A rest stop along the way?

The lakes and the Cotswolds are both out of the way and are best served with a car. York is en route and has some great history and has some of the best countryside in the England on its doorstep.

I think York would be a good choice without a car. A lovely place to wander around and relax. If you can manage it (not sure about train route... I drove) you could also spend a few days in Whitby, which is on the sea. I stayed in a wonderful waterfront hotel there and would be happy to have a few days there.

If the train you are taking stops in Durham get off there. Lovely town with a world Heritage site cathedral and castle, town square, river path, pubs ( Ye olde Elm Tree was my favorite.) PM if you want an excellent Airbnb option. I'd move to Durham if I could.

I really enjoyed my few days in York. It was a great size city. Totally walkable, not overwhelming but with plenty to do. It might not be your cup of tea, but I loved the York Castle Museum. Not sure when you're traveling, so not sure about crowds in York.

Thanks for the input. I've been to York although so long ago the Vikings still ran the place.

As of right now, I've decided to go in the opposite direction and spend a few days in the Highlands.

Have a look at Dunkeld and Birnam in Perthshire

The Bridge of Orchy looks great but at $450/night it's a little steep for my budget.

What I'm going to do is take the train from Edinbrught to Inverness, take the bus to Fort William, spend the night, and then take the train from Fort William to Glasgow. A nice scenic two days. (And I've never taken those two trains.)

I'm not a hiker and couldn't care less about the Loch Ness monster.

From Glasgow I may visit a friend in Warrington for a couple of days before heading down to London.

There are lot of different train lines in Scotland. Visit Scotland site has lots of info. We drove thru the Western Highlands rather quickly because we prefer more Castles than trees since I have enough of those at home. We really enjoyed the areas and lochs nearer Glasgow and Edinburgh to the north and south. Check Historic Scotland and World Heritage site. I really enjoyed Durham...the Cathedral has wonderful and unique columns. York is worth a stop for the Minster Windows. The Lake District and the Cotswolds need a car to really get around.