Two Weeks - London/England etc and/or go to rest of UK and/or go to Paris?

It's possible you were overwhelmed in Italy because you did 3 big cities... lots of people, chaos, etc.? given that I would spend your time in London, then as you head to Cambridge, do the countryside/Cotswold area of England. It is so beautiful and if you were so close and didn't visit before, I would do it this time. You could do a wonderful driving tour of the area and even head on to Wales or Whitby. That would give you a combination of city/relaxing. Cotswold villages, Bath, Warwick Castle, Cream tea, Bourton on the Water, Chipping Camden... the list is endless.

You are well aware of your options. I'd say with your current interests, I'd stay based in London and do day trips. Of course, London just happens to be in my top 3 favorite places! You could plan 2-4 days of London based activities, then take a train trip to somewhere, then repeat and repeat...... You could even pop over to Cardiff Wales for a day trip (it's about 2ish hours by train from London- so doable). In more than 40 trips to the UK, we found LOTS of day trips we enjoyed form London. Believe me, you would not have a problem finding things to interest you both in and out of London. I'll put a link to an article I wrote for Trip Advisor about our favorite places in London and some of our train day trips at the end of my post.

Paris is a good option, too if you want. Easy to reach via the Eurostar. But buy your tickets about 12 weeks out to get the best rate. And plan on arriving at the station at least an hour to an hour and a half ahead of time. We aren't fans of Paris, but many people love it and if you are interested, it's probably the easiest paring with London of any 'continental' European city. A week in each would give you good taste of each one, and you could plan 1 day trip from each.

Here's the link to my article
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g186338-s1/London:United-Kingdom:Inside.html

EDIT- just checked the link and found that it is no longer my article- trying to find what they did with it. If you want, I can email you a copy- it was also in AAA Carolina's "Go!" magazine several years ago.

Just private message me with your email, and I'll send you the article.

A two week trip would be the bare minimum of what you would need to get a good look at London and England. Your plan seems to start out with "at least 4-5 days in London, plus Cambridge, plus Stonehenge."

You say, "What I cannot decide is where should I start focusing my research for the second week of the trip? Should I spend more time in England (when I studied abroad I didn't see much outside Cambridge and London, and my DH has never been there),"

In my opinion, yes, spend more time in England. Seeing London is not seeing all of England. England is full of castles, country houses, breathtaking scenery, country villages, walking trails, great train rides, beautiful beaches, museums in small towns containing Roman Britain artifacts, the remains of Roman Britain villas, and many towns where you can still walk the top of ancient Roman or medieval town walls (York is one). I forget to mention spectacular cathedrals and stained glass windows, many medieval, some built on top of ancient Roman temples. One in London has a basement where you can walk down there and see the Roman temple remains.

Don't be too hasty to leave England. The longer you stay and poke around, the more interesting it becomes.

My favorite parts of London are: The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, the British Museum. You will want to see the Imperial War Museum, Churchill War Rooms, and the Museum of London, which has on display a Roman tile floor from a Roman townhouse uncovered in London. You may also want to see St. Paul's. You'll want to see Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace.

To the southwest of London, you could take the train to Salisbury, see Salisbury Cathedral, drive the short distance to Stonehenge (15 miles?), see Winchester Cathedral, drive to Bath. See the Roman baths, drive to the Cotswolds, spend 3 to 5 days there. Peaceful little villages.

South of London 30 miles is Hever Castle, home of Henry the 8th's second wife, which is worth seeing. Also in that general area, is Winston Churchill's country home, Chartwell. Leeds Castle, surrounded by a lake, is also nearby. On south of this area is Dover Castle, overlooking the sea, with a Roman lighthouse. Not far away is also Canterbury and its cathedral.

My point is, no matter which direction you go from London, there's lots to see.

"should I look into Ireland/Scotland/Wales (I don't have anything particular I want to see there, but I am sure with research there are many things), or should I try to throw in another bucket list place - Paris? I don't want to overwhelm myself and hope this in not a once-in-a-lifetime thing, so Paris could always be another time if that would do it more justice."

