Summer 2015 Plans

Why are you picking up the car in Manchester? Are you picking it up from the airport to avoid one-way charges as you are returning it there?
London to Manchester airport involves doubling back via central Manchester. Perhaps pick up the car somewhere else with a direct train from London, like Lancaster station.

Use www.viamichelin.com for planning and estimating road routes, distances and times.

Edinburgh is a long day trip from Lancaster. www.viamichelin.com says (each way):

Time 03h36 with 01h47 on motorways
Distance 255 km with 166 km on motorways
Costs Petrol £29.75

You then have to find parking, which may be a Park-and-ride, and get to the tourist areas. This would be a very long day.

Just get 1-day travelcards for London. It's not worth the oyster hassle and deposit.

I hope you have already spent more time in London. Two days is not much.

There's not usually any extra fee to pick up and drop a car at different cities in Britain, but your choice of a minivan is probably limiting the number of offices that will handle it.

Get some prioritized sightseeing ideas for the Lake District at http://www.ricksteves.com/europe/england/lake-district.

The Guardian newspaper has very tempting coverage of restaurants and pubs, such as this Manchester list: http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/oct/11/manchester-top-10-craft-beer-pubs

I'm sure you know this but just to be absolutely clear so you don't make an expensive mistake: there are no direct trains from Manchester Airport to London. The main Manchester station for London trains is Manchester Piccadilly, and you need to take a train from the airport to it.

The best thing to do is book the whole journey from Manchester Airport to London in one go.

Phillip and Mark,

Thanks for the replay about the London tube and the train. These are most helpful.

Bob

Hello Bob M. A day trip to Edinburgh from the Lake District ? I recommend being at Edinburgh two nights.

Laura - sorry, but there is a one way drop off fee for most places in the UK - I hired a car at Glasgow airport and dropped it back in the city centre less than 10 miles away and was charged a one-way drop off fee. Unless I was just unlucky with the three times this has happened to me!

Bob - having been at University in Leicester, I am struggling to think of any "not to misses" there! You ought to try a curry one evening as that is one of the country's leading curry centres - can't stand the stuff myself. There is the Richard III centre in Leicester and the market is very lively. A day trip to Rutland Water and Stamford (Burghley House) would be good and if you have time, visit the market towns of Uppingham or Market Harborough. There are few National Trust properties within a short drive of Leicester.

Manchester - I suggest that you check out Trip Advisor recommendations. The city centre is compact and the trams make it easy to get around - parking maybe a problem unless you stay slightly further out and get the tram into the city centre.

Lakes - you do not say which month you are travelling. The Lakes will be over-run around the school holidays - mid July to early September so parking at these times maybe a problem and there will be road congestion. Lancaster is over an hour's ride from say Keswick. Many go there for the walking and there are hundreds of options. Take a boat trip around Lake Windermere; Grasmere; Hawkshead and outside the Lakes, drive through the Trough of Bowland then go to Settle and visit Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales and visit the Wensleydale cheese factory (of Wallace and Gromit fame if you have had these films in the States).