England/Scotland for 3 Weeks - Improvements to Itinerary?

This is a doable itinerary, but one thing that strikes me is that if you're going to rent a car, I'd say keep it for a longer period of time. Train (and bus) fares aren't cheap, whereas the rental car cost amortizes out over more days. How many in your party? You'll need to multiply the rail/bus fares by the number of people. Also, as many others have noted on these forums, you can save significantly by buying rail tickets in advance, but that commits you to catching a certain train at a certain time.

Without knowing more about your interests and priorities, it's hard to advise on where to add or subtract time.

I like it , except I'm not a fan of the Cotswolds so I think you should stick with Bath and Oxford only.

I think it looks good. We loved York and there is so much to see there you may find you want another day. We thought the Cotswolds was very nice with quaint villages - we enjoyed our time there. Cotswolds might be tricky though if you don't have a car do that portion.

Depending on how many people are in your group, look into purchasing a railcard. We were able to buy the Friends & Family rail card for £30, bought Advance tickets with it, and saved a ton on transportation. Yes, it locked us in to using a specific train and time, but the savings for five of us to travel was significant.

Liverpool is OK, but York will knock your socks off compared to Liverpool. Also, you have far too little time to take in the Cotswolds, Bath and Oxford. Why skip Stratford Upon Avon?

Here is our 28 day drive tour of South Wales and England with details:
28 days in Britain and Celebrity Eclipse home
https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=599139

Is there a particular reason you are not hiring a car until that particular date?

We did England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Wales, England over 7 weeks in a hired "Spaceship". Driving is much more practical if you want to see the best of the UK. Not so much if you only go to the cities.
It seems you are mostly going to cities, personally I much prefered the beautiful countryside and rural villages.
The rugged West coast of Scotland was particularly beautiful.
You are squeezing in some days in the Lakes. Wasdale is the prettiest part of the Lakes. Make sure you do the drive over Hardknott Pass.
You will need a pint or two at the Woolpack Inn if you do.
The pub at Santons Bridge on the way to Wasdale is a good stop for a meal and a pint.
Honister Pass is another nice piece of road in the Lakes.
Is there something especially appealing to you about Liverpool and Chester?
Personally I'd be getting up to the Lakes earlier then heading to Scotland's west.
But then as I said I am more into the rural rather than the cities.

Hi -

That's a heck of a drive in one day from the Lakes to Inverness. Still, nice to look at, especially beyond Glasgow. If you are happy with a long day in the car, go for it!

If you do need a drink having driven over Hardknott and Wrynose passes in the Lakes, do bear in mind the very tight drink driving laws in the UK! Maybe get back to base before you hit the 'nerve steadiers'! You'll need your wits about you especially if you plan to retrace your steps!

Have a great trip!

Ian

Ian and Julie we slept it off in our van in the Woolpack Inn carpark lol.
It is a fair old drive up to Inverness ( not big by Aussie standards though). We drove as far as Oban from the Lakes and spent a comfy night in a beautiful forest of silver birch (full of deer too). The benefits of having the Spaceship.
Never went to Inverness so I can't comment on it. We went north via Glencoe and Glen Etive. Beautiful country!

Just on the drink driving laws. We were surprised by the fact we never got stopped for a random breath test. At home in Victoria I would have expected to be stopped 6 to 8 times travelling that many kms. Never saw them doing any. Also never saw stationary speed cameras. We have one every 100 to 200 kms on our rural roads.

Hi Mo’pak -

Breath tests don’t tend to be random, you have to commit some sort of infraction - having a light out or not signalling, or otherwise driving ‘erratically’, or having some sort of accident before you are stopped. I think you’ll find most Brits believe our roads to be festooned with static speed cameras. It will be less so in Scotland in the wilds, because of the comparative lack of traffic and the availability of people to service the cameras. In my view they are partly revenue earners as well as safety measures, so tend to be positioned not only where they are most needed but also where they are most lucrative!

There are mobile speed cameras too and I have encountered a couple in decidedly rural areas. Without penalty to date I would add!

Call me cynical if you like, but I do try to observe the speed limits these days. On one local stretch of road on the way to my home you can lose your licence in the space of three miles if not observant of the limits!

Ian

We have the crew out doing random breathtests every month in our little town of 2000. Actually they were out 3 times already this week for the Xmas blitz. Speed camera cars are parked on the side of the highway 5 to 10 kms out of town at least once a week.
That is on top of the normal police road patrols and the highway patrols.
The state would go broke if everyone obeyed the road rules lol.