London - Edinburgh 8 Night Itinerary

We have never driven in the UK (more than 40 trips there). But I have seen numerous posts here and on tripadvisor that suggesst that you take the time recommended for a drive in guides such as Michlein and at least double it. I really don't know if your expectations are reasonable- you'll have to do the math. If you are considering the train at all, I'd suggesst London to York- rent a car there if you like, and explore the Yorkshire dales, Hadrian's Wall, etc. as day trips. Spend 3 days in London, 2 in York . Then train to Edinburgh. the dales will give you a taste of the English countryside. Edinburgh is not a good place to drive. In addition to the usual concerns in the UK (super expensive gas, drive on the left, scarce and expensive parking etc.) the congestion in Edinburgh is really bad.
One other consideration- does the 8 days include arrival and departure? If so you really are only going to have 2 days in London and 1 in Edinburgh. That's another reason I'd drop Bath and the Cotswolds.

I would suggest after London, take an early train to York. Spend one full day exploring York, then early next morning pick up a rental car at the train station. Use the following days to explore Yorkshire and Northumberland. Possible stops include Fountains Abbey, Hadrian's Wall, Alnwick and other nearby castles, Lindisfarne, Dryburgh and Melrose Abbeys, Rosslyn Chapel. There are many other choices in the area. Return the car at the Edinburgh airport, then spend one full day exploring Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, Mary King's Close.

Before I jump in with comments, a couple of questions: First trip to the UK? For you or the sprogs? What attracts you to Bath, in particular? Jane Austen? Baths? Georgian architecture? I didn't see a date (month and year) for your trip? Do you pack heavy or do you pack light? I.e. how many suitcases? Then I'll chip in ...

Scott, Your itinerary sounds almost identical to ours. We are planning to go the middle of September. Arrive at Heathrow (overnight flight) Taxi or bus to Windsor - tour and spend 1 night Taxi to Slough where we will pick up rental car Drive to Cotswolds and spend 2 nights Take train from Moreton in Marsh to London London 4 days
Train to Edinburgh - 3 days We have a total of 14 days, so we are not sure what we will do after Edinburgh. We will fly home from there, so we might take a day trip to the Highlands or rent another car and drive to west coast rural areas. We are interested in history also. We thought about Hadrian's Wall, but I think you need a car to do it justice. In London, we want to see the Tower of London and museums. We have been to London before (with our 2 college kids), but it was a limited time and were not able to see a lot. Your kids will love it! One memorable night was on the London Eye and seeing all of London lit up from the sky. It was beautiful! We have never driven in the UK, so this will be an adventure. That is why we want to overnight in Windsor. I don't really want to get behind the wheel after flying all night without adequate rest. Happy traveling!

I knew I could count on you guys - thanks so much! Nigel - First trip to the UK for all; arrive early 22nd May, depart early on the 30th. It will be a surprise trip for the 'sprogs' after college year ends. We took them to Munich/Prague/Salzburg last year and got wanderlust - while sites are great, our best memories are of day to day interactions with the locals and the general wonder of "we don't see that at home". No particular passion for Bath - just seems like a "should see". Re: packing: 1 wife, 1 daughter - don't get me started - figure 2 big and 2 small suitcases. Toni/Cynthia - good points, all (what I kind of knew but didn't want to admit). We do have 8 full days if you consider a 7:50 Heathrow arrival a full day. Cindy - your trip sounds awesome - wish we could do 2 weeks, but we did that last year on the continent and are supposed to be saving/paying for college this year - oh, well - can't take it with you! Would love to get to the Highlands - we're big Monty Python fans and would love to see Doune and the other castles from "Holy Grail" (oh, and I hear the scenery's pretty nice).

Scott, In my opinion, 8 nights gives you barely enough time to do the basics in three great cities of Britain (see below). While I understand the desire to stop along the way, your shortage of days and nights would cause me to forget the car and stay with faster rail transportation. 1. Arrive London, 1/2 day London, sleep London. 2. London 3. London 4. Early train to York, 1/2 day York, sleep York. 5. York (do a ghost walk one of these nights) 6. Early train to Edinburgh, 1/2 day, sleep Edinburgh. 7. Edinburgh 8. Edinburgh (departure day? or is that day 9?) If York doesn't capture your imagination, you could substitute a train to, say, Newcastle and rent a car to drive Hadrian's Wall and work north to Edinburgh. The Scottish capital deserves minimum three days in my opinion. York is a pleasurable 2 or a fast 1.5 days. London takes a lifetime, so just concentrate on what interests you. My next trip to England (my 5th) I intend to attempt driving there for the first time. DC/Baltimore driving for me is enough reason NOT to drive on a vacation.
Happy travels

