England Road Trip: Oxford to York

In a hurry, one could drive from Oxford to York in as little as 5 hours. However, we are recommending the following stops:

Stratford-Upon-Avon (drive time from Oxford to Stratford-Upon-Avon is about 1 hour)
Oakham (Stratford-Upon-Avon to Oakham is 1 hour, 30 minutes)
Sherwood Forest (Oakham to Sherwood Forest is 1 hour)
York (Sherwood Forest to York is 1 hour, 30 minutes)
Fountains and Rievaulx Abbys (York to Fountains Abbey is 50 minutes, while Fountains to Rievaulx is another 45 minutes)
Alnwick (Rievaulx to Alnwick is 2 hours)

Map of Oxford to Alnwick in England, UK — Our England Road Trip from Oxford to Alnwick.

Take a Tour

Stratford-Upon-Avon, England

Stratford-Upon-Avon is the birthplace of William Shakespeare, as well as the place of his death. He spent much of his adult life in London where many of his plays were performed at the Globe Theatre. The town is filled with tourists, as it is one of the more popular stops along any England road trip.

The final resting place of William Shakespeare is a tomb inside the Holy Trinity Church. His grave is marked off on the floor in side chapel. Entry to the church is free, however, there is a small charge to see the graves.

Holy Trinity Church in Stratford upon Avon, England — Inside the Holy Trinity Church. Notice the grave markers on the floor. The one outlined in black is that of William Shakespeare.

Oakham, England

Oakham Castle has over 200 horseshoes hanging on its walls. It’s a tiny castle, built in the late 12th century. Interestingly, Oakham Castle has a unique tradition that royalty forfeits a horseshoe to the Lord of the Manor of the Castle on their first visit to the town.

What surprised me was seeing horseshoes that face down (superstitious people like me, question this decision as we believe the luck will fall out). According to the castle curator, it is not that the luck will fall out, but rather so the devil cannot nest inside.

Oakham Castle in England — Oakham Castle.

Horsehoes on the wall of Oakham Castle in England — Some of the horseshoes on the wall inside Oakham Castle.
I was given permission by the curator to share these photos here.

Sherwood Forest (Home of Robin Hood)

Did you know the Sherwood Forest really exists in the Nottinghamshire? It’s not just the setting for the classic story, The Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle. Here we explored the dioramas at the visitor’s centre and had a walk along the well-manicured path through the nature reserve.

Sherwood forest visitors center in England — It looks like Melissa was caught by one of the Merry Men. The Sherwood Forest (Visitor’s Center) can be a pretty scary place.

Statue of Robin Hood in the Sherwood Forest in England — Statue of Robin Hood in the Sherwood Forest.

York, England

York is England’s most complete medieval city. We spent two days exploring a city once described by King George IV (Father to HRH Queen Elizabeth II) as, “the history of York is the history of England.”

View of the city of York from Clifford's Tower — One of the views of the city of York from Clifford’s Tower.

York Minster in York England — The York Minster, the main cathedral in York, has over 50% of the remaining stained glass in England. It is home to the world’s largest stained glass panel but it was under renovation when we visited.

Shambles in York, England — The Shambles.

One of the oldest and best preserved human faeces is found in the Jorvik, a Viking Museum in York — One of the oldest and best preserved human faeces is on display at the Jorvik, a Viking Museum in York.

York City Wall, York England — This is one of the towers at the city wall.

Pro Tip: There is a free city walking tour available in York. Unlike the other free city tours we have taken in which the guide worked for tips, our York guide didn’t accept gratuity. He spoke from the heart, as he clearly felt passionately about his city.

Fountains and Rievaulx Abbeys

I love walking the grounds of the ruins of the old abbeys. Two of my favourites are Fountains Abbey and Rievaulx Abbey.

Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, England — Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire.

Once a great room of Rievaulx Abbey in the British Countryside — Rievaulx Abbey.

Alnwick, the final stop on our England road trip

Used as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films and also used as Downton Abbey, Alnwick draws quite the crowd. In addition to touring the grounds, they offer broomstick flying lessons on the same courtyard in which Harry Potter learned to fly. Alnwick’s gardens are sensational, and entry to the castle and gardens are separate fees.

Alnwick Castle in England. It was used as Hogwarts in Harry Potter and used in Downton Abbey amongst others. — Alnwick Castle

Lot’s of Ways to Tour Alnwick

Please Share

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Have you done an England road trip? Which is your favourite historical town in England?

Don’t miss: Travel Tips for the UK and Ireland Visitors

Comments

Lisa
May 16, 2019 at 12:32 am

Thanks for bringing back good memories! I did a similar road trip years ago with my brother, who was living in Guisbourgh, near Newcastle, at the time. I especially loved the Rievaulx ruins. We spent a whole afternoon there wandering around the grounds. I do think my favourite historical town would be edging towards being York, though Penzance would run a close second.

Garth
March 9, 2019 at 12:07 am

Absolutely love York, many happy memories of visiting when we were kids. Alnwick Castle is amazing too, and love the fact their gift shop has totally embraced Harry Potter that made us laugh when we visited. Never been to Sherwood Forest, so will have to try that!

Joan Devaney
February 22, 2019 at 3:32 am

When you cover York why is there no picture or mention of Middleham Castle? Richard the III was a prominent figure of the time and certainly in York Also Micklegate bar? Those seem like some major things to see that are not represented here.,

Born27
May 29, 2012 at 2:43 am

Wow! This is a great adventure! I love Robinhood and it’s really a pleasure to visit his place.. Thanks for sharing these photos! Amazing!

- Rhonda
  May 30, 2012 at 11:22 am
  
  Thanks! We have about another 200 days of travel, so I hope you will follow along.
  
Lisa
May 28, 2012 at 11:18 am

I went there too 🙂 (Shakespeare’s birth place)

- Rhonda
  May 30, 2012 at 11:21 am
  
  🙂
  
Tony Payne
May 28, 2012 at 7:02 am

I love Stratford Upon Avon, my cousin lives there, and another cousin lives not far from Sherwood Forest. Not a lot to see there, except the Major Oak, the tree Robin Hood is supposed to have hidden in.

- Rhonda
  May 30, 2012 at 11:18 am
  
  LOL – we missed the Major Oak, but did all the other tourist things.
  
Lynne
May 27, 2012 at 11:27 am

I love both but I have an interesting tale of a random experience we had in the woods in England one weekend. We were doing a walk in Burnham Beeches which is just outside London near Slough. We stumbled on an area of unusual structures made from timber and rope and wending above us in the trees. We were puzzling over their purpose when from out of nowhere a woman appeared with a clip-board and asked what we were doing there. Before shooing us off she explaining that it was the film set for Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood film

- Rhonda
  May 30, 2012 at 11:14 am
  
  What a wonderful story. Did you get to see Kevin Costner?

England Road Trip: Oxford to York

Oxford – the starting point of our England road trip