Itinerary check

I would like to encourage you to build in a night's rest before you start off driving in the UK for safety reasons.

Looks good to me but on the Chester to Edinburgh leg, I would detour into the Lake District for maybe 2 or 3 nights. I know that you are into Roman stuff and that Haltwhistle is by Hadrian’s Wall but I would not think it needs 3 nights. We have a Brit responding on here who lives in the Lake District so perhaps he will give a better answer than me?

On the Chipping Campden to Cardiff leg, you could detour into Chepstow to see the castle built in the 1100’s. About 5 miles north are the ruins of Tintern Abbey. So you could go from Chipping Campden to Toddington and then head for Tewkesbury (Abbey) and join the M50 for south Wales and take A466 south from Monmouth to Tintern. The alternative route would be the M5 towards Bristol and then across the bridge into Wales.

Between Chepstow and Newport (route A48) are the remains of Caerwent Roman town. I would not normally tell people on here about this but as you into Roman stuff I have. The walls on the south side are better than what is on the north side. At Caerleon - just north of Newport is the Roman Fort and amphitheatre plus a Roman Museum. The roads are complicated in this area so if you intend to visit - look at Google Maps carefully.

Another alternative is to get to Tewkesbury & join M50 heading west to south Wales. At Ross, this route becomes the A40 passing south of Monmouth to Raglan where you can loop off to the west and do a complete turn at roundabout and then left to see ruined Raglan Castle. From this castle - follow signs A449 Newport - join A449 expressway but come off at next junction for Usk. Cross river at Usk and turn left. Several miles further on, you will reach Caerleon.

By doing the above on the run from Chipping Campden, it leaves more time to see things in the Cardiff area such as Cardiff Castle, St. Fagans Castle & Museum, Caerphilly Castle and Castell Coch plus of course the city centre and Bay area. You might also like Dyffryn Gardens about 5 miles west of the city. I would not book a hotel in Cardiff city centre if you have a car due to expensive parking/ congestion.

It's nice when someone like James knows forum members interests.

Haltwhistle could easily do you for 2 or 3 nights, then drive up the A68 to Edinburgh.

But if you want to combine that with a bit of the Lake District I would suggest Penrith, which is on the M6 north, and has a surprising number of quality family run guest houses. You are half an hour from the Lake District and under the hour from Haltwhistle and the best bits of the wall.

But the fact that you are going to Chichester suggests you are a bit deeper into the Romans.

So I would suggest 3 nights in Cockermouth- it's 30 to 45 minutes west off the M6, a market town just on the edge of the Lake District beyond Keswick. Cockermouth itself is more about the Wordsworths.
But of course the Roman fortifications came down the coast from the end of the wall at Bowness on Solway all the way to Ravenglass.
15 minutes drive from Cockermouth is the Roman museum at Maryport, a coastal town which was a major roman fort. That is well worth a visit as is the Aquarium on the harbour. There are bits and pieces, like the saltpans, if you drive up the coast to Allonby.
On another day you could go south to Ravenglass, about 45 minutes. There are Roman sites to see on the way down there (like at Moresby), but at Ravenglass there are the bath house ruins. They won't detain you that long but it's a nice drive down and certainly worth seeing the ruins. Then you can either drive up the Eskdale valley or, far more fun, take the narrow gauge steam train (the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway- colloquially "Ratty").
Eskdale is one of the lesser known valleys, not being easily accessible from the Central lakes, but is still beautiful and has a lot of great walking of all grades. You can pick up guided walks books from the Ratty gift shop. So that's a day that combines the Lake District and the Romans, but is that little bit different from the tried and tested norm.
We also have two good museums in Whitehaven- the Beacon which tells the general history of West Cumbria, and the Rum Museum. That is a thoroughly well told and immersive experience relating the former trade into West Cumbria from the West Indies, of spices and rum and other good things.
Cockermouth is also a very easy drive from the Western lakes of Loweswater, Buttermere and Crummock Water- the less visited lakes in the full majesty of the High Fells.
There is the whisky and gin distillery at Bassenthwaite (and Llamas), afternoon teas at Bassenthwaite Lake station or the Armathwaite Hotel and Spa at the end of Bassenthwaite Lake (a splurge hotel if you wanted to stay there).
More than enough for a short stop over. I think there's a week there of ideas!!
Then resume your journey to Edinburgh with a 30 to 45 minute drive up the A595 to Carlisle for the A6/M74 into Scotland.
The first part of that drive as far as Wigton was actually a Roman road. There was a Roman fort at Cockermouth- Derventio- recent major flood events have uncovered previously unknown archaeology relating to that fort and town.

By the way another very scenic route from the M6 at Penrith to Haltwhistle, rather than using the M6 and A69 is to go over the A686 Hartside Pass route to Alston, then down to either Haltwhistle or Hexham, and onto the A68.
The Hartside Pass is a high level route but a good if winding 2 lane road, over Alston Moor which has a long and complicated Lead Mining History.
In winter snow Hartside is always the first route to close, and the last route to re-open.
The Lead mine at Nenthead is open daily in season, and does infrequent open days underground. We have Heritage Open Days every September in September, so your visit might just coincide with an underground tour as part of HoD.
HoD is when lots of historic places not normally open to the public open their doors.
It's another potential option. The quaint town of Alston with its cobbled, steep high street, is only 30 minutes drive from Haltwhistle.

You are going to S. Wales, so consider going to Tenby and/or St. Davids (on SW peninsula of Wales). St. Davids is very historic.

On you way from Bath to Cardiff, stop in Tintern Abbey and some castles (lots of castles in Wales).
In Bath, consider staying at the Brooks Guesthouse.
While in Cardiff, do Cardiff Castle and The Museum of Welsh Life.

Chipping Camden is great, that is where we stayed for six nights, as the Volunteer Inn, I highly recommend it. Spacious rooms, not expensive and with the best pub in town and an Indian restaurant.

York is fantastic, the Cathedral (Minster) has a great tour, we spent over 3 hours there. Also, walk the ancient walls and do some museums, especially the National Railway Museum.

We did Hadrian's Wall from Waltwhistle. Site of a Roman fort. Nice museum there.

Picking up on James comment "I know that you are into Roman stuff and that Haltwhistle is by Hadrian’s Wall but I would not think it needs 3 nights"... I would disagree with that.

It is very easy to spend that amount of time in and around Haltwhistle. The diffefrent Roman remains can easily fillup two days. Yoou also have access to the South Tyne Valley and Alston, which takes you into Teesdale or up the North Tyne to Kielder Forest and Water...

isn31c has mentioned the Lead mine at Nenthead. I'd also like to add Kilhope Wheel at the top of Weardale. This is a fascinating site with lots of history about lead mining, including an underground tour...

Thank you for this wonderful information. I appreciate all the detail!