9 days in Southern Scotland and Northern England

We thoroughly enjoyed spending time along Hadrian's Wall in Northern England. We flew into Newcastle. We took the advice of people on this forum to hire Peter Carney as a private tour guide to get oriented and were we glad we did! If you love history, you'll love a day spent with this guide along Hadrian's Wall. We then spent a few more days walking portions of the wall. If you are not really interested in walking, you could have a great day just touring the key sights with Peter.

We also enjoyed the Stirling area in Scotland quite a bit. Stirling castle was more interesting to me than Edinburgh.

Should you decide to visit the Hadrian's Wall area then I recommend a visit to Vindolanda

www.vindolanda.com

We have been twice in the last few years and enjoyed both visits. It is a fascinating place and easily uses up a half-day because there is a lot to see. You can get a combination ticket for the Roman Army Museum which is nearby if this appeals. Access to the wall can be gained at Steel Rigg which is not far away.

I'd suggest that York, which can be en route to both Edinburgh and Hadrian's Wall is a good point to stop over. Plenty of museums and history dating back to the Romans. From there head for the east coast travelling through North Yorkshire - coastal fishing ports of Whitby, Robin Hoods Bay, Staithes for instance) and wild Northumberland - (castles - Alnwick, Warkworth, Bamburgh, Dunstanburgh - and the eccentric stately pile of Cragside near Rothbury) on the way to Edinburgh. You go through the Newcastle area which I think is a really excellent city and will pass close by Durham too which is worth visiting for the Cathedral.

Couple of suggestions there to get you researching!

Hope you have a great trip!

Ian

With just 9 days you'll need to set your priorities carefully. Is this 9 days total (including flights)? Or 9 days on the ground?

I concur with the others about Hadrian's Wall, but I'll also put in a vote for Inveraray. It has a lovely castle (the RS guide says the interior is boring, but I disagree), a historic jail, beautiful views of Loch Fyne, and good shopping for traditional Scottish woolens. The town was designed & built by a Georgian architect so it is very picturesque. I can recommend Brambles for lodging and daytime light meals, George Hotel for dinner & pub. Nearby is horseback riding at Argyll Adventure and the Auchindrain Township open-air museum, a unique glimpse into the traditional agricultural way of life before the highland clearances. You can also drive about an hour to Kilmartin Glen, Scotland's richest prehistoric site. If you go, stop in the village museum and buy the map, otherwise you could drive right by the stone cairns without realizing it.

Durham; Newcastle upon Tyne; Alnwick; Warkworth; Lindisfarne; Bamburgh; The Farnes;

As a fellow city person, I loved my trip to Glasgow, Manchester, and Liverpool in September 2016. Here's my very detailed trip report, which should give you plenty of ideas: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/uk-trip-report-glasgow-manchester-liverpool-in-september-2016

Everyone thank you for your great feedback!

If you like castles, Alnwick and Bamburgh. The Abby ruins of Jedburgh and Melrose are nice. The woolen mills are in the border area in the area near Peebles. Blackpool is worth a short visit as is Harrogate. Already mentioned is York and Stirling.

Thank you for your suggestions. What do you think about this?
1 flight into Leeds
Fly into leeds and take the Transpenine train to york 38 min

2 - 3 night - York -
2 hr 22 min train to Edinburgh - cross country train
4-5-6 night- Edinburgh
1 hour train to glasgow Scotrail
7-8 Glasgow, Stirling day trip 30 min Scotrail
Day 9 fly home