England & Scotland - 13 days

Will these short stays be too rushed? Depends on how much you want to see and do in each place. We stayed a bit longer for our Bath and York visits and still had quite a bit left on our "to do" list. I'd recommend taking very early morning trains to Bath and York to maximize your available time. If your time is flexible (you can add extra days), I don't think you're regret adding another day to both.

Having been to all the destinations you mention, I would skip Bath. York is on the way to Edinburgh and there is a lot to see in York.

You can take a direct train from London’s Paddington station to Bath (1h 30m) as a day trip from London: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/live-trains/. Plan what you’re going to do while there and be organized. Get an early start if needed.

Bath and York are not mutually exclusive. Don't go back to London after Bath, but train to Bristol, then a direct train from Bristol to York.

You can do Bath well in one full day. I love Bath, but with 13 days, I suggest skipping Bath on this trip. York is my favorite place in the UK and it deserve three nights.

I'll differ from the others who've responded; I think your itinerary is ideal. Bath to me is a one-day sort of place, two days in York would be perfect for me, and the balance split between Edinburgh and London is also sensible.

For us personally, we much prefer Bristol to Bath. But the Roman baths in Bath are themselves worth traveling pretty far to see. They're remarkable, and seeing close-up how advanced Roman technology was is mind-blowing. The remainder of the town is quite touristy, but pleasant and scenic.

I think your plan is fine too. The one night stop in Bath will be a little rushed, but you can see the highlights (the Baths are fantastic) in a day if you catch an early train from London. You will have to be selective every place you go because there is so much to see, but that’s okay. All four destinations are favorites of mine. Have fun!

Everyone has a travel style, and stuff they want to do and see. Your mileage may vary, as they say. Mine, if not travelling by bicycle, is to stay in one area, with day trips to places not far (Bath, for example). Going too far gets me out of the culture of the place I am staying too much, if that makes any sense. York is the NORTH, and is definitively not London, or even the South. Edinburgh, while definitely worth seeing, is obviously in another country.

Big cities take a while to see what there is, and there is a ton of stuff near or in, Greater London alone: ie. Greenwich (you can take a boat to get there and the bus back), Kingston-Upon-Thames, Hampton Court Palace, Brighton, are all striking distance from London and worth visiting. Churchill War Rooms for Second World War history. Westminster abbey church service is fun. The Troubadour Café (not that far from Earls Court) is very historic (everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Bob Dylan played there at one time or another) and you can drop in for a coffee any time of day if you don't want to go at night and see show. There is nothing wrong with being a tourist; that's what we are after all, but it is interesting to see how regular people live too.

But I am not you, and your trip sounds fun, if a bit too rushed for me!

I'm more inclined to side with jphbucks and Carroll, because while I enjoyed Bath and York, I would not feel the need to spend more than one night in Bath and two in York. You can really fill your time with London and Edinburgh, which are certainly the most iconic and have the most sights. In fact, if it were me, I would skip Bath, stop in York for a day (it's worth going to see York Minster) and spend most of my time in the two cities. But that's me. :-)

Bath gets way too much cred. You have the Baths and you have the Church. The rest is replete, any where else in Europe.

Its a one day visit.