Four week drive tour of England and Wales

2) We are planning 3-4 days in the Cotswolds, perhaps at Moreton on Marsh, visiting the many sites in the Cotswolds as well as Oxford, Blenheim and more. Is parking a problem in Oxford? If so, should we take the train from Moreton or drive to Oxford and park? Also, can we see Oxford and Blenheim in one day?

Is Parking in Oxford a problem? The last time I was there I used a car park on the edge of the city and then took the bus into downtown. Sorry but I don't remember exactly where it was but it should show up on maps.
You might want to visit Chedworth Roman Villa. It is off the A429 between Cirencester and Northleach. Cirencester also has the Roman Corinium Museum.

7) I love Roman history and would like to see Hadrian's Wall, but I read that there is not much left of the wall. Is it worth the trip. If should we visit Durham?

I spent ten days in the Lake District last summer in June. From there I did a couple day trips to Hardains Wall which I thoroughly enjoyed. Sometime in the near future I hope to return and spend about a week there hiking the trails along the wall and visiting the museums and ruins. The amount of existing wall varies but is substantial in many areas. There are several museums and ruins along the wall that are worth a visit. Google Hadrian's Wall and look at the images for an idea on how much is left. I would recommend Jerecos Hotel in Windermere in the Lake District.

I don't think that Bristol is worth a stop - even though it was the port from which John Cabot sailed to the 'New World'. (A replica of the 'Matthew' is usually in the harbour). You will also encounter traffic congestion. If you do go into Bristol, Brunel's 'Great Britain' is worth a visit. http://www.ssgreatbritain.org

Far better, in my opinion, to head north out of Bath on the A46 to join the M4 & head west to south Wales & thus by-pass Bristol. (You will need £6.60 for the Severn Bridge toll). It takes just over an hour to drive from Bath to Cardiff - assuming a clear run. You may like to take a detour by crossing the M48 Severn Bridge & taking the A466 up to Tintern to see the ruined Abbey.
http://cadw.gov.wales/daysout/tinternabbey/?lang=en

You say you like Roman history. That being so, you may wish to visit Caerleon - which is just north of Newport. In fact, should you visit Tintern, you could take the A48 west from Chepstow & also take in the roman town remains at Caerwent. (It is a bit complicated getting in & out of Caerleon - look at it on Google Earth). Don't expect to see any 'Romans' at either place.
http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/roman/ruins/
http://www.castlesfortsbattles.co.uk/caerwent_roman_town.html

Can you see Oxford and Blenheim in one day?

Well, it guess that depends what you plan to do in each. I have not been to Oxford so I don't know how much time that will take, although I would guess you would want a full day or a better part of a day anyway. We went to Blenheim and the palace and grounds are quite large. We probably spend 3/4 of a day there. It reminded us of Versailles.

I visited Vindolanda on a Rick Steves tour and found the archeological dig there fascinating. Vindolanda is slightly south of the actual Hadrian's Wall (maybe a mile or so?? not entirely sure) We also stopped a couple of places to see the actual wall and I really enjoyed that. Of course where we stopped was dictated by where the coach could go. To me it was worth it but I wasn't driving!

I like the suggestion for Caerleon which I also liked (different tour) and found to be a big contrast to the Roman Baths in Bath as there are both baths and military things there. It was pouring when I visited so I didn't get to see all the military ruins in the area that I wanted to see.

I would stay in Bourton-on--the-Water, Broadway, Chipping Campden instead of Moreton-in-Marsh. No, one day isn't enough time to see Blemheim and Oxford, you could be at Blenheim most of the day if you want to see inside, the gardens, butterfly house, etc. They have a really nice cafe where you can have lunch, we had a lovely meal there.

