UK Itinerary Feedback

How fun! Mostly seems reasonable to me - although I do not drive. Others will know better about transit times.

Brief observations:

The 31st looks way too packed. It will be difficult to do justice to both the Castle and the National Museum in one day. I would pick one. I know that seems harsh. (Others may disagree.)

The 8th seems too full. The British Museum is a LOT, and if you’re into WWII history, you need a few hours at the War Rooms. If you are only walking by Buckingham Palace then maybe… but if you intending to take a tour, there is no way this will fit.

On the 9th, I’d skip Borough Market. It’s a tourist maelstrom these days, and no longer really pleasurable. The only way to see anything, IMHO, is to show up right when things open, and zoom through before all the slow-walking Instagrammers descend.

A lot of driving on the 3rd. I’d guess 5 to 6 hours. You more or less drive past Bletchley Park so if possible I’d visit here on the 4th (but you said hotels were booked so are days not moveable?)

I agree with Volva. I spent about 6 hours at the National Museum of Scotland yesterday, and I skipped the technology and the pre-20th century history sections. It's a lovely museum but large, and it has a very confusing layout. You can spend a lot of time just trying to get to the sections you most want to see.

The Churchill War Rooms are a combination site. The war rooms themselves, though crowded, don't take long to see. The Churchill Museum will require a lot 9f time if you're interested in Churchill. I spent over half a day at the CWR and would have liked more time there.

The British Museum is a monster. You can't really take in the entire thing even if you have a full day. The ground floor, especially, is usually unbelievably crowded by museum standards. That will slow you down. I think Friday is the night the museum is open late, which may save you. It will probably also be less crowded after 4:30 PM or so. However, be advised that there is no food available in the museum after mid- to late afternoon, even though the museum is open until 8 PM. Take a look at the floor plan ahead of time to figure out how you want to prioritize your time.

The 1st, 2nd and 3rd are all huge driving days and back to back, far more than I would want. With at least one stop for a break it's a 5 hour drive from Edinburgh to Dunrobin Castle and you need to get there in good time to see it before closing. Then the drive to Bamburgh will be 6 hours without any diversions from the route you took the day before to see any more of the Highlands. The following day you need time to see the castle and then another 6 hour drive and that's assuming you stick to the direct and faster roads rather than diverting to see some of the beautiful countryside you will be racing past.

You need to drop something to create some space to correct the above. As you are already in Scotland and Northern England I would stay there and drop the Cotswolds. The scenery in the national parks in Northumberland the North York Moors, the Yorkshire Dales and the Peak District is to me far better than the Cotswolds. the latter are popular partly because they are reasonably convenient from London but the better landscapes are further north, where you will be.

I think what I would do is arrange to see some countryside on the way down to York and stop there to drop your car. Then spend at least a day in York and take a fast train to London in about 2 hours.

Well, I agree with John that it's a lot of driving (a LOT), but if you're okay with it, and you realize how much time you are spending in the car for those few days, then go for it. FWIW, I loved Bamburgh Castle and definitely think it's worth a drive.

That said, I think you could make things easier for yourself by visiting the southern end of the Highlands; like Glencoe, which is quite lovely and Inveraray Castle. Doing that will save you 2-3 hours of driving and it's a beautiful area.

However, I just noticed that you said your hotels are booked. Are they refundable or not? If not, at this late date, it would be tough for you to change much, so I'm not sure why you are asking for feedback about your itinerary outside London. If you can't change your stays, then there's not much point to asking (except for your London questions, of course).

Volva: Thank you! One thing I did not note is we are generally quite early risers on vacation so we can see sights before they are crammed with people. I'm hopeful since the days are so long in summer, that will help! Yes, we are only walking by Buckingham. And thanks for Borough Market warning! Do you have any other food recommendations?

BillyS: Thank you for your feedback. All of the hotels are refundable, so while it would be more work, if necessary, I can tweak that aspect I think. Let me look into this...