First of all, Ireland/Scotland/Wales is a lot to cover, if you're thinking of doing them all in one week. I have a feeling you may be asking if you should add one of them. The easiest to add would either be Scotland or Wales.

Scotland: You could leave Cambridge after your visit there, head to York to see York Minster Cathedral and walk the wall. Then train north to see Hadrian's Wall (the Roman Wall). Then train north to Edinburgh, Scotland, and spend a couple of days there. From there, you can see as much or as little of Scotland as you wish. Or you could take a train from Edinburgh to the west side of England, and travel south to the Cotswolds. Then Bath, Stonehenge, and back to London. (A big circle: up the east coast of England and back down the west of England.)

You need to start doing research right away. Browse the travel books at your local bookstore. The Rick Steves Guides are all great. You can order them here on this website. Other great travel books are: "England, The Rough Guide" by Rough Guides. Or Lonely Planet Great Britain. You need to find out what things in England or Scotland interest you. If you see lots that peaks your interest, that is what the books are supposed to do, to help you decide. A great book, if it's still in print, is "Seeing Roman Britain". There are the remains of Roman villas all over England to see.

About adding Paris to your London trip. A week each place would make a great trip. With both of you being interested in WW1 and WW2, there is a lot to see outside of Paris. You would want to see the Normandy Beaches. I don't know if that means you would want a longer time in France than you have room for on this trip. Would you rather see Paris on a separate trip when you can spend a week in Paris, and another three to five days seeing Normandy and the WW1 and WW2 sites?

Let's relate Scotland--I leave Ireland and Wales to those who know them better than I do--to your interest--WWI and II and Roman history.

World War I: So, thousands of Scots, of course, fought in WW I. If you go to Scotland and the Castle in Edinburgh, there is the Scottish National War Memorial within the Castle. Of course, it's for all wars and there are books that list the soldiers who died. So for example, I can find the the book for the Canadian Expeditionary Force that my grandfather joined and find a listing of his compatriots who died in service. It'a a very moving monument. Also in the Castle is the National War Museum. Their are two regimental museums in the Castle. The Castle is amazing for history for millennia. There are lots of other regimental museums sprinkled throughout Scotland. I've been to the one at Stirling--The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders--which was very impressive. I've read novels from the time--Sunset Song has a strong WW I component, John Buchan's 39 Steps, which was also a movie is set in Scotland in WWI. Here's a link for you to explore. The 100 year anniversary has prompted a lot of research. Also, way North in Orkney is Scappa Flow which was a naval base in both wars. In WWI the German Fleet was scuttled there after the war. It's a favorite site for diving.

Scappa Flow featured in WWII as well as early in the war a ship was torpedoed. The Churchill Barriers were then built and the Italian POW's built the Italian Chapel. (If you go to Hoy you will find defenses from the Napoleonic Wars! The North coast of Scotland was where all the convoys were assembled to cross the Atlantic during WWII. While there are no actually physical remnants, it's impressive to see these most northerly lochs. Read Alistair McLean's book HMS Ulysses for a great tale about the crossing. Also, the north of Scotland was where the commando's were trained. There is a marvelous war memorial overlooking Ben Nevis, just north of Spean Bridge. And Shetland was the home of the Shetland Bus. They had bases that had Norwegian fishing boats and they sent out Norwegians back to Norway to do all sorts of missions. Marvelous story. And in my search for other ideas I found this one on airplane wreckage in the Scottish Mountains!

Roman History is all tied in with Hadrian's and Antonine Walls. The former has a lot of forts and ruins. It's interesting to hike bits of it.

Ashley, I would save Paris, Ireland, Scotland and Wales for another trip. There is so much to see in England! I suggest that you see London and then pick one or possibly two other towns as a base. Do day trips but return to the same place -- it's more relaxing. Get a guidebook and see what appeals to you.

