England/Scotland Itinerary

How about this. Fly to London, look around, train up to Newcastle, visit, train over to Carlisle, hotel is just outside the train station, and train up to Glasgow. From there you can take a bus from Buchanan Station or a train to Ayr. From Queen Street Station you can train to Edinburgh. We have done all this except we started in Newcastle. That would, of course, cut out some of your desired Englend interests. If you buy a Rough Guide to England and one for Scotland you will get lots of help regarding transportation. As I say, and apparently so do others, you can't see everything in one trip. You have to balance what's important to you with the time and money available.

I would guide you to Rick's Great Britain book. It gives details on most of the cities you mention. I will say that you have a next to impossible task of seeing all this in two weeks using only public transportation. Stonehenge is a possible day trip out of London or Bath. The Cotswolds are very difficult to navigate without a car. A taxi is a possibility but renting a car would be cheaper. Read the details on what's in the Liverpool Beatle's Tour to see if the old houses and streets mentions in various songs are interesting to you. I'm of the age to be a Beatles fan. To me the tour didn't sound very interesting but to each their own. I would think it would be hard to justify 2 nights of a 2 week for a trip to Liverpool. It's way down Rick's prioritization list but I'm sure someone will pop in and say it was the highlight of their trip. Getting out of Edinburgh into more of Scotland will consume time quickly if you are relying only on public transportation. I don't know where Ayr is so just plan it carefully.

Cindy, I think you could put together a fine trip in two weeks. Some thoughts... Day 1: Arrive London, check in. (Free time if early arrival. Hop on/Hop off bus?) Day 2: London: morning at Tower of London. Afternoon at Parliament/Cabinet War Rooms. Dinner and a show? Day 3: London: morning at British Museum. Afternoon at Westminster Abbey and/or St. Paul's Day 4: Travel London to Bath. Afternoon : check out Roman baths and/or Jane Austen sites Day 5: Mad Max ½ day tour of Cotswolds and Stonehenge. Free afternoon. Or full day Mad Max tour. Day 6: Depart Bath for Liverpool (3.5 hours). Check in, explore the city? Day 7: Liverpool: Beatles tour & Beatles city sites Day 8: Depart Liverpool for Newcastle (3.5 hours). Meet with cousins Day 9: Newcastle with cousins Day 10: Depart Newcastle for Edinburgh (1.5 hrs), Check in. Explore city Day 11: Explore Edinburgh sites (Castle, Royal Mile) Day 12: Daytrip to Ayr. (May want to rent a car?) Day 13: More time to explore Edinburgh, or back up date for Ayr if bad weather? Day 14: Depart Edinburgh for USA I don't know much about what to see in Liverpool or how to travel to Ayr, so you might adjust dates to your needs. I only include Bath as an easier gateway to taste Stonehenge and the Cotswolds, but you could choose a village instead. Just increase your travel times. If your budget can stand it, I would suggest cutting short in the middle of my suggested itinerary and adding one more night to London. These are just ideas.
matt

I really like Matt's ideas. Personally, I'd cut out Bath and the Cotswolds (and Stonehenge) this trip. Spend a bit more time in London and do a 1/2 or full day trip (by eady train trip) to Windsor. You could also spend a bit more time in Edinburgh or Ayr.

Thanks everyone for your advice! We have been to London before so we have toured Westminster Abbey, went on the London Eye, Ceremony of Keys and a couple of walks. I did not get to tour the Tower, so that is #1 on my London list to do. I would probably cut out the Cotwolds and possibly Stonehenge. Ayr was on my list because that is where my husband's family lived in the early 1900s. From what I have read, there is not much there to see of the original villages. You have all given me much to think about and plan. While Liverpool might not be high on other's lists, The National Trust tour of Lennon and McCartney's homes have been a desire dear to my heart. I think I would regret being so close yet not seeing them.

