Where to spend 1 night between Lake District and Edinburgh?

Have you considered Durham or somewhere along Hadrian's Wall (Once Brewed)? You could probably make a short stop along the Wall and get to Durham in time for a quick tour and Evensong. The next day it would be about an hour to Bamburgh Castle. Depending on the tides you could possibly see Lindensfarne. There are other castles/estates/gardens along the coastal route but you delay your arrival into Edinburgh.

I stayed in Hexham one time and that was a great location. You are right on the border so you can easily learn about this area. There is small local museum about the Border Reivers who flourished in this area for many years until the Union of the Crowns ultimately resolved the differences. You can easily get Hadrians's Wall. Also, you can stop off at some of the Border Abbey's that are in border area: Jedburgh, Kelso, Melrose, Dryburgh. I also stayed in Melrose. It's pretty close to Edinburgh, though. Jedburgh might be a nice place to stay. You could go the other direction and consider Dumfries. I've not stayed there, but I have thought about it. There is a big Douglas castle near by: Caerlaverock. Pam

I vote for Dumfries, too. Especially if you like Robbie Burns...He hang out here. Some really cool ancient castles to the west and a John Paul Jones museum...he was from the area and is considered a pirate. Durham is has one of the best mideval cathredrals...but is way out of your way from Windermere.

You could also do Gretna Green- just for kicks and the stories you could tell when you got back home (although my real suggestion is seeing Hadrians Wall).

I must say I'm surprised to get only votes for the lowlands! I had considered the Gretna/Dumfries area as the easiest stop along the highway between Windermere and Edinburgh, but didn't find much beauty in the area or things to do. Thought the west coast would be gorgeous. I'll reconsider. Thanks!

If you are interested in historical architecture, do not miss Mary King's Close in Edinburgh, just down the street from the Castle. Look up the history on web. We thought it was highlight of Edinburgh trip. Enjoy.

Gail, I definitely will spend a day discovering some of the old closes. That's one of the first things I thought of when I decided to finally take this trip. Any other must sees? Our second day will be spent on the Hairy Coo Highland tour. Can't wait!!

Mary King's Close is a tour. It is located on the right as you get close to castle. You actually go underground and the guides (I did it on two trips) were so informative. Look up the history on the net. Try to be a castle at 1 pm when they shoot off cannon. St. Giles is right there as well. Walk in the churchyard where Grey Friar's bobby is buried with his master, very interesting story. I personally did not like Holyrood Palace (spelling) but loved Royal Yacht down in harbor if you have time. I seem to remember only half hour or less by bus from St. Andrew's square. The view of Edinburgh from the royal mile is FANTASTIC. I was raving so much that i made one of my more stupid comments (It's almost like being in Europe) until my son reminded me that we were. Enjoy.

I saw the Most Haunted episode shot in Mary King's Close and found it's tragic history fascinating. Of all the places we're going (Ireland, England and Scotland), I'm most excited for Edinburgh. I only hope we're not too tired and homesick by then to enjoy it. Thanks for all your tips, I've got them down on my to do list!

Yes, Cynthia, that's the general path we were thinking of. I mentioned Seahouses and Bamburgh because I found some lovely and fun places to stay there. Do you think that area might be too much for little more than a night's stay?

I can tell you what we did, but you have to decide if it's "too much." We like to keep moving, spending anywhere from 30 minutes to two or three hours at a site..........lst day, we left York, drove to Once Brewed, had lunch at Twice Brewed Inn, walked the wall in that area, stopped at Housesteads Fort, Edlingham Castle, overnight in Alnwick.............2nd day, Alnwick Gardens (our reason for going to Alnwick, poison garden is fascinating!) and Alnwick Castle (skip the castle), Barter Books, Warkworth Castle, Craster, Dunstanburgh Castle, overnight again in Alnwick............3rd day, drove to Lindisfarne Abbey (check tide tables so you know when it's accessible) and lunch at Ship Pub there, St. Abbs Head (reminded us of Mousehole), Dryburgh Abbey, overnight at Melrose............4th day, we headed off to Fort William and Glencoe, did Edinburgh at the end of our Scotland trip.

I have made a similar trip except going in the opposite direction and going from Edinburgh to York. Lake distict would probably be about the same distance or even shorter, We spent the night at a B&B in Fenwick-just inland from Lindisfarne and Bamburgh. We went thru the Border abbeys-Dryburgh, Kelso, Melrose etc on the first day. The next day we went to Lindisfarne, Bamburgh,Alnwick, and Hadrian's Wall. This was a long day so I might do some of this on the other day if I did it again.

Sarah, are you coming from York or from Windemere on your way to Alnwick? I checked on Via Michelin and it is 2 and 1/2 hour minimum using the fast roads to get to Alnwick from Windermere. If you take their recommended scenic route, it will be a minimum of 3 hours. I would recommend adding 25% time to this. Of course, this is without stops to sightsee. ; ) I would recommend that you play around on the Via Michelin site to see lengths of time for travel.

Pamela, that's why I was afraid it would take too long. I'm starting to regret spending two nights in Windermere instead of the second night somewhere along the wall.

If you want more time in northeastern England/ Scottish borders, maybe you could tour that area, then go on to Edinburgh late in the afternoon. One full day in Edinburgh will allow you time for the highlights: see the castle and Mary King's Close, walk the royal mile, and have dinner in a pub.

Just throwing in my experience: we drove from near Windermere to Edinburgh via the A7 and it was a leisurely day's drive (late start and we got there probably 3 pm) with several stops and not very scenic compared to the rest of the trip. If you have your heart set on the Alnwick/Seahouses/Bamburgh area, go that way. Check the mileage and time using the route planner on www.theaa.com to double-check, but I wonder if you'll regret not going if it's somewhere you really want to see. Personally I enjoy driving and stopping here and there along the way as much as I enjoy "being" somewhere, so if you like driving, don't worry too much about how long it takes -- there's so much to see. Enjoy the Lake District and be sure to get out of Windermere and see some of the smaller towns and villages. It's my favorite area of the UK.

I think Andrea is right that I don't want to regret anything when it might take me years to get back to this area. I finally decided to just shorten my Windermere stay to 1 night, then on day 2 drive to Once Brewed for a pub lunch and to see the wall, maybe stop at Alnwick Castle for a tour on our way to our Bamburgh b&b for 2 nights. Day 3 will mostly consist of photographing Lindisfarne and area castles. Day 4 I'll have plenty of time for a leisurely drive up the coastal route to Edinburgh. I like it! Thanks again for all your advice!

Fancy somewhere that NO-ONE else knows about??? Try SILOTH. Really interesting place. I was amazed. GOOGLE it for info.
Roger

If you were taking the direct route from Windermere to Edinburgh, you would be passing a little town that some might recognise the name of ..... Lockerbie.
Roger

Sarah, I like your plan. Ypu can easily enjoy a day at Bamburgh castle and Lindisfarne Castle/Abbey. Be sure and check the tide tables to time your visit to Holy Island. I wish we had spent more time there.