Acraven: Thanks for the really good reminder for both museums to focus on what we want to see most. We have been to a lot of museums and definitely have our favorite topics to focus on. We will plan that in advance so we have a game plan!

Johnew52: I have heard nothing but good things about Northumberland from the forum, and would consider this. However, alongside the beautiful countryside we wanted to experience in the Cotswolds, we wanted to see cute and quiet villages, farm shops, local shops, etc. From looking online at pictures, I know the scenery you mention is beautiful, but do those areas have quaint villages and shopping as well? Thank you!

You missed York, which is fantastic.

If you are an early riser anyway then for such a fleeting visit to Dunrobin presumably you realise that if you leave Edinburgh at 0636 by train you can be stepping off at the Duke's former private station at 1248- opposite the palace driveway.
Also the route used by the ambulance trains when the Castle was a WW1 military hospital.
Likewise the London bound train next day at 0755 from Inverness gets you to Berwick on Tweed (change in Edinburgh) by 1225, for under £40 each before railcard discounts.
Berwick for Bamburgh.
Quiet is not a word you would associate with any of the Cotswolds villages visited by tourists.

:-) Bloom - food recs?

In Notting Hill, I love Cheeky Scone: https://www.cheekyscone.com/ They do a cream tea with excellent clotted cream and strawberry jam. All the baked goods are lovely, and it’s in cute, funky Pembridge Road.

Ole and Steen is a Danish bakery/coffee shop that doesn’t get much play on this board, but they serve high quality pastries and top notch coffees. Great for a quick pick-me-up if you stumble across one: https://oleandsteen.co.uk/

Of course you’ll have heard of Pret a Manger, Dishoom, the Ivy… all are solid choices with mulptiple locations. I am also particularly fond of Itsu right now. And for pizza, I recommend the OG: Pizza Express. There’s one across the street from St. Paul’s, with a nice view of the dome.

If you are in Notting Hill, the Cow, at 89 Westbourne Park Road, is convenient, and it’s a fabulous gastropub! They serve fresh oysters and sparkling seafood and delicious food that is definitely a cut above “pub grub.” Their warm bread and Cornish butter is to die for. The pint of Guinness is truly proper. https://thecowlondon.com/

And I would be remiss to not recommend what IMHO is the best fish’n’ chips in London: The Golden Union, at 38 Union Street, near Liberty London. The fish is so fresh it is almost jumping, the portions are huge, and their batter is crispy to the max and light as a cloud. https://goldenunion.co.uk/

There are lovely villages in all the 4 national parks and many will have plenty of good food options as well - pubs, cafes, restaurants and food shops. They may not have as many as some in the Cotswolds but they will be far quieter.

Overall the tour outside Edinburgh and London just looks like you have picked out a few particular sights right across the country and planned a route to get between them, It looks like a road trip you might do in North America where you are happy to drive several hours between stops because they are that far apart and the driving is easy. In the UK a drive of several hours will have you passing interesting places to visit every few minutes. You will, somewhat perversely, see far more if you slow down and don't try to drive right across the country in a few days.

On August 1st to 3rd you have three back to back long and tiring days driving and then have two days with very little happening.

I agree with the others. Your plan is very ambitious.

I understand your desire to see the Highlands. We've made 3 driving trips up to the North Coast and discover something new every time. But your mostly seeing the Highlands out of a car window. Is there a reason you've chosen Dunrobin Castle? The current castle is not all that old and, IMO, there are more interesting castles and gardens throughout Scotland. Another option might be Blair Castle, near Pitlochery, only about a couple hour drive from Edinburgh. You would have time for stops at Drummond Castle Gardens and the Queen's View. This would also shorten your drive the next day and allow you to travel a different route to Bamburgh Castle.

Good luck with your planning.

Isn31c, John, Mardee, Geo, and Jean,

I have heard your comments and suggestions, and am wondering if switching to a train journey via these stops might be a better use of time. If you have suggestions of specific towns to sleep and shops or restaurants to visit, please share. My favorite shops are home and garden, food, and fabric shops.

