The A538 links the towns of Altrincham, Wilmslow and Macclesfield and the affluent village of Prestbury, and also has a junction with the M56.
West of the M56, the road is an urban road running through Halebarns and then Altrincham town centre to meet the A560. Between the M56 and Wilmslow, the road was realigned in the 1960s to make room for an extension to the runway at Manchester Airport - and now includes 2 tunnels underneath both runways. A further realignment in Wilmslow town centre occurred upon the opening of the A34 Wilmslow/Handforth bypass, with the A538 now meeting the A34 at two staggered roundabouts about half a mile apart.
East of Wilmslow, the road runs along a short new-build section from the A34 to the A5102, and afterwards on a largely original layout through Prestbury to Tytherington, north of Macclesfield. A final extension of the A538 along the former line of the A523 to Macclesfield town centre occurred upon the opening of the A523 Silk Road.