I'll just add to those recommending you spend the whole time in the UK. You mentioned being overwhelmed with ten days in three Italian cities. Why risk that again by adding Paris? Especially if you're reasonably likely to return to Europe. Paris and France are wonderful and worth a separate trip, or a big chunk of a longer trip. There's a great deal to see and do in England in two weeks, without even touching on Scotland, Wales, or Ireland. The Rick Steves guide has lots of good info and advice, but as Emma said it leaves out many places you might want to visit. Check out several guidebooks from the library for ideas.

You can maximize your time by flying open-jaw, say into London and back from Manchester or Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Another vote for remaining in England. Either by car or rail so much to explore. Look at the National Trust properties online, same for their national parks. Get a good map of England and start plotting the adventure. After London visit Cambridge. See the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.. Stay the night and then commence on your "other parts of England" trek. Personally, I'd rent a car simply for the freedom it allows. Have fun planning your trip!!!!

I appreciate all of the replies! I do already have several Rick Steves' guidebooks, but I was wanting other opinions on what people have enjoyed as far as the big picture - it is easy to figure out what I will do in each place, but the difficulty is deciding which place is most beneficial for my limited time. I wish I had a month or more and could visit all of these places!

I think we are going to stay just in England, in a effort to see more of the country and not overwhelm myself again. France will have to be the next trip in a few years. I will look into the book one person mentioned about Roman history in England - that sounds like it could be quite helpful.

Now I am trying to decide if we should rent a car or just try to day trip out of London. Any thoughts?

Do you like to explore new areas or be on a schedule? I always have a car while in this area, but I prefer spontaneous travel and like to go places that I hear about on a whim, and I am not afraid to drive in UK. I get my car at the airport and head right out of London (I am afraid to drive in London:)) Driving around the area is the only way for me to get a real feeling of what it is like. I do not want to plan it all out on the internet... I am OK figuring it out for myself. I have always had a home base in the Cotswolds, so usually not searching out hotels. But did take a road trip to Whitby and Edinburg and found hotels when we arrived (off season).
So many of the Cotswold villages and places I have been are not easily accessible by bus.

You'll want to add Scotland to your next trip when this new "Hostel/Self-catering" site is available. They are converting a former POW site from WWII into a place that you can stay! What would be better than staying in refurbished Nissan Hut??? And, Rudolf Hess supposedly spent a night there.

Pam

Another good book is The Oxford Illustrated History of Roman Britain. Includes quite a few maps of all the Roman roads and towns.

If you follow a circular path on your trip, you could go from London to Cambridge to York to Hadrian's Wall, then follow Hadrian's Wall from east to west across England, stopping at each site of interest. If you don't have a car, you can travel on the Hadrian's Wall Bus.
http://www.visithadrianswall.co.uk/explore/ad122-hadrians-wall-country-bus/ad122-timetable
There are lots of inns and B&B's along the way where you could spend the night.

Then you could continue your circle around England by traveling south to the Lake District, Chester, then the Cotswolds and Bath.

"Now I am trying to decide if we should rent a car or just try to day trip out of London. Any thoughts?"

You don't have to rent a car. The trains go to most of the places I've mentioned in my posts. Of course, the train doesn't run along Hadrian's Wall; the bus does. You will find that in many places where there is not train service, there is bus service.

Many people on this forum do rent a car to use in England, and are quite happy with the experience. You will want a car if you go to the Lake District or the Cotswolds.

About just doing day trips out of London. If that is what you would prefer to do, you can make it work. You would be limited in what you could see, however; because you can only get so far in a day, see a sight enjoyably, and return to London. You would not be able to see Hadrian's Wall or The Lake District, for example. Just too very far away. However, you could see the things I mentioned in my first and second posts as day trips.

You may enjoy working your way around England, staying 2 or 3 nights in each town you visit. This takes you out of London after your first week. It allows you to see more of the countryside as you travel, and not have to rush back to London each night.