And I got a book "Scotland for Gardeners" when I studied abroad and saw Dunrobin Castle. I thought it was the most beautiful and it has been stuck in my head since then. That is why I want to visit it, seemingly randomly!

Friday, August 1st
Train to Dunrobin Castle
Arrive at 12:46
Explore Dunrobin Castle
Sleep in ?

Saturday, August 2nd
Explore more of the Highlands?
Sleep in?

Sunday, August 3rd
Train to Northern England
Explore what village/area?
Sleep in?

Monday, August 4th
Explore Bamburgh Castle
Explore what village?
Sleep in?

Tuesday, August 5th
Morning Train to York
Explore York
Sleep in York

Wednesday, August 6th
Morning Train to Oxford
Explore Oxford
Evening Train to London
Sleep in London

Volva, thank you so much for the food recs, with links! These look lovely and just what I was looking for. I especially want to stop in at Ole and Steen. It looks lovely!

I take it Bloom that you have a particular interest in gardens? If so you may be able to find some excellent places to visit much nearer Edinburgh than Dunrobin. For example you could hire a car for a day to do jeanm's recommendations. I'm afraid that I don't know Scottish gardens well enough to offer my own suggestions but I bet there will be more. You could quite easily stretch the car hire to two days and concoct a lovely two day trip with much less mileage.

There will also be lots of excellent gardens available as you head south. You might want to keep the car to head down to Bamburgh, to save some complex public transport connections. You could spend the night there in one of the coastal villages - Bamburgh itself, Seahouses or Craster, or down to Alnwick with its own impressive castle and gardens. Then you could drop the car off in Newcastle for a quick train to York, where you could have 2 nights.

I too wasn't aware that the gardens at Dunrobin were that good to warrant such a diversion. But working on the basis that they are (may just be my lack of appreciation of these things) if you drove up there then now you have an extra day you could/should? do Inverewe gardens next day, and possibly Inverness Botanic gardens.
Another different idea from Edinburgh would be a curve through Southern Scotland taking in (among others) Benmore gardens, Culzean Castle and Port Logan gardens then Castle Kennedy, Threave etc on the bottom leg of the curve up towards Northumberland.

Bloom,

You're going to find gardens everywhere in Scotland. You could spend your entire time visiting gardens in Scotland and barely make a dent.

Drummond Castle Gardens

75 Beautiful Gardens

National Trust Gardens

The problem with train travel is that you are committed to a specific schedule. There is no opportunity to make a side stop for a view, a walk, a castle or garden visit or whatever when you find you've got some extra time to spare.

I saw Bamburgh Castle last September. Also saw Lindisfarne and Alwick Castle. Of the 3, Bamburgh is the least interesting. It is not that old. Stayed in Alwick and its castle totally surprised me. Ended up there for 4 hours when I wasn’t sure I was going to see it at all. Lindisfarne requires timing with the tide since it is only accessible with a causeway.

August 3 seeing Bamburgh then driving to the Cotswolds: driving distances in England are deceiving/this is a long drive. Have a great trip!

It is a bit amusing when someone writes that Bamburgh Castle is not that old. I kind of wonder what people expect. It is a site and a Castle which has really seen and experienced history. Parts of the present Castle go back to the Normans although the history of the site goes back further still.
Yes due to the history it became ruinous and was restored, not for the first time, in the Victorian era. I don't think personally that disqualifies it in any way.
I guess the choice was to leave it ruined.
Although to make it the sole stop in Northumberland feels a bit unfortunate, but those are the really hard choices to make.
And the role of the Castle continued into WW2 with the pillboxes below and the Women's Land Army stationed at the Castle.
I!m not sure if the docents are not fully explaining all this.

Oh and St Aidans Church to me should be part of a visit to the town.

On 3 and 4 August it would be a hard choice personally between staying in Bamburgh or in Berwick on Tweed, both having pros and cons