Scotland & England 9 to 10 days July 2013

Suggest you do opposite to avoid Heathrow departure tax.

I'd recommend you make a list of days and plug in locations to get a feel for whether you are trying to do too much. Day 1 - arrive Edinburgh Day 2 - Edinburgh
And etc. I do think you have too many locations that are too far apart for 9-10 days, but it's probably better if you list them out yourself. I do think 1-2 days in York gives you a chance to see the highlights (the Minster, city walls, possibly either Jorvik or the train museum for your sons).

You have way too many options. with 3-4 days in Edinburgh, you are down to 5 or 6 days for the rest. I would say that 2 days if enough to see Edinburgh. You could drive to the highlands with the day spent mostly in the car. You could drive to Pitlochry and up toward Aviemore, although I wouldn't go that far. Another good day trip is to the Stirling area. From there, I would not go to York. Yes, one day is plenty for York, but it is out of the way to the cotswolds. Instead, I would head for the Lake District. Among all the beautiful places in the UK, this may be the top. The Coventry area has a wonderful, free auto museum, Coventry cathedral, Kenilworth castle ruins, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Warwick Castle. A short distance south are the cotswolds and Blenheim castle. Stonehenge is WAY out of the way to Heathrow. While I liked it, many on this board found it underwhelming. I would definitely not make a special trip from the cotswolds on the way to Heathrow.

Thanks David for the good advise! I am simply in the planning mode right now & I thank you for your insight. I kind of figured that I was dreaming that we would be able to see all of that in a 9 night stay. I do want to see Edinburgh and some of Scotland, but we have never seen England nor Wales. We have done London twice with day trips out to Hampton Court once and out to Salsbury/Stonehenge on another. I really know nothing about the Lake district. Do we need to stay a night in the area? If so is northern Wales for a night an option and then to the Cotswolds? Stratford Avon is really not an interest with us.I am open to any ideas and suggestions and any suggested itineraries. As I stated earlier we love castles & cathedrals.

York is a wonderful medieval town, and the Minster is not to be missed. My favorite spot from the three weeks I spent in Britain this past summer was just north of York, Rievaulx Abbey, a ruined Cistercian abbey that is just an amazing place, with remarkably intact walls, in a beautiful valley. It is far enough off the beaten path that there were more sheep than tourists when I was there in July.

Since you say you love "cathedrals, castles, countryside and anything to do with Tudor history," here's some suggestions (based on several trips to the UK).....Fly to either Glasgow or Edinburgh. Rent a car, visit Glencoe, Skye and Plockton (Eileen Donan Castle) OR Loch Ness (Urquhart Castle)(Inverness has several good restaurants and is a pleasant small city). Return the car in Edinburgh (huge castle) , allow yourself one full day to explore the city.....Train from Edinburgh to York (great minster). Take a full day to explore York. Get another rental car at the York train station. Drive towards Warwick and Kenilworth Castles- explore both, then work your way down towards Wells, Salisbury, Stonehenge, and Winchester. Pick and choose, depending on your interests. Return the car to Heathrow. For your Tudor interests, you might want to add some time in London to see Hampton Court and the Tower of London and the National Portrait Gallery......If you want to see Stonehenge, apply now to book "private access" ....Northern Wales is full of castles, but we have only been there once so I can't tell you much about that area. I have not included the Cotswolds, since you don't have enough time for everything (and when our then 14 year old son saw them, he was very un-enthralled!) .....This plan emphasizes utilizing your time most efficiently, not maximizing budget $$$$.

When you say that you like Tudor history are you talking about the timeHenry VII through Elizabeth I? Or the times? If you are interested in the times, then think about exploring some of the Mary Queen of Scots sights in Scotland. The borders is an area that's had a lot of "Mary" activity. ; ) First, in Edinburgh, you'd want to go to Holyrood Palace to see the room where David Rizzio was murdered. Also, there's the ruins of the Abbey where Mary was married and which John Knox's crowd destroyed. (You can visit John Knox's house. I wasn't that impressed.) Go to Edinburgh Castle where Mary gave birth to James the VI. Stirling Castle was another place where Mary visited and where her grandmother Margaret Tudor lived. It's a wonderful castle and the palace that Margaret's son, James V built has recently been restored. Other interesting places include Inchmahome Priory which is on an island in the middle of the Lake of Mentieth. You can take a boat out to the site. In fact there is a website that lists the places where Mary slept. Of these, I really liked Traquair House, Falkland Palace, Hermitage Castle and Linlithgow. I did visit Jedburgh Abbey, but didn't see Mary's house. ; ) Then, go south to Yorkshire and visit Bolton Castle where she was imprisoned by Elizabeth I. You get to see the room she lived in. Pam

Mark, the general Edinburgh area has quite a few castles. Edinburgh Castle itself is near the top of the list. There are two interesting churches between Holyrood and the Castle. Stirling Castle and the nearby castle where Monte Python and the Holy Grail was filmed are very good. I would not drive as far as the Isle of Skye, given your time constraints. York is charming. However, the three main attractions are the Yorkminster, the wall, and the Shambles. The Shambles is a narrow street of Tudor buildings. Stratford has pretty much the same. The Yorkminster is huge, but not near the top of my list of cathedrals, and, it is VERY expensive. The Lake District is picturesque. Yes, a night in the Windermere/Ambleside area with a drive to Keswick yields countryside which varies from classic English countryside to Scottish highlands. However, no castles or cathedrals. I mentioned Blenheim Castle; I misnamed it. It is Blenheim Palace and it is a chateau rather than a castle. Another classic which I nearly forgot is very convenient to a drive from the Cotswolds to Heathrow: Windsor Castle.