Multi-Generation Trip
 

This is the first of what will probably be several questions about an upcoming trip I am planning. Luckily I have a year to sort it all out! Next June, my husband and I along with our two girls (11 & 8) and my parents (69 & 67) will be spending 2 weeks in the UK. This will be a first time trip for all of us and something I am so glad that we get to experience together! Everyone enjoys walking, gardens, old houses & castles. May dad is a farmer and wants to see the countryside and avoid London at all costs (which is fine with us, my husband and kids and I would love to do that at another time all on its own). So, my itinerary does not include London for that reason. We will be resting a car because as this will be a somewhat rural trip we can see the most that way and my husband is willing to drive. I am looking for itinerary advice and also advice on good towns for bases as we DO NOT want to be packing and moving every night. Also, we have a national trust pass if that helps with recommended places to visit.
Day 1 : arrive @ Heathrow (7:00 am), drive towards Bath and stay somewhere in the vicinity; visit Bradford on Avon & Lacock
Day 2: Stourhead & Wells
Day 3: Bath
Day 4: Southern Wales (Cardiff, St Fagans, Forest of Dean)
Day 5: Cotswolds
Day 6: Cotswolds
Day 7: Oxford
Day 8: Drive North to Yorkshire
Day 9: Yorkshire dales (Fountains Abbey, Aysgarth falls)
Day 10: Thirsk, Helmsley, Suttons Bank
Day 11: York
Day 12: Drive to Edinburgh stopping to see Durham Cathedral, or possibly Alnwick (for my Harry Potter fans
Day 13: Edinburgh
Day 14: Edinburgh in the morning (flying out late afternoon)

So here are my questions:
1.) does this sound doable for everyone between the ages of 8 & 69 and assume everyone will have a reasonably good experience?
2.) Should we stay relatively close to Bath the first 3 - 4 nights then move to a place up in the northern parts of the Cotswolds for 3 - 4 nights or is it better to pick a more central location (Tetbury, Malmesbury, Wotten Under Edge) and stay put for a week? If staying put is the better option what town/village would be best?
3.) similar to the other question, but about Yorkshire. Should we stay in York then drive to points from there or is a more central town (Thirsk?) a better choice for what we want to see?
4.) It is possible for us to fly out of London instead of Edinburgh and extend our time in other places instead of driving north to explore that area; would that make more sense? I'd hate to give up Edinburgh but am willing to if everything else is too rushed.

Thank you for all of your advice & help!

I'll try and help with the Yorkshire section as I live there.
Some questions for you first.
Have you chosen Thirsk for the James Herriot associations?
Why Sutton Bank? It's just a steep hill - why have you chosen it out of all the wonderful things to see in North Yorkshire? This isn't a criticism, just wanting to understand why! I hate driving up and down it.
Why Helmsley? Assuming it is because of its proximity to Rievaulx Abbey?
And now some observations. Fountains Abbey isn't in the Dales, and nor is Thirsk so at the moment you are just planning to visit only Aysgath Falls in the Dales. Plenty more things to see out that way (Middleham Castle, Jervaulx Abbey etc).
York is beautiful but not an easy city to drive out (or in)especially first thing in the morning or late afternoon so it might be worth staying somewhere smaller and taking the train in for a day. Thirsk does have a railway station but it is a good way out of town.
I'd also skip Day 4 (far, far too rushed) and add on a day somewhere.

I don't have time for a detailed answer at this time -- will be back. But for what you want I would drop Edinburgh/Scotland (even though Edinburgh is probably my favorite city on Earth)

I'd rent two Cottages -- for a week each. One in the Cotswolds (Somewhere between In the triangle of Cheltenham-Broadway-Burford) to use as a base for Bath, South Wales, all of the cotswolds, Oxford, etc. And the 2nd cottage in/near Thirsk or in the eastern Dales as a base for York, the Dales, the Moors, Herriot Country, etc.

I'd fly into Heathrow and home from Manchester (or vice versa)

And for 6 people you'll need a big vehicle -- a people mover type (minivan). But they are OK on most roads in the areas you'd be.

I definitely like jj's idea - you may do a bit more driving, but you should feel more rested as you will be coming "home" every night.

Probably not much if any more driving since some day trips will be short and as you say -- they'd be coming 'home' every night. And only 3 days - arrival/departure/and moving - will the car be stuffed to the gunwales w/ luggage. The rest of the time you are just touring around and not packing/unpacking and trying to find the next place.

Now I'm off and will try to offer more ideas later . . . .

I'll just offer a couple of observations and/or suggestions for further research.

The first is that Bath and the Cotswolds are justly famous for their prettiness, but it comes at a price - LOTS of visitors seeing the same thing.

An alternative - just worth considering - is to swap East Anglia for the Cotswolds, Cambridge for Oxford, and Edinburgh for Bath.

East Anglia, in particular Suffolk, has a wealth of picture-book thatchy roofy villages, a fascinating agricultural history, and some of the nicest countryside in England. Cambridge is fab with its colleges, stunning medieval architecture, punters on the Cam... And the wonderful Georgian architecture of Bath has its peer in Edinburgh's New Town.