Sounds like a great trip.
I have been to all the locations on your trip except Nottingham, though I did stay near Nottingham Forest.
1. I enjoyed Bristol. It is one of those cities on the rebound after repositioning itself. It has the first suspension bridge ( still in use ) and a museum to Brunnell, an engineer and inventor. It is also a manageable size with a young population and a nicely rebuilt dockside area.
That being said, I would recommend bypassing it to take full advantage of your rental car. British, basically all European cities, can be difficult and frustrating to navigate.
Several of the tourist sites of Cardiff are on the outskirts, Carphilly Castle and St Fagans Museum of Welsh History. You may want to base yourself in a village near the motorway and a train station and just take a day trip to see Cardiff Castle and the Welsh Museum.
From your Welsh thread, I agree that St. David's is worth a visit. The greatly overused word mystical comes to mind. The Beacons is also a great area to visit and Brecon a lovely town and I would definitely work Tintern Abbey into your drive to the Cotswolds.
2. In the Cotswolds, I would concentrate on finding a great place to stay as pretty much every village in the Cotswolds is beautiful ( I would get on it right away as the hotels/ B&Bs tend to be small and fill fast, especially as you are looking for 4 nights in a row ).
Blenheim Palace will take about 2 hours to see the house plus extra time for the grounds and you should visits Churchill's burial place in the small parish church at Blaydon.
Your idea to visit Oxford by train is right on. I have been to Oxford several times and always find it difficult to navigate around and always hit atleast 1 traffic jam. The station is a short walk to the city centre. In a day you will only get a feel for Oxford.
3. If seeing a play, I would stay in Stratford upon Avon. The church in which Shakespeare is buried is well worth seeing. The rest of Stratford is a pleasant market town packed with tourists.
4. Warwick Castle would be about 1 hour from Stratford and 2 from the Cotswolds. Spending 2 hours would give you plenty of time to move on after.
5. I am not sure why you want to stay in Nottingham and would suggest moving on to York ( my favourite English city ). From Nottingham to York is about 2 hours of motorway driving.
6. I would stay in York 3 nights ( 2 days ), take the volunteer guides walking tour, visit the Minster, walk the walls, see what is showing at the Theatre Royal, take the brewery tour, visit city and railway museums and just generally enjoy 2000 years of history. I would then drive to Whitby, stopping at Castle Howard ( Brideshead Revisited and Road to Pemberly filmed there ) and Reveaulx Abbey, ending up in Whitby. From Whitby I would drive by back roads to Durham and stay 2 nights. The Cathedral and surrounding area is wonderful.
7. The next day you could explore Hadrian's wall, returning to Durham. I cycled the length of Hadrian's wall some years ago and most of it is nothing more than a small ridge. I would visit one of the interpretive centres which give a good picture of what life must have been like for the soldiers.
8. As in the Cotswolds, the Lake District is spectacular. There are no cities, only villages and no must-see sites, only countryside. I would concentrate on finding a great place to stay, checking guides, websites etc..The southern area tends to be more developed and has the larger lakes. Once again your car will give you much more flexibility as there are no trains and often infrequent buses.
9. I would stay in Arundel rather than Winchester, my village preference. Also don't sell this area short as there is lots to see in a small area, ie Salisbury Cathedral, Wilton House ( Eisenhower's base before D-day ), New Forest ( where horses run free ), Chichester ( theatre and classical music ), Portsmouth Naval Museum, and several good National Trust properties.
Enjoy

To continue, I would definitely stay in Southampton the night before you depart. You could drop off your car the night before and book a taxi to the ship. Southampton is a big city and traffic congestion is a daily event. I would avoid any apprehension or frustration.
Also I would try to squeeze in the Bowes Museum in Barnard' s Castle. You could see it on your way to Durham or on your way to the Lake District. It was set up in the 1890's by a wealthy merchant to keep his Parisian wife happy and is a great small museum in a beautiful setting.

alan, many thanks for your most helpful comments. After reading all the comments, I believe we will stay in Chipping Camden for about 6 days, one for Oxford, one for Blenheim, two for seeing all the Cotswolds, one for Stratford on Avon and one for Warwick. While there, we will have been in Britain for almost two weeks and will need to do laundry. I know there is a launderette in Moreton on Marsh. Also, I think we will stay more than two nights in the Lake District. One of the purposes of the trip is to visit places where our ancestors came from in the British Isles (Scotland and Ireland are another trip). Actually, we are skipping Plymouth, even though I have ancestors from there. We are saving London (been there before) and Canterbury for another trip as well.

Sounds like an excellent plan. It is great to centre yourself every so often on a trip.
If you are still looking for Roman stuff, I would highly recommend the Corinium ( ? ) Museum. I not sure if I have the name correct but it is in Cirencester, depending on who you talk to just south of or just in the Cotswolds. The town is also worth a look.
Re laundry - I have found that by asking politely B&B owners may do your laundry for you, especially if you are staying with them for 6 nights. If they had 6 one-night reservations, they would be washing 6 sets of sheets.
The hardest part of planning my trips has always been deciding what to exclude. It looks like you have that under control. I think you are smart to skip London as it deserves a trip all of its own.
Alan

