Kent

Winchelsea is suppose to be a cute village which is only two mile from Rye, so since you are going to Rye you might want to stop there. If you are interested in seeing a lot of skulls, there are around 1200 ancient human skulls, plus stacks of bones representing 4,000 people, you should go to St. Leonard's Church in Hythe. Hythe is 21 miles east of Rye on the coast. Have a great trip.

Wow, Hythe sounds like a lot of fun! ;-)

Don't forget Canterbury -- though not in the "cute village" category.

I had a memorable evening in a pub in Battle, where the owner showed me a mural over his garage reproducing the part of the Bayeux Tapestry that depicts the part of the Battle of Hastings that occurred right there (as he, or someone, thought). He pointed out the hillside where Harold was killed ("over by that far cow"). This was so long ago that the mural's probably gone, maybe the whole pub. But maybe not, and you'll stumble across it. Good luck.

I would not go to Kent from North Wales. I would stick with Wales and go down the west side to Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire before heading east to either the Brecon Beacons or Cardiff. http://www.visitwales.com/explore/mid-wales/ceredigion
http://www.visitpembrokeshire.com

http://www.tenbyvisitorguide.co.uk
http://www.breconbeacons.org
www.visitcardiff.com
www.cardiffcastle.com
https://museum.wales/stfagans
/http://cadw.gov.wales/daysout/caerphilly-castle/?lang=en (which is a 20 minute train ride N of Cardiff).

Living in Kent, unlike the previous poster, I can't dissuade you from visiting, even though it is a long drive from Wales! (Rye and Battle are in East Sussex, not Kent, though, but still worth a visit.)

Smarden is as cute as they come.

At Rye, as well as seeing the hilltop town, also venture down to Rye Harbour a mile or so away which is very different in character and there are walks there through the nature reserve down to the beach.

Characterful Whitstable and Faversham on the north Kent coast are worth a look, the former being known now for its oysters and art galleries and the latter for the Shepherd Neame brewery, supposedly the oldest in the country (tours are available).

The Castle and tunnels in Dover are interesting, but I wouldn't spend any time in the town itself. Nearby Sandwich is interesting and has more character.

Sissinghurst Gardens are worth visiting, as is Chartwell, Ightham Mote, Scotney Castle and Knowle in Sevenoaks, all National Trust properties.

If you are closeby, visit Yalding near Maidstone and cross it's unique ancient bridge. The village itself is cute as are many of the nearby villages such as Matfield, Burwash and Robertsbridge. Further west, Alfriston and Jevington also fall into this category.

Dungeness is unique, Britain's only desert and an odd collection of ramshackle houses, now very trendy, but many converted from fishermans huts. Climb the lighthouse or travel on the steam railway.

Further west are Hastings, Lewes and Brighton, a popular seaside resort. Too much choice.

To add to the list given by Jennifer, you may want to add these to your itinerary:
Leeds Castle
Bodiam Castle
Hever Castle
Three of my favorite castles in England.
Well, Hever is more of a country house.

I enjoyed the village of Cobham (I did have an in, so I spent 2 nights at Cobham Hall). The Hall is open on Sundays in the summer. The grounds are quite nice. Charles Dickens spent time there and at the Leather Bottle, a nearby pub. It has a scenic main street (The Street) and a picturesque church. It’s about 15 minutes from Gravesend and an hour from Rye.

Thank you everyone. I will do more research on the places you've suggested, get out my maps and see how many we can get to. I'm very excited to be going to England.

Robin, St Leonard's in Hythe sound just my cup of tea.

Dick...do you remember the name of the pub in Battle..?
James, We're flying into Manchester and will visit friends in No. Wales before taking the train to London then into Kent where we will collect our car. I do like Wales and I'll be back.

Laurel, sadly I don't recall the name of the pub. It was 1963 so I have some excuse. I thought it was away from the center of town, but I was hitchhiking so it couldn't have been too far out. Looking at Google Earth tells me only that the town must have grown a lot since then.

As an attraction, Battle would have a lot to recommend it, for the museum, the abbey, and the battlefield itself. It was one of the pivotal events in English history, if it had gone differently a lot of things would be different now. Another place I liked nearby was Bodiam Castle.

Bodiam is definitely worth a visit and there is a nearby steam railway that you can travel on.

If you are going to Hythe, take a walk along the Royal Military Canal in town. There are boards there explaining its history - built as a defence against a Napoleonic invasion that never happened. There is also nearby in Folkestone an excellent Kent WW2 museum run by volunteers with hundreds of exhibits chronicling Kent's wartime history, including parts of aircraft from both sides that were brought down over Kent.

Cranbrook is a good size charming village in which to base yourself. Very close to Sissinghurst which is a must see.

In 2011 I spent a week with my parents in a gorgeous old cottage near Burwash, visiting so many of the places mentioned.
http://www.blackdowncottage.co.uk