7 day itinerary in England/Scotland

I don't know about the fesability of doing it by car. BUT- if you are willing to drop the Cotswolds you could take the overnight train from London to Edinburgh and have at least 3 days there. Then fly home from Edinburgh. You'd also save one night's hotel bill.

Three days is a great amount of time to see Edinburgh. You should look into an open jaw flight--arrive London and depart either Edinburgh or Glasgow. I played around a bit with Railroad maps and google and it looks like you could take the train to Warwick and rent a car there for a day and then head up to Edinburgh. Hopefully though, someone will respond who's done something similar. Pam

My train travel from Bath (station: Bath Spa) where we had based in order to see both the town and the Cotswolds, to Edinburgh, via York, required a couple transfers and half a day of travel about 18 months ago. It wasn't a bad journey but it ate up time. With seven days only, I don't think you'd make best use of your time doing any driving or making train connections from the west of the country. Personally I think four days in London, 3 in Edinburgh (direct connection by train) is your best choice. But if you wanted less of a city feel, perhaps a day trip out of London is a better option: Kew, Oxford, Cambridge, etc. You could choose the destination that interests you most. You might even do a day trip to the Cotswolds although I would do it via a tour company out of London and let them do the driving instead.

Michelle, I agree with Matt - if you want to see London and Edinburgh with only 7 days, your best bet (and the easiest) would be to fly open jaw into one city and out the other, and take the direct train (about 5 hours) between the two. If you really have your heart set on seeing the Cotswolds, check out the day-trip from London offered by London Walks. But, remember that in March the length of sunlight for sight seeing will be short since daylight savings time doesn't kick-in until the end of the month. My husband and I have made numerous trips to London and Edinburgh (our favorite city), and will be doing so again this fall. If your looking for recommendations for places to stay or eat, let me know. Mary

I think trying to fit in a day for the Cotswolds will only confuse things and add a lot of travel time. If you want to maximize sightseeing you might want to consider York for one night. York is about midway between London and Edinburgh. On a tight trip, I recommend you carefully plan what you want to see and do to maximize your time. You can get Rick's or another guidebook on Great Britain and see what's at each spot. You could easily spend a week in either London or Edinburgh but the "essential" sights can be compressed. Two full days in Edinburgh will let you see Edinburgh Castle, National Museum of Scotland, walk the Royal Mile, tour the Britanica, and see the Georgian New Town. Three full days in London would let you see the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Churchill War Rooms, St Paul's, British Museum / Library, National Gallery and take in a play at the Globe. A day in York would let you see the York Minster, York Castle Museum and maybe the Yorkshire Museum.

Thanks everyone for the advice! I think we are going to plan on doing an open jaw flight into London and out of Edinburgh, spending 4 days in London/3 in Edinburgh. I will look into doing a day trip to the Cotswolds from London through London Walks. Mary, I would absolutely love any recommendations for hotels/restaurants!!

Michelle, everyone has their favorite area to stay while in London. One time we stayed near Paddington Station, and were less than pleased, but other people love it. My husband and I really like the Kensington/Earls Court area because it's not too touristy, just a short tube ride to most sights, and is fairly quiet at night so you can get a good nights sleep. If that sounds good to you, try the London Lodge Hotel (www.londonlodgehotel.com). It's a very short walk from the Earls Court tube stop, has A/C (not that you'll need it in March) and an elevator, plus there are lots of restaurants nearby. Also, if you're taking the tube to or from Heathrow, it's a straight shot. On past trips to Edinburgh we've stayed at Stuart House, 12 East Claremont Street, and Broughton Guest House, 37 Broughton Place (www.broughton-hotel.com). They are about a 15–20 minute walk to the Royal Mile, and are also on a bus route. The Broughton is a couple of minutes closer to the Royal Mile, has a nice neighborhood pub one block away, and across the street from the pub is an excellent restaurant called the Olive Branch. Both places were nice, breakfasts very tasty, and the owners were accommodating. This fall we're staying at Fraser Suites which is 1 block off the Royal Mile and within walking distance of the train station. A friend just returned from staying there and said it was very comfortable, convenient, with polite and caring staff. I'll send you recommendations on places to eat separately. Hope this helps - Mary

I did both Mad Max tours (Cotswolds, Avebury, Stonehenge and more) in March 2009 and was delighted to see flowers blooming all over the place. But it could be cold so have those layers ready. You might consider Bath, Avebury, Stonehenge and the Cotswolds for 3 days instead of Edinburgh. You could save Scotland for another trip. England has enough charms of its own! Near Bath are also some great cathedral towns and historical towns like Salisbury and Wells and Glastonbury. We went out to Cornwall by train in March 2009. It was cold but it was still nice to be by the sea in Penzance and St. Ives. Palm Trees and Cornish heritage (eat a pasty and learn a few Cornish words) abound. But Cornwall is a few hours on the train or car each way. Southeast coast is much closer to London and has some great places to visit like Canterbury, Dover, Brighton, Rye and Portsmouth. But I will still recommend that you seriously consider all of the attractions of Bath and vicinity. Relaxing in the modern bath on a chilly day in March after you visited the Roman Bath sounds appealing to me. I wish I did that! Bath Georgian architecture is outstanding. Free walking tour could be a highlight if the weather is reasonable.

Great Mexican food place called Cafe Pacifico near Covent Garden. Yes, I know it's lame but it was a little taste of home (Southern California style Mexican food).