Thanks to all who gave input during planning! Part 1 (Ireland) was posted separately.
Our final itinerary was:
March
21-23 Dublin
23-24 Galway
24-25 London
25-28 Cotswolds (Based in Shipston-on-Stour)
28-29 Chester
29-30 Glasgow
30- April 1 Isle of Skye (Stayed in Breakish)
April 1-3 Edinburgh
April 3-6 Rome
My partner was the primary author of this itinerary as he hasn’t left the country in more than 20 years and it was partially a work trip. I threw up more than one red flag about it being too much too fast, but I was wrong…ish. We could have taken a slower approach and enjoyed it just as much, but the pace ended up working great for us. We rented a car as we departed London and returned it on arrival in Edinburgh or it would have been impossible.
We did not have appropriate time to really visit London, but we needed to land there from Ireland and pick up a rental car, so I was excited to show my partner J a few spots since I had visited with my son (who loved it) in September. J was not excited about London because he anticipated it would be too big and busy for him. It was. But he still enjoyed a good bit of our brief stay.
We got an excellent deal for Locke at Broken Wharf through an aggregate and our expectations were high because we had a fantastic experience at a Locke hotel in Dublin. Our room was spotless, very comfortable and beautifully appointed, but the staff was scattered and the location wasn’t ideal since some of the walkways were closed for construction.
We checked in and headed straight to the Harrod’s Food Hall because, well, we are American and easily impressed by these things. J was overwhelmed by it (fair enough).
Crispin
We went to Crispin in Spitalfields for dinner, partly because I am a cook in the same general vein, and for the architectural interest since J is in that business. It’s very lovely and unique, but I think the place is victim to its own concept- more form than substance and the aloof staff virtually ignored us, seating us by the cold door at a counter even though we had reservations and many warm, lovely tables were empty. The food was mostly good, a couple bites were great, but they committed a cardinal sin (in my book) with inedible garnishes. I do not have the time for that sort of snobbery. We left hungry- and I fill up easily.
Whitechapel
Perhaps an odd choice for a 16 hour stay in London, but it has me under its spell and the most intact historic homes are the type that provide a great deal of inspiration and insight for J's line of work. I recommend a stroll and a visit to Spitalfields if you’ve got the time.
Shake Shack (Mansion House)
Listen. We are from Pittsburgh. Shake Shack is practically exotic. We were still hungry, ok? It was clean and, I only had a custard, but J said the food was hot and crispy.
Neal’s Yard
I know, we are really hitting the major sites in our short time, but this was a bullseye. It was the right size and pace for J and loads of style inspo for the builder. It’s a lovely spot to stroll through and has a couple of niche eateries and shops.
Humble Crumble
I passed this up on our September trip and regretted it ever since. When J went to pick up the rental car, I headed to Borough Market. I ordered one crumble with berries, granola and frozen yogurt for me and one with cinnamon apples, shortbread and salted caramel for J. I sat down to eat mine while I waited and a guy literally pointed at me and announced to his young daughter… “Oooh, we are going to do what she did! Get two each and completely stuff ourselves!” I’ll take the derision because it was expensive but delicious and of excellent quality.
London Traffic
2 out of 10, can’t recommend, but it gets a couple points for the beautiful neighborhoods along the way. Google will loop you through streets closed for ceremonial purposes on repeat, so have a backup or ask for help.