I need help! This is our first trip to Europe (2 adults and 2 teenagers). I am struggling with the planning for the UK part of our trip which also includes Paris, Normandy and a week in Ireland.

Here's the itinerary for the UK portion to date:

August 9- Arrive at Dover and take train or bus to Canterbury. Overnight in Canterbury

Aug 10th. Train into London. Stay in London for 2.5 days (I have this more or less scoped out. Lots here about what to do in London etc.

August 13th. Take train or Bus somewhere outside of London (have thought of Salisbury or Bath as good places to pick up rental car).Have trouble imagining my husband driving in London or anywhere close to London. We live in Northern Ontario and our biggest problems are moose and bear on the highway!!
Pick up rental car. Overnight where?

Thought Salisbury and Stonehenge would be great but for a couple of teenagers?

Saturday August 14th.

Bath and dip into parts of Cornwall? My uncles and father (both of whom were in the Canadian Army)went on leave to Somerset in the summer of 1944. Shortly after that my uncle was killed and is buried in Normandy. We will have visited his grave.

Sunday August 15th

Get to Evesham if we can on way to Chester. Some family history tie to here .. lots of old pics from the late 180's taken by the photographer in Evesham.
Overnight in Chester

Monday August 16th
Day spent kicking around in Northern Wales
Castles? Hiking? This really appeals to all of us.
Stay in Holyheade, Wales

August 17th.
Drop rental car and catch ferry to Ireland.

SO, folks, anyone have any suggestions? I am trying to stop my husband from committing to doing too much driving and instead have a couple of key sites that will appeal to us all. We don't mind crwods in the city but once we leave we would like places not packed with a zillion tourists.

Any help or sage advice would be welcome. I have to book the car rental in the coupleof days (prices keep dropping).

MelbaT - Bath or Salisbury would be fine to pick up a rental car.

You say 'Bath and ... dip into parts of Cornwall'. Is that what you meant to say? Where did you have in mind?

Cornwall's a long drive from Bath - possible for a full day-trip, but not for a half-day.

It would make more sense to visit one or two other places in Somerset or Wiltshire rather than Cornwall if you only have a few hours.

Steve

MelbaT - We have just spent a month in France & England and visited: London, Paris, Chartres,Loire Valley, Mont.St.Michel, StMalo and then across by ferry to Guernsey & Jersey, flew to Exeter and took a train to Cornwall, then train back to Cardiff in Wales, then train to London.
Transport used:
London: - buses & Tube
Paris: - Eurostar, Metro & buses
Chartres: - reached by train & hired car there.
Loire, Mont.st.Michel, St.Malo: - car hire left in St.Malo(Europcar).
Guernsey etc.: - local transport
Cornwall:- local buses, taxis.
Wales: Family transport.

I would never attempt to drive in Cornwall as you will have to have nerves of steel, a lot of patience,
and drive at a slow speed because the roads are teeny weeny little lanes that leave 1 inch between vehicles when they pass each other! Cornwall won't appeal to teenagers( too old and quaint) and very very expensive. Our hotel cost double that to London or Paris.
When heading around Normandy/Brittany don't stay in a hotel called the George Patton Hotel. Its awful. Next door is much better.

Nearly forgot - we did a day trip from London (Paddington station I think) to Bath. Spent time on the open top bus seeing the town then hours at the baths ending with a divine lunch in the "Pump room" restaurant.

On my husband's first trip to the U.K. we also waited till Bath to pick up a rental car. My best advice - one person drives and one person navigates and is also responsible for ensuring driver STAYS ON THE LEFT.
If your teens are into castles at all - I highly recommend north Wales. I would not however stay in Holyhead - no good reason - there just are nicer places (Conwy for example) and I would spend longer than one day there. I do think you have way too much travelling planned - you will be spending all of your time in the car - driving. Forget "dipping" into Cornwall - you would spend most of your day driving there and back.

With such short time, may I suggest instead of traveling from Salisbury to Cornwall,going down to Lyme Regis,Dorset? It is a lovely old sea port,World Heritage Site famous for dianosaur fosill on the beaches,perhaps it would be more fun for teenagers.