The B5087 runs from the A537 in Macclesfield to the B5359 in Alderley Edge, a distance of just over 5 miles (8.5km). The western half of the route runs along the top of "The Edge", a large red sandstone escarpment, before descending sharply into Alderley Edge village centre.
Alderley Edge's main high street, London Road, was previously part of the A34, however it was renumbered as the B5087 in November 2010 upon the opening of the Alderley Edge bypass.