Decisions, decisions - help with a couple of days on our itinerary

Some HP fans I see? In that case I really hope you have time for Durham, it is a beautiful place. I can't speak to the other two sights. I'm on the fence about Alnwick. They really market on the HP connection but the whole visit felt like they were trying too hard. We spent 5 nights in Bath and could easily have done 6 or 7, it is a great home base for the outlying sights you mention and there's plenty to do in the city. I hope you enjoy Lacock, it was really high on my list but we arrived too late and they were closed. This was all at the beginning of our trip so we splurged for an English Heritage membership at Stonehenge and spent the next 3 weeks making a detour for every castle, abbey or ruin off our route in the EH guidebook. It was easily my favorite trip of all time for that reason. Sorry I can't really help with the other places you asked about. Good luck with the rest of your plans!

Personally, I would spend more time in Whitby and less in Durham. It won't take that long to see the cathedral and the rest of the city is pleasant, but nothing compared to York. You will not be able to wander round the cathedral if there is a service, but if it is just open, then you will be able to look round. This and the following day are both very busy schedules.

On Holy Island, a walk to the Castle is worthwhile as is the Priory. You need 3 hours here minimum. The town of Alnwick is very nice, but the Castle has been overrun since its Harry Potter connection. The gardens there are worthwhile.

I can't imagine why anyone would recommend Blackpool. It's a very downbeat version of Vegas. It's only worth seeing at night when the illuminations are running, which were introduced to prolong the summer season and this year, they run from 2 September to 6 November. I would just head straight to Liverpool.

Bath - this plus Lacock and Avebury is too much. Bath needs a whole day, Lacock half a day and Avebury 2 hours. Plus travel time.

Thanks Ellen and Jennifer. I was on the fence about Blackpool, seems like a bit of a detour to see very little. Having been to Las Vegas a few times it probably is not worth our time. Missing it would def give us more time in other places. Regarding Alnwick, I'm now in a quandary! We will be visiting Edinburgh, Conwy, Caernarfon Castles, as well as the Tower of London and possibly either Windsor or Hampton Court. Given we will see all of those, would Alnwick present anything different, more or less to offer? I really do love castles, but don't want to end up seeing so many I don't remember which was which! Thanks again and look forward to further comments from the forum!

I agree with Jennifer. Alnwick is good but not as good as Durham -- don't miss the cathedral even if you can see it only during a service (which is itself a worthwhile experience of course). I never made it to Lindisfarne as the tides were all wrong for the day we drove past.

And I agree that Bath itself justifies a full day, i.e. two nights there or nearby.

Keswick to Liverpool should be driveable in an afternoon. Blackpool might complicate that timetable, maybe you could play it by ear as you go. As for Blackpool as Vegas, I'm sort of boggled by the comparison between the garish seaside resort and the garish desert gambling Mecca. ;-)

Alnwick is wonderful, but I am biased as I was a student there for a semester. As far as not seeing too many castles of the same type some you mentioned are ruined and others not so totally different experiences. I would take Alnwick over Windsor as Alnwick has lovely gardens to explore as well. Bath could be done fast if the Roman Baths are what you are really there for to make sure you fit Avebury in which I definitely would want to.

I generally agree with most of what Jennifer says but I really don't see - having spent enough time at both - any comparison between Blackpool and Las Vegas. I do know that was mentioned in the OP, but I wouldn't at all compare Blackpool to Las Vegas.

There may be headliner rooms at both but I see little similarity beyond that. And headliner rooms are elsewhere too.

The tower is different, the ballroom is different, the seaside is different (real in Blackpool, fake in Vegas), the trams are different.

Blackpool also has just a little working class works outings history that I don't think is duplicated in the Nevada desert.

I do agree that for most people Blackpool is out of the way, and not a first choice attraction.

*Singing... "The candy floss salesman, watches ladies in the sand,
down for a freaky weekend..."

... "oooh, Bla-ack-poool."

I loved Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay. Neither one took that much time but were really worth stops.