OK... if I can pop in with a couple of suggestions. I don't actually think the drive is all that bad, as it is split up. Driving in the UK can be much like driving in Europe, just the roads are even smaller and there are a number of unwritten rules and behaviours which are governed by the Highway Code without being signposted on the road. As you get more rural and onto single lane tracks, or in towns with cars parked up on the kerbs leaving just (nearly) one lane in the road, you will need to practice what I call "dynamic reallocation of lane-width", taking turns, yielding, maybe reversing to a passing point or climbing up the bank to let the pushy Land Rover or tractor by. If you would like more info about that, shout up. I prefer the northern and western Cotswolds, such places as Upper and Lower Slaughter, Cold Aston, Stow on the Wold, Snowshill, Chipping Campden, Burford, Weston-sub-Edge (technically not in the Cotswolds because it is over the edge), Stanton, Bourton-on-the-Water, Broadway, etc. They really deserve 2 days minimum in a car, but a quick whizz through may give you the flavour. For that reason I believe that Bath is out of the way. You spend most of your time going west-south-west when you need, in order to go north a few hundred miles, to be going west-north-west. If you don't have anything particularly pulling you towards Bath other than a "should do" I suggest skipping it. You need to stop the car and get out and look, preferably walk, to properly enjoy the Cotswolds. Park just off the A40 at the top of the hill in Burford and walk down the High Street taking in the tea rooms (we have 2 favourites), wander off into the wool-church, walk down to the ancient bridge over the river and walk back up. ...more...

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Do a similar thing in Bourton on the Water, they are only a few miles apart. Go to Bibury and walk along the river. You could easily spend a long week soaking up Cotswolds atmosphere. Just you don't have that kind of time ;-( Luckily you won't be involved with the Late May Bank Holiday as it has been moved to the time of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. York is a decent stopping off point but you won't have much time there. Where are you expecting to stay, in the Cotswolds and York? Time is so short for you I suggest you find a way to get the car early in the day you start driving. If you have to tramp all the way out to Heathrow with loads of luggage it will slow you down; if you get the car in London near your Hotel you can load up and get quickly on the A40/M40. You will be driving midweek, won't you, so traffic, even in the Peak, will be opposite to the way you want to go. If you want castles, are you looking at Windsor and/or Warwick? They are on your way, but do you have time for them? What do you think so far?

This is a huge help, thanks. You've given me some really good ideas to consider. We know we're going to love whatever we do, we just want to make sure we minmize the chances for a "we probably should've done something else" stop. I'm sure I'll be back with more - gotta earn a dollar (or .63 GBP) now!

I've been thinking about this some more. With only 8 days, including arrival and departure, why not just focus on London and Edinburgh. Take the night train from London to Edinburgh and save one night's hotel cost, too. Just a thought.

It's just my bias and because I love the north, I would skip the Cotswolds and head to York by train. I would pick up a car there. Whether or not you spend one night there, or just catch the Cathedral and the Shambles and head out is up to you. But, I would drive to visit Rivaulx. This ruined Abbey in the countryside is beautiful. I think I spent the night in Richmond after visiting Rivaulx. I would then head north to the Borders. On the way you can stop off and see a Saxon church in Escomb and then go on to Durham. I spent the night in Hexham which has a great little museums about the Borders and there is the Abbey right in town. If you don't know about the border country, pick up Fraser's book Steel Bonnets. It will explain all! From Hexham it's so easy to explore Hadrian's Wall, to see the Debatable Lands, Hermitage Castle and more. If you want to not go all the way to Edinburgh, stop in Melrose. You can see Sir Walter Scott's house or visit Traqhair House where the gates remain shutting waiting for Bonny Prince Charlie. Pam

Alright, thanks to all your great advice, I've modified the itinerary. Please shoot any holes in it/offer any advice for recommended sites.
Day1 - arrive LHR 8AM; taxi (family of 4) to hotel in Southwark - jetlagged sighteeing. Days 2 and 3 - sightsee London; Day 4 - combination tube/train from Waterloo to York (I still need to figure this combination out). Sightsee York; Day 5 Sightsee York; Day 6 hire vehicle - drive to Chesters/Hadrian's Wall - continue to Edinburgh; Day 7 and 8 - sightsee Edinburgh; Day 9 - depressing return home.

Scott, I like your latest itinerary. This is exactly what I would suggest too.

I would reduce time in York slightly, and think about seeing Castle Howard (about 10 miles due north of York) as well as Rievaulx Abbey. Castle Howard is fascinating and gorgeous. It allows you to see one of those English Stately Homes, especially since you're not seeing Blenheim. (It's was beyond Downton Abbey, even). Great guided tours. Doable in two hours, easily.

Scott, I am planning a near identical trip for 12 nights; May 24th to June 30th. Staying in london with day trip to Bath and then heading via train to Edinburgh where we will rent a car and day trip to see Highlands/Sterling/Doune (we are also Monty Python fans). We will fly back home from Edinburgh. We (family of 4 w/ 2 college kids) want to travel as light as possible, a carry-on and backpack each. What are you, or do others suggest, taking for "cool weather" gear? Thanks and good luck,
Marty

Marty - our first trip to the UK, so still figuring the packing aspect out - probably layers/sweaters, etc.