Scotland & England in 10 Days! (Wales?)

Loved Salisbury and St. Fagan's Park(near Cardiff)

Why would you fly from Edinburgh back to London to rent a car to then travel back up country to places as far north as the Lake District? If you wanted to see Hadrian’s Wall, The Lake District, maybe Chester & into north Wales, you would surely drive down from Edinburgh? If going south from Edinburgh by train to London, best advice would be to break the trip with an overnight in historic York.
If going towards Bath, Stonehenge or south Wales, again, you could travel by train (be sure to book in advance & fares maybe cheaper you split the ticket at Crewe if using the western route). Alternatively, you could fly from Edinburgh to Bristol or Cardiff. For flights see www.skyscanner.net For trains see www.nationalrail.co.uk

However, as you are in Scotland, I would hire a car and drive out to the scenic highland areas. Loch Tay area maybe or if you have time, drive right over to the Isle of Skye. Go on the Scotland forum for more advice if this is your choice. (Wales also has its own forum).
https://www.visitscotland.com

The Lake District is too far away. Cardiff is only an hour or so from Bath, or so I've been told, so that's doable if you go to Salisbury and Bath. Depending on the time you get to London, you should be able to get there in a couple of hours.

We are going to be in that area for four nights in June, so I've booked a B & B for 3 nights in Bath, and the 4th is still up for grabs. We'll probably be in South Wales, and I think I'm going to book a visit to the Royal Mint, which is 20 minutes from Cardiff. Right now you can strike your own £1 coin, as the new ones came out a couple of weeks or so ago.
http://www.royalmint.com/en/the-royal-mint-experience

Our last two nights will be in Reading, and we are planning to go to Windsor, before we head home.

Have a wonderful vacation!

Three days isn't enough time to cover all the places that you have stated. As James, points out, the Lake District is 3/4 of the way back to Scotland, so no point heading south to go north again.

With your time, you could either head from Edinburgh to the Lake District and have 3 nights there then head to London for your last 2 nights (assume you have been to London before, otherwise you are short changing it) OR take have a night in London then take the train to Bath and have 2 nights there, then head to Salisbury for a night to cover Salisbury and Stonehenge from here, then back to London.

If you haven't been to London before, head here straight from Scotland.

Why head back to Edinburgh? It's easier to get to the Lake District from Glasgow rather than Edinburgh and likewise, there are trains and flights from Glasgow - trains are best, as by the time you get out to the airports, what fly, wait at the other end and get into London, the train works out quicker.

What did you want to see in South Wales? Cardiff is OK, but not as interesting as some of the other places in the UK and the coastal path around St Davids is stunning, but you don't have enough time in your schedule for this, as it takes time to get to and from - I would suggest 4 days minimum here.

thank you all for the great advice.

We are planning on spending a little more time in Edinburgh, St Andrews and a day less on the road. As far as London, we will either just stay in the rental and pay the dropoff in London, or take a train.

Still looking into trains vs Plane. I know everyone tends to prefer trains but when i check it seems to be twice the cost and twice the time. Even in and out of the airport, it seems about equal and cheaper.

Maybe I'm doing everything wrong. I was even trying different rail systems recently trying to get to Berlin from London when we leave and the flight seems the best option. Glad to hear suggestions regarding the trains.

Susan

Last summer I took a morning train from London to Salisbury, spent the night there, then took train to Bath Spa the next morning. I left my luggage at Bag Drop near Bath Spa train station. Took Hop On bus around Bath, went to Georgian House Museum, ate lunch. No interest in seeing the baths since I've been to Pompeii. Took late afternoon train to Cardiff. Went to St. Fagans Museum the next day, Caerphilly Castle the next day, then back to London and home. I was not happy about the short time I had in England(my husband had a meeting and would only stay one extra day), but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I got to see. I loved the Georgian House Museum-the guides were very knowledgeable-but was underwhelmed by Bath. Trains were easy, train station located conveniently enough that I never took at taxi. Didn't go to Stonehenge-holding out for Avebury which sounds more atmospheric.