Comments on itinerary, please

On a Rick Steves tour we were traveling in the other direction going from the Cotswolds to Conwy and made a stop at Stokesay Castle which I really enjoyed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stokesay_Castle

Your plan is workable, but a bit heavy on travel. You are planning two nights in York, that gives you only one day there. We are planning three nights in York.

You plan to go to the Lake District from York via Durham, which is a bit out of the way. We are planning two nights in Durham and one more to see Hadrian's Wall. Further, we plan three nights in the Lake District, so we will have two full days there.

Suggest you plan your route on a spread sheet and have a route planner like map quest to tell you how many miles and hours to go from point to point. Try to limit travel to two hours a day.

The Cotswolds is loaded with great places to see there and nearby. two nights will give you one full day and part of another. To see Blenheim, Oxford and Stratford on Avon would take three days or a frantic two.

I agree you've got a lot of driving and will not have much time in each destination to soak up what the place has to offer. Personally I am OK with driving as much as 3 hours in a day, but not day after day. Navigating in the UK is not as simple as it is on most USA highways, so there is some stress unless you're very familiar with not only the geography but also the signage.

You are also mixing self-drive with riding trains and taking tours, which means you've got to be on time to catch your ride, somewhat defeating the purpose of having your own car and thus moving at your own pace.

One more thought: I find Rick's advice to avoid 1-night stays because you sleep much better in a (halfway) familiar room very valuable.

Only you know what really interests you and what you are most keen to see, but I'd advise scaling back somewhat so that the places you do visit will be happy memories.

Responses to this earlier query are relevant to part of your route between N Wales & The Cotswolds - only you are doing it southbound and the response earlier is northbound. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/wales/north-wales-itinerary

Write your itinerary out for yourself including all travel time. Add about 30% to Google Maps driving time to allow for traffic jams, getting lost, parking etc.

Work out exactly how much time you'll have for sightseeing versus driving, and whether you're happy with that combo.

I know from your other thread that you do realise driving in the UK can be a lot more stressful than in the US (even for British drivers like me. I'll happily drive all day in America - drove coast to coast alone in two weeks - but in Britain I find my neck and back cramps up because of jams and unpredictable roads. It's just not the pleasure it is in the US.)

So be realistic with yourself about how much driving is too much. A couple of hours every couple of days is fine. If you've got four hours behind the wheel every day or two, the driver might have a wretched time.

Turn in your car as soon as you get to Bath, by the way. It'll be a hindrance there unless you're staying outside the city.

One point - it's Edinburgh with an H on the end, pronounced Edin-bruh - not Edinburg.

Itinerary modifications so far:
16 nights in the UK:
3 nights Edinburgh, 2 nights York, 2 nights Keswick, 2 nights Conwy, 2 nights Cotswolds, 2 nights Bath, 3 nights London
4 travel days driving rental car
2 travel days with short train trips - Edinburgh to York and Bath to London
One stop between York and Keswick - probably Fountains Abbey
One stop between Keswick and Conwy - Levens Hall or Holker Hall
Any other suggestions for stops on these two long driving legs? Could we combine the Cotswolds and Bath and spend 4 nights in a location somewhere between them or better to have two separate stays?

Cirencester is quite a good location between Bath and the northern Cotswolds. You can also drive to Oxford & Blenheim Palace form Cirencester. Around both Bath & Oxford you will see P&R signs. This means Park & Ride = you drive to a big car park on the outskirts and shuttle buses ferry people to the congested central area. (Kemble is the nearest rail station to Cirencester).

I think it will be difficult to see Hampton Court Palace and Windsor in one day. They are in two different locations. We toured Hampton Court Palace and gardens and spent about 4 hours doing so. We just returned from a 2.5 week vacation of Great Britian and saw a lot but there was much more to see. Our take away from our visit was quality, not quantity. Safe travels, enjoy!