Sheffield to Newcastle: Drive time, distance & best stops
The best stops to add to a Sheffield to Newcastle road trip itinerary are the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Durham Cathedral and Beamish. By car, the distance from Sheffield to Newcastle is 131 miles.
Planning a Sheffield to Newcastle road trip
The Sheffield to Newcastle drive takes you between two of England’s most enjoyable cities. Both are known for their character and a good night out.
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.
Top 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.
Sheffield to Newcastle distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Sheffield to Newcastle is 131 miles. The Sheffield to Newcastle driving time depends very much on the traffic, but if you get lucky, it’s about two hours and 10 mins. Get unlucky, and you’re looking at more like three hours.
The quickest driving route from Sheffield to Newcastle goes along the M1, then the A1(M).
The best three stops to add to a Sheffield to Newcastle road trip itinerary are the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Durham Cathedral and Beamish – the Living Museum of the North.
Sheffield 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, 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.
Attractions on the Sheffield to Newcastle drive: Durham Cathedral
Durham is a handsome little university city, made for amiable strolling. You can take a walking 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 Newcastle road trip: 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 Sheffield road trips
Sheffield to Birmingham | Bradford to Sheffield | Doncaster to Sheffield | Sheffield to Durham | Sheffield to Leeds | Sheffield to Lincoln | Middlesbrough to Sheffield | Sheffield to Milton Keynes | Worksop to Sheffield | Sheffield to York.
More Newcastle road trips
Doncaster to Newcastle | Hull to Newcastle | Leeds to Newcastle | Manchester to Newcastle | Nottingham to Newcastle | Newcastle to York.