Edinburgh to London by car in 7 days, bad idea Jeans>?

I think you have a great plan (somewhat unplan) and I would leave it as loose as possible. You should not have a problem with rooms at that time of the year. I have driven this area and it was a beautiful drive. I also spent some time in Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay. I would not pass on York if at all possible... loved it, but there is also a lot to see in the Cotswolds. If you are afraid of spontaneity, this is probably a good place to test the waters. With a car, you can always drive on to the next place if every room is full... highly unlikely:)

I don't think the Cotswolds go together with Edinburgh, the Lakes and Hadrian's Wall in such a short time. You could easily spend a couple of nights in Northumberland, the Lakes and Yorkshire rather than driving all the way to the Cotswolds. You could even fly home from Manchester.

"Wake up in the morning of the 13th and go for a morning hike at one of the nearby lakes and in the afternoon drive to the Cotswolds area." I think that would be a very ambitious day

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it. Bad idea jeans was a Saturday night live skit. The saying bad idea jeans was dug up by Micheal Scott on the American TV version of the Office. Just a silly way of saying bad idea. After I typed this all out it did seem like a lot. Again thanks for the feedback, I will look into Manchester!

A natural progression south after Hadrian's Wall would be the gorgeous Northumberland coast, including if possible Holy Island and some of the castles such as Bamburgh. Great walks here. Or visit Alnwick Castle. IMO a better way to spend a couple of days than in the Lakes. If the Lakes are a must, why not stay in somewhere such as Eskdale or Grasmere? IMO much nicer than Keswick. Keswick is OK, but not sure why Rick raves about it so much.

The Cotswolds don't really fit with northern England if you are heading back to London. They would be a 4-5 hour drive from Keswick. A great alternative that would be on route would be Rutland, a mini Cotswolds, but without all the tourists. Visit Stamford where Middlemarch was filmed or Oakham. Walk around the reservoir or hire bikes. There are chocolate box houses in the villages and plenty places to eat and stay.

I would be happy if you had a couple of extra nights to make a stop in the Peak District, to break up the long drive from Keswick to the Cotswolds. Failing that I would drop the Cotswolds and fly out of Manchester.

Edinburgh (3)
Lake District (2)
Peak District (2)
Cotswolds (2)

It depends on how much you like to drive and how important the places you have selected are to you. The 4 - 5 hr drive from Keswick to the Cotswalds is your longest stretch. Heck I'll drive that round trip ( 9 hrs total) for a day trip sometimes. Just depends on your preferences - it does not make sense to go somewhere just because it is more convenient to your route if it is not a place you really want to go.

I agree with ramblin'on and Jennifer. Look at Northumberland (far northeastern part of England). It's really delightful. You can hike, visit castles. We did a nice little walk to Dunstanburgh castle -- this one is in ruins (not far from Alnwick) -- along the coast. You can't drive there. I loved Holy Island. I loved Hadrian's Wall (we spent 3 nights in Haltwhistle). Durham is delightful -- one of my favorite cathedrals at a dramatic site. Rent a car after Edinburgh, return it in Durham, then take the train south. Or perhaps you can fit in York. I'm not sure where to spend the last night...maybe one night in London. I think things will work better for you staying on the eastern side. Do the Lake District (you were only going to be there 1 night!) and the Cotswolds on another trip. The Cotswolds will fit better when you visit Bath (on another trip!)

The only problem with the jeans will be if they get wet. They will get very heavy and weigh you down.

A lot of people here wear jeans in the car. The great thing is because the days aren't too hot you don't get too hot.

That's a lot of ground to cover in a week.

I've often gone to or from the Cotswolds from both Heathrow or Gatwick - for family.

A couple of hours on a Sunday from Stow on the Wold or vicinity should do you fine to Heathrow as long as you don't dawdle or get caught in Sunday crowds returning the car. Leaving early is a good idea. - What's early to you? - To me I'd want to be away absolutely no later than half past 7. Can you get breakfast that early?

I think your plan makes as much sense as any other, seems to cover a lot of ground for the time you have but it's doable. We loved Durham and York too but you can only do so much.

My only concern would be driving all the way to Heathrow on the day of your flight, which you for sure don't want to miss. Nigel knows better, but that drive on flight day would make me nervous. I'd want to stay at or near Heathrow (or Manchester if that's your departure point) the night before to minimize the risk of traffic delays.

Good luck with the jeans and all that. ;-)

I have stayed in Rutland a few times and maybe it is supposed to be like the Cotswolds, but I don't think it begins to compare. I did love it there, but if you have the dream of the little villages and towns and the thatches of the Cotswolds I don't know that you will be happy with Rutland. I would easily drive that, but I also like road trips, especially to see everything I want.

Since you said rough outline I assume you have not bought a ticket and are not committed to London.

To answer one of your questions, it is not too much driving if you are used to 5+ hour days of driving.

I feel the Cotswolds is fine country scenery that London tourists use to get a slice of English countryside. I don't see a Scotland and then Lake District visitor needing to go to the Cotswolds at all, especially at the end of the trip when you will have just seen better.

If you have no interest in London, skip southern England entirely and fly in and out of Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, etc, and add a trip to the Highlands.

Bottom line: Choosing Cotwolds over Glencoe or other Highlands location makes little sense.