Part 1 covered our first 4 nights in Bath and the Cotswolds.
We took an early drive from Chipping Campden to Birmingham Airport, which was much larger than I expected. It took a full two hours to get through security to the plane - we were just barely on time.
Inverness (2 nights). Some people on this forum questioned our choice to stay in Inverness two nights when I posted our itinerary. Everyone is different, but we LOVED Inverness. It fits that Rick Steves ethos of "through the back door". This was the only period in which we didn't really feel like tourists (we generally try to steer our trips like this rather than the tourist style). Dionard House gets two thumbs up! Friendliest place and best breakfasts on our whole trip. Dinners were at the Kitchen Brasserie (AMAZING) and The Mustard Seed (decent, but didn't live up to the hype - over-rated). The first day we stopped at Culloden and Clara Cairs before going to our hotel. We probably should have allotted a little more time for Culloden, which was very interesting. After that we just enjoyed walking the town - the Ness Islands, etc. - beautiful and comfortable and the air was SO fresh. We did have some sightseeing on the second day: Fort George (MUCH better and larger than we expected) and Cawdor Castle (also better than expected. We weren't able to squeeze in a distillery tour (mainly because our only full day was on Sunday and most weren't open), but we did stop in at the Malt Room for a whisky flight. Sharing two flights, we tried six different whiskies and found a bottle to bring home. Great experience. Our lunches were at the cafes at Culloden (decent to good) and Cawdor Castle (better).
Edinburgh (3 nights). We drove to Edinburgh from Inverness (no problems). We had planned to stop at Ruthven Barracks on the way, but the route was difficult to impossible due to construction. If you find yourself driving this route make sure you slow down and stop at the Findhorn bridge - very scenic, but we didn't know it was there and blew past it (with no real opportunity to turn around). Sterling was better than I expected - largely because I didn't know the history. Take the guided tour (wish Edinburgh castle had one)!
Ard-Na-Said (Arthur's Seat in Gaelic) House was very nice. Recommended. Dinners were at Salisbury Arms, Howies at Waterloo Place, and Scran and Scallie. All were excellent. Edinburgh castle is a must-see, but crowded. Note that there was (for us) an unexpected treat - a mini-changing-of-the-guard ceremony at 10:00am. Fantastic. We also enjoyed Gladstone's Land more than we expected to. We didn't get into the Real Mary's King's Close, so no review - same for the Palace of Holyrood House. Calton Hill is definitely worth the time - the views were stunning. That first full day in Edinburgh we had lunch at Whiski Rooms with another pair of whisky flights. The food was much better than I expected (no-one's ever asked how I wanted my steak cooked on a steak sandwich - and this was our first taste of cullen skink - really good Scottish seafood chowder). The next day we saw Craigmillar Castle (don't need a lot of time, but great to wander a castle ruin without all the crowds - definitely recommended), the Royal Yacht Britannia (okay - but a bit crowded - we felt rushed by the crowd). While in Leith (for the yacht) we had lunch at Fishers - very good. Our afternoon was spent walking through the New Town (including a stop at the worthwhile Georgian House - though we don't know how it compares to similar offering in York since we didn't do both) and along the Leith Waterway starting at Dean Village (okay, but overhyped).
Next up in Part 3: York and London