11ish Days in England for the First Time - Is this reasonable?

If this schedule matches your travel style then it should work just fine. There will be some that say, "Oh, no- too much movement or not enough time", but seriously, this is your trip. If this matches what you want to do, then it is completely doable.

I would be curious what about each of these locations was attractive to you so that you chose each stop. They are all fine stops, but what were your priorities when choosing them?

I would encourage you not to fret too much about this itinerary. Go and enjoy. You will pick up anything you might miss on your next trip.

It's fine - but there's not much detail, so not sure what you want input on? At present it is a framework that works if you are happy with the amount of travelling - a lot of people would think that's too much

You will most likely benefit from a rail card like two together

The Cotswolds is no longer a legal requirement for tourists. If you are going North stay North and visit the Yorkshire Dales or Yorkshire Moors or Northumberland. Much nicer than the Cotswolds and not as many tourists.

In order to explore the Cotswolds from Oxford, you would need to get the train early morning to Moreton-In-Marsh and get onboard this tour: Go Cotswolds Tours.
https://www.gocotswolds.co.uk/product/cotswolds-in-a-day/

In order to explore the Cotswolds from Bath, you would make reservations with this tour company: Mad Max Tours. This tour does include Lacock.
https://www.madmaxtours.co.uk/

Choose between the two tours. There's no need to see the Cotswolds twice. Only do one visit.

You wrote above in your opening post: "We are planning to use primarily public transportation, if at all possible."
Either of these tour companies would allow you to do a good one day tour of the Cotswolds without renting a car, as you are expressing your desire NOT to rent a car.

I was reading one of your other threads:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/tour-to-stonehenge-highclere-castle-from-bath
in which you said:
"We will be there the second half of August...."
Do you mean August of 2023 or 2024??

If you mean August of 2023, you need to book rooms immediately.

There is also much discussion on that other thread about a visit to Highclere Castle.
There's no need to rent a car just to go there for one day.
All the large tour companies, such as Evan Evans, Premium Tours, International Friends, do a tour to Highclere. Plus, they've already purchased the tickets, so that's one less thing you have to worry about doing. These tours leave out of London, so you could just leave it for when you're in London.

For Day #8, I'd be interested in hearing your arrangements for transportation and how you intend to deal with your luggage.

For a hotel in York, you might want to look at the Principal Hotel York, which is attached to the train station. It's quite comfortable, and offers efficiencies when arriving and departing via train, and is just a short walk to the historic core. It offers the ability to quickly visit the railroad museum on the morning you check out, before getting on the train to London. But not quaint.

We did a similar itinerary years ago, but in the opposite direction, starting in Bath. It's an effective plan for an intro to England/UK - we added Edinburgh.

I’m with Kernow. Leaving York without going to some of the local countryside in order to fit in wandering round the Cotswolds is almost criminal in my book. And I would say you should only go to Stonehenge if you are very interested in prehistoric sites.

"We prefer quaint mom-and-pop lodging (B&B, Inns, small hotels) so we can feel more immersed in the culture."

In London, there won't be any quaint mom-and-pop lodging B&B's or inns. But there are hundreds of small hotels. What neighborhood do you want to be in? We can help you if you tell us where you'd like to be.

Again, if you are thinking of August of this year for your trip, start booking hotels immediately, starting with York.
Unfortunately, many places are already full for August 2023.

On Day 8 there is a bit of a problem with luggage storage at Salisbury. I'm not sure if the solution is to leave your luggage that day at your Bath hotel, after Stonehenge get the train back to Bath, collect your luggage then a fast train from Bath to London

If you are thinking of 2nd half of August this year be aware that the last weekend of August is the August Bank (or public) holiday on the Monday when you can expect for places to be very busy, and accommodation very, very tight.
I notice that your one full day in York is a Sunday. If you are planning to visit the Minster be aware that it is only open from 1245 to 1430 and on that day (only) supposedly needs to be pre-booked.
I am not sure why that is- but wonder if they are trying to avoid "moneychangers in the temple" on the Sabbath Day.

If you haven't already booked Eurostar, either on the direct train or on the Thalys connection via Brussels you also need to be thinking about progressing that sooner rather than later.

It is a tad unfortunate that your time in the north is so brief, but it is your itinerary, which is clearly a "taster menu".

If you wanted to get out into the open countryside a Summer Sunday is the day to do that from York, on transit.
Either onto the North Yorkshire Moors on Moorsbus,
Or deep into the Yorkshire Dales on Dalesbus

• On day 1 are you arriving to Amsterdam from North America, or will
  you already be there? That's a long day of travel if you're arriving
  on an overnight flight.

• Hopefully this trip is 2023. Didn't I just read that the Eurostar
  from Amsterdam may be shut down for a year starting sometime in 2024?

Follow-up question. Will a Eurail Pass cover all of these trains? I'm looking on the site and Oxford, and Salisbury aren't coming up.

Yes the direct Eurostar is ending for a year from "sometime" in 2024 due to building work at Amsterdam Central.
It will then be back to Thalys to Brussels for Eurostar.
But it may be like the service to Disneyland Paris and just not re-instated.

Allan,
We'll already be in Amsterdam (coming off of a cruise) in 2023.

Yes, Eurail covers all UK trains and Eurostar. BUT on Eurostar you have to pay £35 each on top, and will need to check that Eurostar has available pass holder places on the train or even day you wish to travel as there are only a set number of such places per train.

