Hello all! I am very excited to go to London for the second time a couple months from now (mid-end of April). I have flights booked, and having done a few of my top priorities on my last trip four years ago (Tower, Windsor, Hyde Park, British Museum, Jack the Ripper walking tour [though that gave me nightmares after so oh well]), I'd like to spend some quality time on some other sites like Parliament, St. Paul's Cathedral, London Eye, possibly Hampton Court Palace, while also making time for day trips to Brighton, Bath (and I understand one could do this and Stonehenge in a trip), and Cambridge to visit a friend studying there. As a Potter fan, I already have my tickets to see Cursed Child and am planning to visit the studio tour.
So given all of this, I'm wondering if I can make enough room in a 2 week time period to maybe spend a weekend a little further out and enjoy a bit of a rest in more of the countryside? As a Pride & Prejudice fan, of course I'd love to see the lakes and peaks, but geographically speaking that may be too far away. I was also watching Sense & Sensibility the other day and just goggled at the Devon scenery. Again, the Potterhead in me longs to go to Scotland but I'm really thinking that must be too far and I may as well save it for a trip sometime in the future.
I don't want to make this trip too punishing, because:
1) I sprained my knee a few months ago. I'm recovering really well, and am very confident in my progress so far that I'll be able to walk around pretty well, though likely more slowly than I'm used to, and certainly I won't be able to push my limits like I would have done before this (probably wouldn't have managed the 200 steps to the top of the Round Tower like I did four years ago).
2) This is actually the first leg of a trip that will be followed by a week in Paris, then a week in Bavaria.
and 3) I want to be able to really enjoy this trip, and make sure there's room beyond all the planning.
So based on all of that, do y'all have some wisdom you'd like to share about finding time to enjoy a bit of the country life? Would extending one of the day trips serve the purpose? Should I add a weekend or 2-3 day trip to somewhere I haven't stated that would allow me to enjoy the countryside for someone who will be at a slow-moderate walking capacity?
Thanks to all in advance for any insights you can share!!