Ayr to Stranraer train line may be in jeopardy after the Stranraer ferry stops next year. At the right time of year the countryside is awash with beautiful purple Rhododendron all around there. Five Red Herrings a Lord Peter Whimsey mystery is set in the vicinity, around Girvan and Ayr, and Dumfries. It makes an excellent read prior. Oooh ... ... happy planning

I love lord peter

Cindy,
My big Tower of London tip is to get there at opening time and head straight to the Crown Jewels - don't stop at the Beefeaters. You'll beat the later longer lines and will be able to gawk to your hearts content. THEN circle back to the entrance and listent to the very informative and entertaining Beefeater. Saved us tons of time!

Susan is right on about the Tower. My advice is to skip out at the end of the beefeaters tour into the chapel, most boring thing ever in my opinion, was going to put myself on the chopping block. Don't miss St. Paul's Cathedral, loved it better than the Abbey. Good trip.

Hi Cindy, Sounds like a great trip, and I encourage you to "assume you will return". I'm not sure how old you are, but you can likely scrimp and save over the next decade, for instance, and make a trip happen. $10k over 10 years is a thousand bucks a year. Not much. And I've never spent nearly that much on any of my typically 3 week jaunts into Europe. It's totally doable. After you go, you'll already be planning for the next one before you return! Now, for your itinereary, it sounds great, and you can do most of it via public transportation if you go about it the right way. The Cotswolds, for instance, are often frowned upon without a car. However, you can get there via bus, stay in several hamlets (we stayed in Chipping Camden) and then see the many hamlets by bike rental. If you don't bike, then you'll only be able to see what limited villages you can access by bus (or taxi - spendy). Stonehenge is overrated, in my opinion, and it a bit of work to see without a car (tours head there out of Bath, but there just isn't much to see. If you've seen Stonehenge, then you've seen Stonehenge...). 3 days in London isn't enough to see it all, but after 3 days, London is pretty exhausting, so you're probably ok there. Don't miss the Tower. It's my favorite sight in London. Edinburgh is also a great town, and I agree that you should fly out of there if you're flying into London. It will save you precious time from your 2 weeks.
Have a great trip.

Cindy, I would recommend skipping Stonehenge/Cotswolds and visiting either Hampton Court or Oxford. We took a fun walking tour of Oxford. And Hampton Court was amazing. When you are in Scotland, consider a visit to Stirling to see Stirling Castle. And climb to the top of the William Wallace monument - the views are incredible. Even if you are not a golf fan, St. Andrews is a wonderful little town to visit. There is the university, the ruins of both the castle and the cathedral. And if you are a golf fan - take a walk over to the Old Course.

Thank you, everyone, for all of your great tips! I am saving them all in a folder to refer to as I plan. Someone asked how old I was - well, I just turned 55 and my husband is 57. So, I feel young enough to be able to return in 6 to 8 years if we want! The trouble is - I want to see everything! I read about and saw pictures of Hardrian's Wall recently, so now that is a "must see" for me. But I know that London and Edinburgh are the 2 cities I will not waver on. I have been to London before - for a whole 4 days. So even though our days were packed there is still more to see in that great city. For example, we had tickets to Ceremony of the Keys, but didn't have time for the actual Tower tour. Bad planning on our part. On our 4 day trip, we saw Westminster Abbey, rode London Eye, Thames river cruise, National Gallery, bus tour, Beatle walk, Trafalgar Square. I really think 4 days in London this time around will be able to hit some highlights. Thanks again!

In London, try the free London Walks, we did two of them and really enjoyed them, especially the Jack the Ripper one but you really had to use imagination as of course there are now very modern buildings there but it still was great. Be sure to see St. Paul's Cathedral, especially the American Chapel in the back dedicated to the 28,000 US servicemen who were stationed in UK and died in WWII. In Edinburgh, we really enjoyed Mary King's Close just town from the Castle. Look it up on internet, it was fascinating. You can also see the Royal Yacht just a short bus ride from center of town. Go to the graveyard there also where Greyfrier's bobby is buried. We loved Edinburgh. Be sure to be at the castle at !PM when they shoot off the cannon. If you are going to the Tower, be sure to get there early to avoid crowds and go to see the jewels first and then catch up with the Beefeater tour. Enjoy. If also interested, Windsor is only about half four from London by train and well worth it. Oh, also agree with your idea to fly into one city and home from another.

try the free London Walks Free? I always had to pay.