Nottingham to Newcastle drive: Distance, time & best stops
The best stops to add to a Nottingham to Newcastle road trip itinerary are the Magna Science Adventure Centre, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Beamish. By car, the distance from Nottingham to Newcastle is 160 miles. That makes for a driving time of around three hours and three minutes.
Planning a Nottingham to Newcastle road trip itinerary
A Nottingham to Newcastle road trip takes you from the supposed hangout of Robin Hood to a North East city that loves a good time.
Top Nottingham experiences include a guided Victorian architecture walk and a Robin Hood-themed treasure hunt.
Worthwhile Newcastle experiences include a full day tour along Hadrian’s Wall, food tours that mix market stalls with indie restaurants and climbing to the top of Newcastle Castle.
Nottingham to Newcastle distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Nottingham to Newcastle is 160 miles. That makes for a driving time of around three hours and three minutes. The quickest route is almost entirely along the M1 then the A1(M).
The best stops near the Nottingham to Newcastle driving route are the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the Beamish open air museum.
Attractions between Nottingham and Newcastle: Magna Science Adventure Centre
The Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham is one of those fun, button-pushing science museums. Kids can learn about physics while playing with water and diggers.
However, it is much more than that. Magna is inside one of the biggest steelworks ever built. The hulking behemoth of a building is an attraction in itself, but much of the old industrial equipment is left in place. This is brought to life during a spectacular sound and light show.
Other highlights of Magna are the massive playground and water splash park outside. Branch off the M1 at Junction 34.
Nottingham to Newcastle road trip stops: Yorkshire Sculpture Park
A short distance from Junction 38 of the M1, between Barnsley and Wakefield, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park is a large open space with woodland, walking trails, cutesy bridges and plenty of sheep.
Interspersed amongst this are more than 100 sculptures and art installations. These include many by internationally-revered artists such as Antony Gormley, Jaume Plensa and Henry Moore.
The Yorkshire Sculpture Park manages to marry the peaceful and the playful.
Nottingham to Newcastle drive: Beamish
A short detour west from junction 68 of the A1(M), Beamish is an extraordinary open air museum encompassing several villages and eras. There are dozens of carefully restored buildings to poke around, from a century-old schoolhouse to a 1950s hairdresser. You can also visit the pigs at the 1940s farm and go inside the 1900s coal mine.
Beamish is a fantastic place if you’ve got children – there’s plenty for them to explore, and lots of woodland to run around in.
More Nottingham road trips
Nottingham to Birmingham | Nottingham to Bradford | Coventry to Nottingham | Doncaster to Nottingham | Nottingham to Leeds | Leicester to Nottingham | Nottingham to York.
More Newcastle road trips
Doncaster to Newcastle | Hull to Newcastle | Leeds to Newcastle | Manchester to Newcastle | Sheffield to Newcastle | Newcastle to York.