My wife and I are planning to spend the better part of June in Great Britain (our first trip). We're looking for help with a basic itinerary of places to visit, plus some thoughts on where we might spend a few days in the Cornwall area.

You might get some catalogs from tour companies and review their itineraries, which you could use as an outline to determine what appeals to you.

London is wonderful. I have never had enough time there to do all the things I would like. Cornwall and the Cotswolds are beautiful. York, Bath, the Lakes District, gardens in Kent, Stonehenge . . . and then there are Scotland and Wales.

If you post again with your interests and your budget, people can be more helpful.

What's your budget? What do you like?

Base yourself in Cornwall and explore the surrounding countryside perhaps, but then up north is equally charming.

Is there anything that for you is a must see?

I've been reading through some guide books today, and I think I now have a better idea of where we'd like to go, but I could still use some advice.

We're arriving in London the morning of June 17th and need to be in Bath by 5 p.m. on June 20th to meet with our tour group. Is it realistic to make a pre-tour trip to Cornwall or would we be better off spending the time in London or Bath or somewhere else?

Cornwall is a good bet in June and should be quiet because the kids are still in school. The area around Truro and St Austell is a good base to stay and you should try and visit the Eden Project whilst there. Also it is not too far from Newquay and Lands End. You mentioned a tour that you are joining. Will the rest of your trip be with the tour or will you be travelling independently, if so, I suggest a trip up to the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District. Have a good trip wherever you end up.

I suspect Cornwall would be a good place to start its really lovely and in June as scooby says the schools are back so tourist traffic will be reduced.
20 days is a decent enough time to visit a large number of places. Depending upon what you like to see there is plenty of scope.
What is it you like to see ?
Castles
Museums
beaches
towns
cities
countryside
boats
cycling
walking
anything else

Muck