You would need to do the math to determine if it pays for itself, (vis a vis point to point fares) or are willing to pay a value for the flexibility provided in the UK. over the cost of individual fares, if they work out cheaper.

I would add another night in York and not do day 5 Cotswolds. I would add that day to Bath or London and do a Mad Max Tour from Bath that would include Stonehenge and Cotswolds. If you want to do the tour, I would reserve now as they are very popular. If you have never been to London, I would want more than 3 days there. I assume you have some special interest in Oxford; otherwise I would skip it. Remember, every time you change locations, you lose about half a day so more nights in one place is better. Have a great trip to England!

Maybe I missed something, but will you have a car for any of this? I can't imagine "explore Cotswolds" from a train.

I have done Cotswolds/Oxford/Bath/Stonehenge with a car in the space of about 7 nights. We had definite stops, not simply exploring.

I have also done Bath and Oxford for multiple nights arriving and leaving by train - that worked fine, lots to see in both cities, but we definitely considered the train for point to point transport - not "exploring" like we could do with a car.

In regard to rail passes, keep in mind that it would be a waste to use a pass day to travel between Oxford and Bath. It's a relatively short, inexpensive trip where you can just buy your ticket at the station on day of travel.

Another option while in Oxford is Blenheim Palace, which is a short bus ride out of town. Everyone has their preferences - we found Oxford quite charming and well worth a visit.

In York we enjoyed this hotel- Grays Court Hotel. Beautiful backyard right on the city wall and a great view of the Miinster. Check it out. They have spotty availability in August.

Thank you everyone! This is all very helpful.

Totally agree that the Yorkshire Dales are way better to visit than the Cotswolds. The countryside is the quintessential vision of England - rolling pasture and dry stone walls. It really will not disappoint.

We have visited all the places that you listed and spend more time in each that you did.
York, in particular, you need more than one day to explore York. Just doing the famous Minster (Cathedral) is 3.5 hours .
A couple of the museums were take up the rest of the day. The National Railway Museum is fantastic and needs a couple of hours.
Walking the ancient walls and exploring the city takes up more time. You need a minimum of two full days for York.
Oxford, you can do Oxford in one day, but you need a car or take a tour to do the Cotswolds in one full day. We stayed in Chipping Campden and it took us two full days to explore the Cotswolds from north to south.
Bath-recommend the Brooks Guesthouse for lodging. You can do Bath in a full day, just get up early. Be sure to dine at The Scallop Shell for the best fish and chips ever.
You need more than a fraction of a day to see Salisbury. The Cathedral takes 2-3 hours.

Ok, you may be talking me into spending more time in York and skipping the Cotswolds if they're so touristy. If we were to head out to a nearby village near York, which one would you suggest? My main goal would be to wander around a quaint village, check out some shops, grab some lunch at a pub, and soak up the local culture. I saw the recommendations for buses in that area in previous comments, so I assume we can use those to get where we want to go. And I'm always open to recommendations for unique friendly lodging and places to eat. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

My suggestions would be either Pickering or Helmesley in the North York Moors, or Serttle/Giggleswick or Hawes in the Dales. The North York Moors may be quieter as most visitors tend to head to the Dales rather than the North York Moors.

Hello fellow travelers!

I thought I'd give a quick update and thank you for your insights. I've tweaked our schedule based on some of your recommendations.

York 3 nights - staying at Hedley House Hotel - 1 bdrm apartment (RS recommended)
Bath 3 nights - staying at 2 Crescent Gardens Guest House (RS recommended)
London 5 nights - staying at Marriott Residence Inn London Kensington*

*Note: While I generally prefer more unique lodging - for anyone looking for a hotel with free breakfast in London, a Marriott Residence Inn can be a good option (if you don't mind a chain hotel). They're geared toward longer-stay business travelers, so they usually have a kitchen, and sofa or sofabed in the room as well. This makes for more space and can save on eating out. They also have a fitness center and laundry onsite. Sometimes these hotels offer a fun happy hour on weeknights too, but not sure if they do that in London. Bonus: I was also able to use rewards points for our stay, which saved a bunch on the rates.

FYI - I booked the Mad Max tour (Stonehenge and more) on one of the days in Bath. Question: The Mad Max tour suggests picking up a takeout lunch in Stonehenge, Avebury, or Lacock. Any recommendations there?

We'll decide if we want to stop in Oxford for a few hours between Bath and London or just spend more time in Bath before we catch a train. We'll decide when we're there if we'd rather go to the Yorkshire countryside or wander more in town in York. I think Highclere Castle will probably have to wait for another trip.

I'm thrilled to have lodging booked in all the places (including free breakfasts) and a general outline of trains with seat reservations where needed. I know I still have a long way to go in trying to narrow down our preferred attractions in our limited time, but I feel like I can take a breath right now with the essentials in place.

As always, I'm open to recommendations for quaint, friendly, local places to eat lunch or dinner in these towns or hidden gems for things to do. I've made a note of the "Scallop Shell" for fish and chips in Bath. Any other suggestions in York, Bath, or London?

I'm getting so excited about our trip and will try to report back. Of course, you can also follow my travel blog at https://TravelingwithPurpose.com or Instagram @twp.adventures to see all my adventures.

Thank you all again for all the excellent suggestions.

In Bath, be sure to dine at The Scallop Shell restaurant for the best fish and chips ever.