Driving through the British countryside from Oxford to Alnwick, we passed through Stratford-upon-Avon, Oakham, the Sherwood Forest, York, several abbey ruins, and finally to Alnwick. This England road trip is the ideal to see so much of the country.
It’s full of history and wonder. Some old areas are still in use today, others are in ruins. But regardless, the sites are fascinating.
And, if that’s not enough the charming countryside between locations kept us from ever being bored. It’s been several years since I last did this drive, and I hope to do it again soon.
It’s almost magical.
Oxford – the starting point of our England road trip
One of the most beautiful cities in England, Oxford is somewhere to stay for several days after which you can begin the England road trip suggested on this page.
The city is home to Oxford University, the oldest university in the English speaking world.
Read Next: Classic Architecture: Touring Oxford in a Day
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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)
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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 passionate 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.
Read Next: 17 Images of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal (Yorkshire, England)
Read Next: The Picturesque Ruins of Rievaulx Abbey in England’s Countryside
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.
Read Next: Walking through History: Alnwick Castle (Hogwarts) in England
After Alnwick, we headed to Edinburgh Scotland, and from there we continued our road trip up through the Scottish highlands.
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Julie
I’ll be in the UK this summer and have been trying to narrow down the list of places I want to visit, the list started with like 27 places. And after reading this post the list is longer! Quite interesting to hear about the superstitions related to the horseshoes being upside down.
Cindy Ladage
How fascinating to see were William Shakespeare strode and I love the horseshoe aspect of the castle and I never knew that Robin Hood’s forest was real thank you for sharing.
Lisa
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
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
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
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
Thanks! We have about another 200 days of travel, so I hope you will follow along.
Lisa
I went there too 🙂 (Shakespeare’s birth place)
Rhonda
🙂
Tony Payne
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
LOL – we missed the Major Oak, but did all the other tourist things.
Lynne
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
What a wonderful story. Did you get to see Kevin Costner?