3 to 4 weeks in England wales Scotland and Ireland itinerary suggestions

There's plenty to do in Bristol, firstly. I enjoy the S.S Great Britain, an old steamship whose interior has been recreated very carefully and with much attention to detail. Don't miss Bristol Cathedral either, which I think is very underrated. Part of its cloister, including the old chapter house, still remain.
From Bristol, Cardiff is a logical first stop in my opinion. I enjoy the castle there, and (this might seem gauche to some, but nonetheless) there is a very neat Wetherspoon pub on Queen Street which used to be a theatre and is designed very abstractly. I'd say, to pace yourself, pop in there and have a nibble and sip.
From Cardiff you can go into the towns and villages in the Valleys, or to Bannau Brychieniog (Brecon Beacons) national park, which has some stunning natural beauty (and wild horses). I've also heard that the Pembrokeshire coast AONB is very worthwhile but I haven't ever been there to confirm this. I'm sure others can!

Have a lovely trip :)

How long do you have for this journey?- that will determine how much you can fit in.

It's not clear if you are flying back to Chicago from Dublin or elsewhere.

One idea (if you have the time, and it could be problematic with a rental car) for Ireland would be to go over to Pembrokeshire as suggested by the previous poster, then take the overnight ferry from either Fishguard (Stena Line) or Pembroke (Irish Ferries) to Rosslare in the southern Irish Republic then do what you want to do in Ireland, coming back across to northern Wales on the Dublin to Holyhead ferry.

How far north in Scotland does your genealogy and Sightseeing interests take you?

Scotland is a bigger country than many thing- I live close to the England/Scotland border. The Isle of Skye is a longer distance for me than London (and Thurso further still). Thurso (for Orkney) is further still.

3-4 weeks sounds a long time but it will pass in a flash. Build in ‘down time’ into your itinerary and don’t try and cram too much in. I assume you don’t want to spend all your time seeing the countryside through the car windscreen? Wales, Derbyshire, Lake District and Yorkshire into Scotland will more than fill up the time. I’d really think twice about adding Ireland ‘for a few days’ as that will hardly give any time there and is it worth it, apart from being a tick exercise?

We did four weeks in South Wales and England in 2017 driving and very much enjoyed seeing the beautiful British countryside.

South Wales, many castles to see. In Cardiff, see Cardiff Castle that is downtown. A short train ride or drive north to see Carefully Castle. Slightly west of the city is the Museum of Welsh Live that is great.

We loved Tenby and St. Davids. Also, I visited the small village (Landdewi Brefi) in Cardiganshire where my paternal ancestors left from for the new world in 1716.

We loved Stratford Upon Avon, York and Durham. The Lake District was nice, but we visited in late October and it was chilly.

Thank you for the ideas.
In Bristol, my cousin lives so he will be our tour guide there. Cardiff was the next stop we thought.
I am from Derbyshire 54 yrs ago, so wanted to show my husband around a bit more. Friends in Derbyshire and N wales / Chester area. Into the Lake District and Yorkshire. Leeds ?
Scotland ancestry looks like it started outside of Glasgow( on Paisley. ( I have a Murphy maiden name..so who knew !) I never went to Scotland so want to hit the high spots. Maybe a day tour too?
Like the ferry idea to Ireland, but don’t want it to be too busy. Everywhere looks like 2 hrs on the maps, but I know we will be doing some stops !
Plan was to fly Chicago/Detroit to London, fly out of Edinburgh or Glasgow to either Ireland or to US Chicago/Detroit .

Lots of planning to do.
Thanks

Everywhere looks like 2 hrs on the maps

Don't trust those times. If using google maps it is recommended to add 25% to their driving times and then add on time for stops. Just finding somewhere to park and walk to where you want to be and then back to the car can easily add an extra 30 minutes. Don't forget to factor in comfort breaks and time for lunch too. Depending on how many stops you make, a two hour drive can easily turn into a full day!!

Trying to look at this very broad brush- 3 days in Bristol (I don't think you can do anything less), then the same in Cardiff. Even going direct non stop by the most direct route Cardiff to Chester is 3 1/2 hours. In seriousness with the stops you will make that is an all day trip. You've missed out West Wales and probably most of the Brecon Beacons.

Another three days for Chester, North Wales and Liverpool we are already at 10 days.

Now across to Derbyshire- another half day drive, then allow yourself another 2 days there at least if this is personal to you.

For Yorkshire rather than Leeds I would suggest maybe Wharfedale or Wensleydale- another good half day transfer and 2 days there.

From Wharfedale the A65 to the Lake District, from Wensleydale the A684. Both routes yes you can do in 2 hours but you will want to take longer for the sights en route, then 2 night minimum in the Lake District you are now up to 19 days.

From the Lake District yes it's possibly 2 hours to Paisley driving foot flat down (over the speed limit most of the the way I've never done it in 2 hours, even on a really good day, knowing the road), but again there are places you shouldn't miss on the way- allow the day for that journey. Give yourself 2 days at least for your genealogy. You don't know what you will find.

This now gives you 6 days at most for the rest of Scotland (and Ireland) and so far it's been pretty fast paced IMO. To do the usual tourist things just in the West of Scotland you need at least 4 of those 6 days. The only non stops back to the US (Chicago or Detroit) are out of EDI, not GLA.

I seriously can't find time for Ireland. Or at very best 1 day, just possibly two with imagination. Is that worth it to you, personally? Perhaps it is.

Isn-31c
Thank you for some great detailed information.
We have decided to concentrate on England, Wales and Scotland, so we can pace ourselves.
We appreciate all the helpful ideas from everyone.
Thanks

I did that trip last year. We stayed 5 weeks.

A few thoughts for you. Driving makes sense and hiring someone is a good idea. However, driving everywhere is something you should think through in trip planning. I drove a lot in Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. but time and comfort are important considerations. We traveled via rail when the distances lengthened. (Liverpool - Edinburgh) (Edinburgh- Inverness) (Edinburgh - Glasgow).

If only a few days, stay in Dublin. Awesome city and a lot to do.

In terms of Wales, we decided to focus on Northern Wales. It is a beautiful country. Five weeks sounds like a lot but when you consider travel logistics and the fact it is a vacation, the risk is trying to see too much and not really spending enough time anywhere.

Our preference 3-4 nights in the same area rather than constantly packing and unpacking. This is a personal preference of course. We planned lodging so we had an apartment in one location about every 7-10:days. This provided laundry options and a welcome break from hotels.

I

Roanschneider
Thank you for some great ideas regarding the travel.
Did you fly into LHR and return there or leave from a different airport?
We like the idea of B&Bs for the most part, but the apartment or Airbnb is a good idea for laundry on occasion!
Any website suggestion for trains? Did you rent a car in different cities?
It sounds like you did a similar trip to what we are planning.
Thank you again for the ideas.