Itinerary Help -- UK in 2 weeks from late May to early June

I absolutely love Scotland, but for this trip I would recommend you cut out Edinburgh unless you do it last and fly out of Edinburgh. Landing in London, going back for the Chelsea flower show, and then back to fly out seems to me to be a bit much. If you have to see the Chelsea flower show than end your trip in Edinburgh and fly out from there, basing yourself in London or Bath for day trips. Otherwise I would say skip the flower show and take a bus/train combo to Bath, rent a car in Bath when you leave for the Cotswolds, drive it to the Lake District (we based in Keswick which was nice), drive to York and drop it off after you've done the dales, tour York then take the train to either London or Edinburgh and fly out. Do you want to see anything in London or just the flower show? If just the flower show depending on how long you base yourself in Bath you might be able to do it as a day trip from there on public transport.

Agree with poster, skip Scotland for this trip.

We visited Wales and England for 28 days in October and loved it.
We visited some of the places that you mentioned, including Bath, the Cotswolds, York and the Lake District.

I suggest three nights in York, so you have two full days there. Just going through the Minster takes half a day. Also, the Railway Museum is great and that takes some hours. Walk the walls and visit some of the museums as well. We stayed at the Minster Hotel, walking distance from the train station and city center.

The Minster Hotel York
60 Bootham
York
YO30 7BZ
GB
+4401924621267
We stayed in Keswick in the Lake District. Rick Steves has some advice on what to do in the Lake District. We drove the circle that he recommended. There is a great B&B there:
Badgers Wood Guest House
Anne & Andrew Paylor
30 Stanger Street, Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 5JU
Phone is  00 44 17687 72621.
http://badgers-wood.co.uk

You need a full day in Bath. The Abbey and Roman Bath Museum are must sees. We took a walking tour as well.
The Brooks Guesthouse was great. Also enjoyed fish and chips at The Scallop Shell.

You plan to spend only one night in the Cotswolds. That is ridiculous. There are many towns and cites to see there. Rick Steves has some good advice.

We stayed at a nice B&B in Chipping Campden that has a great pub and Indian Restaurant as well.
Hotel Name The Volunteer Inn
Hotel Address Lower High Street
Chipping
Campden GL55 4DY United Kingdom
Hotel Phone Number +44 01386 840688

Here is my story of our 28 days driving in Wales and England:
28 days in Britain and Celebrity Eclipse home
https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=599139

jikelman, thanks for your tip. Unfortunately airfare is already booked round trip from Heathrow due to the use of our Delta skymiles and trying to optimize those for the best deal. We do want to spend around 3 days in London seeing some sights we haven't seen (Churchill War Rooms, Greenwich, etc.) and taking in a couple West End shows. I think you are right about cutting something. I feel like it's doable but will still be a lot of travel between spots.

You have to prioritise what you want to see - if you really want to see Scotland, then go there, but it will be at the expense of somewhere else - my suggestion would be to drop the (overrated) Cotswolds, as this is geographically removed from everything else that you want to cover, but that's just my personal view. Bath is easily reached by train from London as a long day trip.

Chelsea flower show- is this a must, as its timing doesn't fit well with the rest of your itinerary?

York - there is plenty to see here to cover 2 full days plus if you then hire a car, you could spend a day in Whitby.

If you have a car for the Lake District, it would be a pity to stay somewhere so urban as Keswick - I would head for Eskdale or the north or west Lakes to escape the tourist hoardes. Not wanting to dissuade you from the Lakes, but if you are heading to Edinburgh, had you considered Northumberland instead, which is less of a detour than the Lakes? Gorgeous coastline, Holy Island is stunning and there are some great castles, such as Bamburgh.

If your priority is Scotland, then you will need to add a few more days to this portion of your holiday.

If your flight leaves at noon, then you need to be at the airport by 9am latest. You will want your last night to be in London, not spent on a train heading back from Scotland, just in case there are technical issues and it gets cancelled. This train doesn't permit a good nights sleep!

Chelsea Flower Show -- more important for my husband than me. He has family members in the floral business and has more of an interest in flowers and gardening than I do. I could take or leave it, but I should add we are traveling as a result of his completion of a graduate degree so I want to make sure he enjoys his time!

I am starting to think we should drop Cotswolds or Lake District and do one or the other or skip both and stay on the outskirts of York and explore the Yorkshire Dales area or North York Moors? Or, do as you suggest and devote more time to the Northumberland/Borders area before trekking to Edinburgh. Thanks for your input!

Re: Chelsea Flower Show - can I just check that you’re aware you will need to pre-buy your tickets, and it’s tremendously popular. I’d hate you just to turn up on the day and not get in. It’s not clear from your post whether you know that, so I thought it would be useful.

I note the Tuesday members only day is already sold out.

Yes. Very aware of pre-purchase of tickets. That is why I'm concerned about getting the right dates for our visit in London -- so we can pick a day and go ahead and purchase on one of the public days which have not sold out yet.

For Bath, I’d either do it as a day trip from London OR catch the National Express coach direct from Heathrow (no direct trains from Heathrow to Bath, and you won’t need or want a car in Bath itself). You could even do a Mad Max Day trip to the Cotswolds from Bath to avoid needing a car at all - then catch the train back to London from Bath.

If you drive, rent the car as you leave Bath, enjoy a day driving through the Cotswolds then drop the car off somewhere like Oxford or Heathrow and catch the train or tube into central London.

Your plan for taking the train to York is a good one. Personally I think the Yorkshire Dales deserve more than just a brief glimpse en route to the Lakes. I think they’re every bit as beautiful as the Lake District but it does seem as if international tourists want to head straight for the Lake District. I’d want a few days for this rural bit after Yorkshire as the charm of both the Dales & the Lakes is getting out in the country for walks.

I agree with others that you’re shortchanging all the northern bits of your trip - and one full day in the Lakes and one full day in Edinburgh will just be tantalising. Plus don’t underestimate the effort of concentration you’ll need for the rural driving.

As you’re young, you WILL come back - so why not leave out part of this?

Also: controversially I don’t think the Cotswolds are all that. It feels like they just have really good marketing.

Having given some thoughts above, if you’d like to know my REAL recommendation, it’d be: go straight to London from Heathrow (by tube). Do Bath as a day trip by train. Ignore the Cotswolds. Enjoy London and the flower show.

Then train to York, then pick up a car and really give yourself some time to explore both the Dales and the Lakes. Both are way more stunning than the Cotswolds. Then add a couple of days in Edinburgh if time, but otherwise save it to your next trip.

jane, thanks so much for this. I did want your honest opinion so I'm glad you gave it! :)

Odd, how none of the British posters on this forum rate the Cotswolds, yet this seems to be on everyone's hit list for USA visitors!

If you are heading to Chelsea, although it's more expensive, buy all day tickets, not just an afternoon session, as this doesn't give you enough time to see all the show gardens and browse the stands. Allow plenty of time to get in for baggage checks. Wear some comfortable shoes or trainers, as you will walk miles!

What sort of travel experiences do you enjoy or would like to cover on this trip? As you already know, the UK is very diverse despite its small size.

I think it helps with planning big trips to think in terms of activities i.e. history (which itself can be diced up into pre-history, Roman, viking, industrial, etc) , culture, food, nature, adventurism, shopping, etc.

I have to say I am pleasantly surprised to see that many people on this forum recognise that there is plenty to see and do in the UK outside of London, and even more impressed to see the enthusiasm for northern England, such as the Lake District.

I would point out however, that similarly-lovely scenery can be also be found in Wales, along with plenty of historical sites.