Lake District - At the VERY minimum you need at least three nights here so that you can have two full days. There is quite a bit to see.
We always have stayed in Keswick. Since you have a car you may also consider a farm stay...many farmers in the area supplement their income by running B&Bs out of their homes. We have done several of these and have met the kindest people and had amazing experiences...like watching our host farmer for about an hour one morning, shearing his sheep with manual hand clippers. A dying art to be sure!
The reason we like Keswick is it is still a lovely, working small town. There are tourists but not as many as further south in Grasmere or Ambleside. It sits on the loveliest of lakes and you can walk up into the hills directly from the town center if you are interested in doing this.
In the area there are quite a few sites of interest, especially if you are into literature.
Beatrix Potter's Farm, Hilltop, can be visited out in Sawry. Great pub next door where you can sit in front of a fire and have lunch. It's the same put that is in the story of Jemima Puddleduck. We were there on a miserable, rainy day and it was perfect!
John Ruskin's home, Brantwood, sits on the shores of Coniston Water.
William Wordsworth's homes, both Dove Cottage and the larger one, Rydal Mount, can be visited. There is an exhaustive museum about his life and writing next to Dove Cottage.
The whole area is dotted with beautiful little villages...some of the nicer ones are Hawkshead and Buttermere. Just driving around you'll come across plenty of charm!
The Honister Slate Mine is a great drive and on the way to or from Buttermere. The pass on which it sits is a great drive and you can visit the mine if you like.
Grasmere Gingerbread...you either love it or you hate it. I'm in the love it camp...I have a pile of it stashed in the back of my freezer and I pull it out to have with coffee every once in a while. When I run out I know it's time for another trip to England!
If you want to get out to the coast then Muncaster Castle is worth a visit. It's rural and lovely and has been in the same family forever.

I took my family to Britain last June for 3 weeks and covered some of the same territory you are considering. If you truly enjoy Roman history, I recommend staying near Vindolanda/Housesteads Fort for a few nights. We stayed in Haltwhistle, a short drive away, at a B & B that we enjoyed and recommend, the Ashcroft B & B. Check out their reviews on Tripadvisor. Vindolanda is an amazing site and well worth a good 3 hours. I wouldn't go to the Roman Army Museum nearby. Housesteads isn't far away, it is unique and an incredible place to visit, high on a hilltop, with incredible views and curious sheep. It's not too far of a drive to Durham from here, if you're interested in the cathedral complex there. You could then continue to/from York from there. 3 days is plenty in York if you are visiting outlying areas. Since you plan on seeing Blenheim Palace, I recommend Castle Howard.

In the Lake Distict, we stayed in Keswick for 3 nights and toured the southern Lake District. It's a very cute little town, very touristy, but walkable from the B & B's that line the park alongside the waterfront. I stayed here on one of Rick's tours 11 years ago and came back to show it to my family. Where you choose to stay in the Lake District really depends on what sites you want to see. The Lake District is large and travel times can exceed 2 hours in one direction easily. Plan carefully to reduce your driving time.

Wells and Glastonbury are all easily accessible from Bath. Wells is a gem of a town and on our next visit, we intend to rent a house/apartment there.

We stayed in a 3 bedroom house on the High Street in Chipping Campden, Rosary Cottage (also on tripadvisor), for 4 nights, and it had a combo washer/dryer. We saved on laundry throughout the trip by renting places with a washer/dryer combo....you can only wash small amounts of laundry at a time, then dry in the same unit, a bit strange, but there's time in the evenings/morning to do it, so why not? Chipping Campden is central to Warwick, Blenheim, Stratford....we did all from here by car. Add Hidcote Manor Gardens if you enjoy gardens, it's right outside of town. You will want a full day for Blenheim and Stratford. Stratford is a cute town and honestly, I can envision staying here for 3 nights as well. Oxford needs its own day, too. Warwick Castle caters to children and is not the same experience of even 10 years ago (I've been 3 times over 30 years). It is Disneyesque. If you want the feel of a "real' castle, this isn't it.

Have a fabulous time!

While in the Lake District near Keswick be sure and stop by the Castlerigg stone circle!!! We just loved our visit it was amazing! In the very cold month of early April it was beautiful, so in the summer it would be even better! The highest mountains in the region are the backdrop of this amazing ancient stone circle. It is only a few miles away and very easy to get to just right off the road in a field that had friendly sheep in it when we were there..... so worth the stop!

We did a driving tour through England over a similar time in 2004.
We booked self catering cottages, for a week each, near Chester, Cheltenham and Polperro in Cornwall. Subsequently we have also spent a week based in East Sussex.

Consider bases along this route...
Lake District - 4 nights
York - 4 nights
Chester - 5 nights
Cotswolds - 5 nights
Cornwall - 5 nights
South Coast - 5 nights