Itinerary check -- trip with elderly parent

Overall I think you are trying to do too much. I would not do the V&A and the British Museum in the same day. I would also not do Windsor and anything in Kensington in the same day. Note that Windsor Castle is closed on Tues and Wed. You might be able to combine Days 7 & 8 (but not with the opera in the evening). I wouldn't visit both Cambridge and Oxford in the same trip. I love them both but I think it's best to pick one or the other to avoid burnout.
Haven't been to the Cotswolds, but I hear horror stories about trying to park there.
You might want to stay longer in York if you cut something else out of your itinerary and do a guided tour from York to the Dales.
Overall, I would allow more time for experiences such as afternoon tea and a play or musical in the evening.

I’d agree with not going to both oxford and Cambridge. As you are going to Bath and the Cotswolds, it makes more sense to go to Oxford.

The V&A and Natural History Museum are opposite each other. It’d be better to do both on the same day and the British Museum on another day. On Day 8, I’d do the Tower first thing as it opens going straight to the Crown Jewels with the beefeater tour afterwards. I would see going inside Tower Bridge as optional.

A morning is a bit tight for Windsor. The museums and Hampton Court are popular with British visitors (notably those with kids). You should miss the school holidays. They return on 1 September in London. But maybe best to try to avoid these places at weekends if you can.

You’ve planned to visit too many places! I’m staying in London for nine days and only planned one day trip from there. You are seriously underestimating travel time. From the looks of it, you’ll spend most of your time traveling. With two-and-a-half weeks, London, Cambridge, York, and Edinburgh seems more reasonable.

With regard to the London portion of your trip, it makes more sense to put the V&A, Natural History Museum, and Hyde Park together, as they’re close to each other.

If you’re at Buckingham Palace, a stroll through St. James Park makes more sense than Hyde Park. Maybe watch the pelican feedings at 2:30.

I'm with the gang that says too many places!

Definitely not V&A and British Museum on the same day! Both museums are slightly confusing (can't get from here to there kind of thing) and just have SO. MUCH. STUFF!!!!

IF you are just going to the Natural History Museum for the architecture and dino exhibits, then do combine with V&A and Harrods. Harrods is less than 1/2 mile down the road.

Does your Mom have any interest in WWII? Was her Dad in WWII? I ask because I'm 75 and my Dad was in WWII so I have an interest. She may not. IF she does, then the Churchill War Rooms are excellent. I'd do them over a day trip but it's YOUR trip and you must do what interests you not what interests me, lol.

Your Oxford/Bath day seems overcrowded but I've not been to Oxford so it might be doable. I do love Bath, though. There is a company in Bath that does day trips to the Cotswolds if you decide you don't want to drive.

I live in London. What everyone here has said so far is spot on!

And yes - Oxford OR Cambridge. And I wouldn’t give Bath a half day. Bath can take two days so see properly… and Oxford also should be a full day, IMHO. If you do choose Oxford, and love Tolkien, stop at The Eagle and Child for a pint. :-)

What attracts you to Warwick Castle? It is owned by Merlin Entertainments Group and is much more of a theme park aimed at the kids. If you have seen Windsor and Hampton Court you may be very disappointed by this. Maybe there are better uses for this day? Consider driving on to Chatsworth area that night and use the day 'saved' for something else....

Slow down and take time to enjoy your trip! There are too many destinations and everything seems unrealistically fast-paced. I understand the temptation to include many of the major sites, but most of these require far more time than you've allowed for yourself. As examples, both the V&A and British Museums are huge. You could do a "highlights" tour, but that basically means quick-walking through miles of galleries to take a superficial glance at a few popular but disconnected displays. That's ok if you just want to check-off that you saw the top ten popular sites. It might be more enjoyable to examine carefully the museums' websites and select areas of those museums that interest you and your mother.

Maybe London, York, and Edinburgh would be a better itinerary. The rental car will not be needed, and frankly, the train rides will be a welcome rest after all the sightseeing. And a suggestion about the day you arrive: Many flights from the US arrive early in the morning. You probably can't check in to your hotel but you can arrange to drop off the luggage. I'd suggest an outdoors walk because it will help you avoid jet lag.

Volva- I am sorry to say the Eagle and Child has been closed since 2020, and will not reopen for a few years at least- quite a shame! Some other good literary/historic pubs in Oxford tho are still open- Turf Tavern, King's Arms, and the Lamb and Flag (across the street from Eagle and Child) are all open and great places to visit!

I agree with others this is a bit rushed, tho I think most of the London days are doable if you stick to one area per day (e.g. all the South Kensington museums on the same day) and don't go out of town (e.g. Windsor).

CatVH oh nooooooooo! I guess I haven’t been there in awhile… I honestly thought we’d visited more recently than that. What a shame.

Thanks for the update!

Though I don't consider myself "elderly" I do fall into that category chronologically. Two sights or less per day is plenty for me!
Looking over your proposed itinerary for London I think that two museums crammed into one day is a bit much, e.g. Day 1 the V&A in the morning and then the British Museum in the afternoon, both of which are far from each other and Day 5 which would be perfect without trying to cram in dinosaurs. Your plans for Days 6, 7 and 8 seem better paced to me although your allotment of Tower of London for most of the day is imho probably too much time there.
For Edinburgh the Castle and Museum would probably fill the day. Consider Mary King's Close there too. And your afternoon stroll around the old town would encompass the Royal Mile and St. Giles.