You could do your trip by train until you were say, in York, and then pick up a car there. Or you could do an all-train trip until you were ready to go to the Cotswolds, then rent a car there. You can return the car after you are done with it, and travel back to London on the train. You are not committed to doing an all-train or all-car trip. You can mix it.

I think the next thing you may want to do is to start a list of your very own "must sees". As you read one of the travel guidebooks, you will zero in on those must sees. Get a good map of England, so you can start to make a plan.

Here are some articles to help you begin to research:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Britain
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_sites_in_the_United_Kingdom

You will definitely want to visit Cirencester in the Cotswolds, and their Corinium Museum, which has an excellent collection of Roman artifacts, coins, and statues.

Two places you will want to see along Hadrian's Wall are: Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum, South Shields, Tyne and Wear, England. They have a reconstructed Roman gateway, and a museum.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbeia

Vindolando, along Hadrian's Wall. Significant remains, and a museum.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vindolanda
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/vindolanda_01.shtml

One of the best remains of a Roman villa is Fishbourne Roman Palace in West Sussex.
Easier to get to if you are in the Cotswolds already is Chedworth Roman Villa.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/chedworth-roman-villa/

I applaud your decision to stay and soak in and see more of England. I think you'll enjoy it more, and the experience will be richer.

However, I would differ a bit from some of the other posters in suggesting that you not just limit yourself to day trips from London. For one thing, that makes your lodging budget much more expensive than it needs to be, since it's the most expensive city in the country by far, and for another, you will be missing out on the smaller-town or countryside feel that can help round out a vacation.

Just a thought! I know you CAN do many things as day trips from London, and that might be ideal for some people. My preference would be to mix a number of days in London with a few days in another spot or two.

Kim - thank you for that thought! What other places would you recommend as a base to stay in?

Spend the first week in London, with maybe a side trip to Windsor or Hampton Court or Greenwich -- someplace you want to see that's close enough to be easy. Then take the train to Cambridge, see the sights, spend the night, and rent a car. Drive north to York for maybe two nights (Romans, cathedral, walls), then on to Durham and Hadrian's Wall. Spend a couple of nights up there somewhere. Then work south and see Stonehenge (and Avebury nearby) on your way back to Heathrow. That's just one plan, there are lots of choices.

You could also keep going north and fly home from Edinburgh or Glasgow if there's a good connection home. Or from Manchester. Flying "open jaw" like that saves you backtracking. But if you want Stonehenge too you might as well fly from Heathrow.

If you're OK to drive on the left and all that (it's harder for me than for many on this board), the car gives you flexibility. Unless you're going to a very popular area, or your heart's set on a particular inn or B&B, you can probably plan your lodging just a couple of days ahead, keeping you flexible without leaving you searching for a bed late some afternoon or evening.

Just a couple of ways to think about an extra week in Britain. Lots of choices, only you know what's best for you!

You could always go to Holland/Belgium and see the battlefields? Hadrian's Wall is definitely the definitive Roman site in Britain for me. I walked from one side of it to the other one summer and it's absolutely breathe taking. Also, if you haven't found your accommodation for Cambridge yet, I'd highly recommend Citystay UK, in my opinion they offer the best serviced apartments in Cambridge. http://www.citystayuk.com/

There is something to be said about the many ideas posted here and there really is no wrong answer. When we traveled last year for three weeks we did London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Dublin. By Dublin we were exhausted and spent most of our time in the hotel room. I would only add on one more big city with a few side trips.

That said, Paris is always a good idea (this is coming from me and I didn't much fancy it when I went but the more time that passes, the more the better memories win out.) Paris is easy to add to London and a great contrast as well. I personally would stay in Montmartre based on my previous experience but everyone finds their own favorite area of the city to stay. While Paris has plenty to fill the entire week, you could take side trips to Versailles, Rouen, and/or Mont Saint Michel.

We're going back this year for 10 days for a wedding. As a result we decided to stay in one place for the entire trip. We chose Leamington Spa for it's location near our friends that are getting married and the wedding location. Thankfully it also means we will have relatively easy access to the Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Oxford for day trips.