It branches from the A456 west of Bewdley, at a place called Fingerpost. Only the first of the route is in Worcestershire, as immediately after passing through the small village of Far Forest it passes over the Lem Brook and into Shropshire. Heading in a roughly westerly direction, it passes through Cleobury Mortimer, Hopton Wafers and Clee Hill Village. The road's destination is the town of Ludlow, where it ends at the Rocks Green roundabout on the A49 bypass. The route is long. Notable bridges are where the road crosses the River Rea on the eastern edge of Cleobury Mortimer, the Hopton Brook at Hopton Wafers, and also the Ledwyche Brook at Henley near Ludlow.
The A4117 has no 'A road' junctions other than at its two ends. It has five junctions with 'B roads' however, all of which are at a terminus of the B road in question. To the east of Cleobury Mortimer there are junctions with the B4202 road, and the B4201 and B4363 roads. Further along, the B4214 road runs from a junction with the A4117 at Cleehill, down a considerable decline to Tenbury Wells. At Henley, near the Ludlow bypass, the B4364 road from Bridgnorth joins the A4117.
Terrain
The pass over the southern slopes of Titterstone Clee Hill reaches an altitude of, making the A4117 Shropshire's highest A-road. Because of its situation and altitude, the A4117 is often affected by snow in winter. This upland part of the route is within the Shropshire Hills AONB. Two notable inclines are named — the stretch from Hopton Wafers to Doddington is Hopton Bank; whilst the road from Clee Hill Village down to Henley is named Angel Bank. Hopton Bank had Shropshire's last remaining emergency escape lane towards its lower end in Hopton Wafers; this was however removed in 2014 having become obsolete. The road passes through common land between Doddington and Clee Hill Village, and as such has cattle grids across the road to keep the openly grazing sheep within the common. There is a public car park by the A4117 in Clee Hill Village, which affords a considerable view over the Teme valley below and further into the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire. At the car park is a toposcope and close by are public conveniences. The road also passes right through the centre of the small market town of Cleobury Mortimer, which is a linear settlementalong the road. This stretch is often congested. Due to the hilly terrain and passing through the constrained streets through Cleobury Mortimer and Clee Hill Village, it is sometimes quicker to take the A456 and A49 instead, if travelling between Bewdley and Ludlow; these two A roads are designated primary routes, whilst the A4117 is not.
Bus service
The 2L bus service runs along the entire length of the road, providing regular public buses Monday to Saturday.
Garages
The modern route as of 2018 has three filling stations, at Mawley Oak, in Cleobury Mortimer, and at Foxwood near Doddington. Another opened in 2017 at the original junction with the former route of the A49 in Ludlow.
History
The A4117 was created in 1927. Previously the majority of the route was the B4200, and the remainder was part of the B4364. The route number 'B4200' has since been re-used for a short road in Wednesbury. Prior to the opening of the A49 Ludlow bypass in 1979, the A4117 continued into the town along Henley Road and New Road to the old A49 route. The junction with the A49 was at the Bridge Inn on Corve Street until the construction of Burway Bridge in the 1950s diverted the A49, after which the A4117 ran a little further, crossing the historic Corve Bridge. This section from the pre-bypass A49 route along New Road and Henley Road to the Rocks Green roundabout is no longer a classified route, however remains a busy local route.
Railway closures
The A4117 passed under the Tenbury and Bewdley Railway, which closed in 1962 to passengers and 1964 for freight, and the Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway, which finally closed in 1960, near to the former Cleobury Mortimer railway station, which was situated some distance from the town in the Wyre Forest and which was the junction of these two lines. The town, since these closures, has no railway links. 1962 saw the final closure of the railway link from Clee Hill Junction in Ludlow to the stone aggregate quarries on Clee Hill, meaning the quarrying operations there now rely on the A4117 road.
Milestones
A number of historic milestones and mileposts continue to exist along the route; the remaining ones are in place between Far Forest and Cleobury Mortimer and again from Doddington to Henley.