I don't have anything to say about this itinerary that hasn't been said. I got tired reading it. If you are not enthusiastic about driving in the UK, you shouldn't. I would look at a guided tour of the Cotswolds instead. I can't recommend any, but I'm sure someone on this site can. If you don't find one, arrange to hire a taxi to take you around to the places you want to visit. It probably won't cost more than the rental car, and you won't have to worry about driving, parking, etc. As others have mentioned, the train journeys will allow for rest and reflection about the trip, and you will both be able to enjoy the scenery.
For a fun time in London, take the tea bus (https://b-bakery.com). Or for a celebration, try Bustronome.com. I have done this in Paris and loved it. It's not cheap. I would do the dinner one because it should be dark and you'll get to see the city lit up. They also do lunch and tea.

Thank you all for your kind feedback and helpful suggestions! I should have clarified in my original post that I’ve tentatively booked an Airbnb right next to the Natural History Museum. So, I’m planning to use the nearby museums and Harrods as filler activities. The idea is that mother can tag along if she has energy, but if not, she can head back to the apartment to rest while I continue on solo. Plmk if this plan doesn’t make sense!

I’ve also decided to revise my self-drive plan to the Cotswolds for two reasons: I was advised that driving on narrow country roads is dangerous for someone who’s never driven on the left side. Also the date happens to fall on a weekend, which makes picking up and returning a rental car impossible. So now I’m either going to cut the Cotswolds altogether or, if I find a good day tour (even though we really dislike tours for lack of flexibility), I might join one. Still exploring options there.

I will also remove Cambridge from the itinerary to free up an extra day for more sightseeing within the city.

The one thing I’m still torn about is whether to:
1: Make many day trips from London (to Oxford, Bath, Hampton Court Palace, and Windsor),
OR 2: Shift our base outside of London — e.g., do a back and forth day trip from London to Hampton Court Palace, then take a train to Windsor, continue on to Oxford to stay overnight, spend an extra day in Oxford, then train to Bath for a day, and from there go directly to the Peak District. Which of these options do you think is better?

The one thing I’m still torn about is whether to:
1: Make many day trips from London (to Oxford, Bath, Hampton Court Palace, and Windsor),
OR 2: Shift our base outside of London — e.g., do a back and forth day trip from London to Hampton Court Palace, then take a train to Windsor, continue on to Oxford to stay overnight, spend an extra day in Oxford, then train to Bath for a day, and from there go directly to the Peak District. Which of these options do you think is better?

A variation of Plan 1- Apart from the fact that Hampton Court and Windsor are too much for one day the two towns are on different rail lines with no easy way without back tracking or changes between them. The easy if time consuming way actually used to be the discontinued riverboat.

So what you could do is to do-
Day 1- London to Hampton Court return
Day 2 - London to Windsor, stow your luggage in Windsor, continue to Bath that night
after Bath- to Oxford. If by public transport that can either be by change of train at Didcot, or train to Swindon then the S6 bus every 20 minutes to Oxford.
after Oxford- to the Peak District. If by public transport there are various ways to the Peak- train via Birmingham to Derby, Chesterfield or Sheffield for buses to the Peak, or train to Manchester Piccadilly for trains to Buxton. Buxton is a centre for buses in the Peak District. Chesterfield to Chatsworth is easy by bus, as is Chesterfield to York by direct train.

I wouldn’t say driving on country roads on the “wrong “ side is dangerous. Except for the smallest roads, which I’d doubt you’d use, there’ll be a white line down the middle of the road and in a right hand drive vehicle you’ll naturally position the on the correct side in order to best see the road in front (as I did driving in the US and Canada, on the wrong side).

What I would suggest is getting a car with an automatic transmission, the UK default is manual, to avoid having to master a second piece of right/left reversal at the same time.

I think moving hotels is more tiring than day trips from London. I haven't been to Warwick Castle, but would definitely just do Windsor and Tower of London for castles. Mad Max does great day tours from Bath. Personally, I think a short time seeing one or two Cotswold villages is enough. Definitely don't do 2 museums in a day.

Your trip would make a great one-month trip. As others suggest, I'd do some serious pruning and keep in mind how much time is used up for local travel between your itinerary points. And too much moving from place to place is significantly time consuming and so tiring...I'm speaking as a senior and thinking of your mom. I'd eliminate Cambridge and just go to Oxford and Bath, which are each too lovely and interesting for only one full day to experience. The Cotswold plan for the day will be crowded and a challenge. Warwick Castle would be an easy drop. York is delightful for a two-night stay. Their free guided walk was very well done. I'd also pare down the Edinburgh plans and I'd suggest visiting Queen Elizabeth's Brittania instead of something else on your list. When we last visited a few years ago, we found it such a fascinating contrast to having seen many old castles and cathedrals...and it's an easy bus ride from the city to the harbor. Regarding driving, which we always do, be prepared for busy roads and the brain strain needed to stay on the proper side of the road! I hope you both have a lovely trip and savor the experience without having to see it all.