Need trip ideas

Heidi,
I'm assuming you're flying into Carlisle? If it were me I'd hire a car there and arrange to drop it off at the airport, Heathrow is it? Are you planning to stay your last night near London before flying home? I'd then explore the Lake District and work my way south into N.Wales, through the Cotswolds. I'm sure you've done some reseach since your daughter will be staying there. If I were you I'd get a good map of England and some books from the library to see if anyplace strikes your fancy. There is so much to see on your way south, it all depends on your interests. You could work in Iron Bridge Gorge and Blists Hill or Hay-on-Wye. Or are you interested in seeing Stratford-Upon-Avon maybe. You can do a lot in10 days...but I would rent a car for the freedom of it.

I agree. Drive and see the Lake District and North Wales. I'd add Hadrian's Wall, which goes east right from Carlisle. There's a bus that takes you more or less along it with convenient stops at the best parts. We also liked Chester. I'd dump the car somewhere short of London, like maybe Oxford, and take the train to avoid the heaviest traffic.

I completely agree with Laurel, so add one more place you might like to stop at would be Blenheim Palace, birth of Churchill, beautiful home and gardens.
For sure rent a car, that gives you complete freedom to go where you want and stay as long or as short of time you want at each place you stop. Also, you will drive thru some beautiful quaint villages (not able to reach by public transportation) that you might want to stop in and have a cuppa and a look around.

You can also drive and explore the eastern coast with the little town of Whitby... charming and a beautiful drive up along the sea.

Heidi, you might enjoy this blog: http://www.beenthere-donethat.org.uk/deoprrssw/?m=201207
This is written by the husband of a retired professional couple who road trip around England in their car. He illustrates it with beautiful photographs.

Yes - Lake District North Wales and Cotswalds - just returned from there - North Wales - traveling from Caernavon to the Cotswolds was STUNNING!!!
We stayed Near Keswick and found it charming! We stayed at the Derwentwater Youth hostel - no frills - but beautiful!

I second Keswick! We just had a great weekend there between London and Edinburgh, which was a nice break from two crazy cities. The weather was even so nice that I got a sunburn the day we went canoeing on the lake! And the hiking was stunning. Even my husband, who generally likes to travel to new places rather than to places he's been, agreed someday it would be nice to go back for a week and just hike around. We also went to the Theatre by the Lake, which was an enjoyable evening out.

Other than the Lake District itself, I'd visit the Yorkshire Dales, which are not far away. Swaledale is our favorite and Reeth is the town at its head. The small town of Richmond near Reeth is also VERY picturesque. If I were you, I'd spend time there and then slowly make my way to London, through the countryside, avoiding the big cities. The area of the Welsh/English borders is lovely too. Church Stretton is a very nice small town and this whole area is not very touristy but beautiful countryside. Julia

First, I would explore the Lake District, but then I'm going to send you in a completely different direction. I know that Rick says that the Borders of Scotland are boring, but I am going to totally disagree. ; ) First of all, a wee bit of history. Carlisle was the main English headquarters for a lot of the cross-border reiving that took place between Scotland and England until the union of the Crown, and maybe a bit after that event. Take a look at Fraser's book Steel Bonnets Across the Border and you'll understand what the land was like. You'll want to check out Hadrian's Wall which was of course, the Roman's attempt to stop reiving. ; ) I visited both Housesteads and Chester and walked along the wall. I stayed in Hexham one night exploring the museum and the Abbey. I also stayed at farm B&B near Penrith before I headed to Scotland and loved it. If you've ever watched All Creatures Great and Small or read the book, you'll feel right at home amongst the sheep, the dogs, the gates, the farm house. See part two. Pam

Part Two. I would then explore the other side of the border. The Abbey'sKelson, Melrose, Jedburgh, Dysdale are all interesting, but I would go to Jedburgh first. Are you a fan of Rob Roy and Sir Walter Scott? His home, Abbotsford is near Melrose, where I would recommend staying. Although there are lots of other places. There are two other sites I enjoyed Traquair House and Floors Castle. I liked the maze at Traquair House with its stories of Prince Charlie and I liked the Gardens and the history at Floors. I would end the trip by dropping the car off and then spending a day or two in Edinburgh. You're already in the North, why not stay there? I've not been to Galloway, but you could post specifically about that part of Scotland or just check out Undiscovered Scotland. Pam