Sheffield to Durham road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
The distance by car from Sheffield to Durham is 117 miles, with a 2h11m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Sheffield to Durham drive are the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Leeds and Mother Shipton’s Cave.
Planning a Sheffield to Durham road trip itinerary
The drive from Sheffield to Durham takes you from a cultural hotbed in South Yorkshire to one of the prettiest cities in northern England.
Interesting Sheffield activities include outdoor escape games, learning about the city’s past and culture on a private walking tour and treasure hunts with cryptic clues.
Durham is a handsome little university city, made for amiable strolling. You can take a walking tour and food tour if you like. But its star attraction is Durham Cathedral.
The building, and the architecture, date back to the Norman era, although there have been a few stylised additions since. The ribbed vault of the nave was a truly audacious piece of design at the time.
Visitors can also tackle the 325 steps to the top of the central tower.
Sheffield to Durham distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Sheffield to Durham is 117 miles. That makes for a driving time of around two hours and 11 minutes. The quickest route is up the M1 then the A1(M).
The best stops to add to a Sheffield to Durham road trip itinerary are the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Leeds and Mother Shipton’s Cave.
Sheffield to Durham road trip attractions: 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, including 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.
Best stops between Sheffield and Durham: Leeds
Going into Leeds requires a bit of a detour, but it has several attractions worth a look. The Royal Armouries is the big hitter, with several floors of armour, weapons and warcraft. The Leeds City Museum is a thoughtfully presented all-rounder, and the expansive Roundhay Park offers a series of gorgeous gardens.
The best Leeds activities include food tours that visit top local restaurants and Emmerdale filming locations bus tours.
Sheffield to Durham drive: Mother Shipton’s Cave
Mother Shipton’s Cave in Knaresborough claims to be Britain’s oldest tourist attraction. You can take that with a pinch of salt, of course.
The walk through the forest up to the cave is arguably more appealing than the cave itself, but Mother Shipton’s Cave is all about the stories. The tale goes that a prophetess was born in this cave in 1488. She supposedly went on to predict the Great Fire of London and Spanish Armada. Again, take all of this with a pinch of salt, but enjoy the hokum.
More Sheffield road trips
Sheffield to Birmingham | Bradford to Sheffield | Doncaster to Sheffield | Sheffield to Leeds | Sheffield to Lincoln | Middlesbrough to Sheffield | Sheffield to Milton Keynes | Sheffield to Newcastle | Worksop to Sheffield | Sheffield to York.