhead

Maidenhead

Maidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...

 in Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

.

The road initially follows a course through London and its suburbs including Harlesden

Harlesden

Harlesden is an area in the London Borough of Brent, northwest London, UK. Its main focal point is the Jubilee Clock which commemorates Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee....

, Wembley

Wembley

Wembley is an area of northwest London, England, and part of the London Borough of Brent. It is home to the famous Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena...

, Harrow

Harrow, London

Harrow is an area in the London Borough of Harrow, northwest London, United Kingdom. It is a suburban area and is situated 12.2 miles northwest of Charing Cross...

 Pinner, and Rickmansworth

Rickmansworth

Rickmansworth is a town in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire, England, 4¼ miles west of Watford.The town has a population of around 15,000 people and lies on the Grand Union Canal and the River Colne, at the northern end of the Colne Valley regional park.Rickmansworth is a small town in...

. It crosses the M25

M25 motorway

The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...

 at Chorleywood

Chorleywood

Chorleywood is a village and civil parish in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. It had a population of 6,814 people at the 2001 census. The parish of Chorleywood as a whole has a population of 10,775. The town lies in the far south west of Hertfordshire, on the...

 and continues into Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....

 towards Little Chalfont

Little Chalfont

Little Chalfont is a village and civil parish in Chiltern district in south east Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated in a small group of villages called The Chalfonts which also consists of Chalfont St Giles and Chalfont St Peter...

 and Amersham

Amersham

Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....

.

Between Paddington and Amersham, the road closely follows the route of the London to Aylesbury Line

London to Aylesbury Line

The London to Aylesbury Line is the main railway line between London and Aylesbury, going via the Chiltern Hills; it is operated by Chiltern Railways. The line includes the only route where National Rail trains use track that is utilized by London Underground services...

 and runs right past several stations along that line.

At Amersham Common, the road turns south-west and continues in that direction passing the rest of Amersham towards High Wycombe

High Wycombe

High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...

. After winding through Wycombe town centre, it changes to a dual carriageway up to the M40

M40 motorway

The M40 motorway is a motorway in the British transport network that forms a major part of the connection between London and Birmingham. Part of this road forms a section of the unsigned European route E05...

 Handy cross junction

Handy Cross roundabout

Handy Cross roundabout is a major road interchange near High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire in south-east England. Its name is derived from the neighbouring hamlet of Handy Cross. It is the principal motorway junction for High Wycombe and the junction between the M40 motorway and the A404 dual-carriageway...

 and continues as a dual carriageway past Marlow

Marlow, Buckinghamshire

Marlow is a town and civil parish within Wycombe district in south Buckinghamshire, England...

 and Bisham

Bisham

Bisham is a village and civil parish in the Windsor and Maidenhead district of Berkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,149. The village is on the River Thames, north of which is Marlow in Buckinghamshire...

.

The road eventually turns into the A404(M)

A404(M) motorway

The A404 is a motorway in Berkshire, England and can be referred to as the Maidenhead West Bypass. It joins the M4 with the A404 dual carriageway to High Wycombe, Marlow and the M40...

 at Maidenhead

Maidenhead

Maidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...

 Thicket. This then runs a short distance to the M4

M4 motorway

The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...

 where the A404(M) finally terminates at Junction 8/9.

Recent Changes

A number of changes have been made to the course of the A404 since the 1970s including:

1. The building of the "Marlow by-pass" section of the A404 in 1972 (which replaced the old road from Handy Cross to Marlow).
2. The building of the "Amersham by-pass" in 1987 which meant the A404 no longer went through Amersham old town.
3. The building in 1992 of the section by-passing Burchetts Green roundabout and the village of Stubbings
   Stubbings
   Stubbings is a hamlet in the civil parish of Bisham, west of Maidenhead, in the English county of Berkshire.Stubbings House mansion was very briefly the home of Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec and later, during World War II, of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. It is...
   
    in Berkshire
   Berkshire
   Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
   
   . This section also allowed the A404 to continue neatly into the A404(M) (formerly the A423(M)) without drivers having to negotiate a roundabout.