Heading north from East Anglia, you could stay on the eastern (maybe dryer in June) side of the island. Visit Lincoln, a lovely little medieval town with half-timbered builidngs and stunning Lincoln Cathedral looming over all - similar in drama to the incomparable Durham Cathedral farther north.

Visit York and Durham, then continue up the coast through Northumberland - stop at Alnwick, also Bamburgh and the Holy Isle of Lindisfarne, before ending in Edinburgh.

Of course this is a pretty drastic re-working of your plan, submitted only for your consideration, but I'd encourage you to have a google at some of these areas to see if it might not work for you.

Sensible decision to miss out London this trip.

Day 4 as it stands is much too busy. St Fagans needs several hours to even begin to scratch the surface and better still a full day. Cardiff is a big city and needs several hours to make a visit worthwhile.

As well as getting a train into York, there is also Park and Ride.


Day 12 York to Edinburgh is going to be nearly five hours drive. You would have time for a short visit to Durham to see the cathedral. Alnwick Castle again needs several hours to do it justice, especially the award winning gardens. There isn't time to push this into a day to Edinburgh.

You don't seem to be allowing yourselves a lot of time for the walking, gardens and old houses...

I also like Janisj's suggestion of basing yourself in two diffrent places, and giving Edinburgh a miss this trip.

East Anglia is lovely -- but I'll disagree w/ Gardyloo re >><i>LOTS of visitors seeing the same thing</i><< in the Cotswolds.

Except for Bourton-on-the-Water between about 11AM and 2PM (and that mostly on weekends) and Bibury around the Swan/Arlington Row @ about the same times/day . . . no place in the Cotswolds gets really crowded just about ever. Staying in the area for a week makes it VERY easy to visit those few honeypots outside of the busy times.

I too think you should drop Edinburgh from this trip. Too long a drive for not enough time in Edinburgh.

Has your husband experience driving a large people-mover? 6 people plus luggage will require something quite large. And, assuming you're arriving after a long, overnight flight, he'll probably be jet-lagged and sleepy. Not good condition to drive an unfamiliar vehicle on the wrong side of unfamiliar roads.

In fact you all will be tired and it will probably take a day or two to adjust to the time zone. I usually plan an extra day at my first stop, for getting over jet lag.

Consider taking the bus from Heathrow to Bath and then picking up the car after a day in Bath. That will allow people to recover. Staying in Bath means you can be flexible about what you see. People who need a nap can drop back to the hotel as needed.

I'll be interested in what Janis says about flying out of Manchester.

I live near York, like the idea of two cottages.

June, I'd add some agricultural shows.

Start here http://www.asao.co.uk/

Mimar makes a good point.

"June, I'd add some agricultural shows."

I'd also add in local festivals, which are often scarcely publicised outside a 5-mile radius .

In the Cotswolds (and jj <b>exaggerates</b> the incidence of crowds: at midday on the sunniest, dryest, coolest Bank Holiday Monday, the Flannerpooch will be lucky to meet more than two or three other humans to flirt with in a typical 10-mile walk through the thousands of miles of our permanently deserted open-country footpaths) they range from hugely amateurish mock dog shows to major opera, and there's no one source.

Browse:
http://cotswolds.com/whats-on/festivals-events
http://www.cotswolds.info/cotswold-events.shtml
http://www.escapetothecotswolds.org.uk/events/
http://eventfulstays.com/featured-de...ndar-of-events

As well as looking at public notice boards when here. It's rare for any event to be included in more than one or two of these media.

Just a few thoughts from someone who lives not far from Bath and the Cotswolds.

Firstly, with a party of six, you will need a 7 - seater car like a Ford Galaxy or similar with three rows of seats. The disadvantage is that can leave little room for luggage, so you will need to be careful how many bags you bring. However, a car like a Galaxy is higher on the road, so you get better views of the countryside.

Driving a long distance straight after a transatlantic flight is inadvisable, especially if you are not used to driving on the left. It might be better to get the National Express bus to Bath, stay there for your first night, and pick up your car the next morning.

Don't forget that in Britain in June it stays light until virtually 10 o'clock, even later the further north you go. That gives you long days, and there is often something going on in the evening to relax and entertain you. That will certainly be true of Bath.

What sort of accommodation are you looking for? Self-catering has its advantages, but can be difficult to find for short periods. Traditional hotels can be expensive, and often the facilities and lack of space can be disappointing. Chains like Premier Inn, Travelodge and Holiday Inn Express are cheaper, but are purpose built, so more practical. They are usually concentrated in larger towns and often on the outskirts. You mention Malmesbuy and Tetbury, but you may have difficulty finding accommodation there to suit your needs. It may be a choice between staying in a town or out in the country.

In my experience, farmers get a lot of pleasure from seeing how other farmers do things. I remember driving with a New Zealand sheep farmer over the Mendips in Somerset. He was amazed to see free-range pigs grazing in open fields. Somewhere you all might enjoy is Adam's Farm (http://www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk/), although I am not sure what Flanner thinks of such places.

It was refreshing to see someone thinking of staying in Wootton under Edge, which is really a traditional Cotswold town unspoiled by tourist throngs. Do you have a particular interest in the area?

Are you giving Stonehenge a miss?

re Chartley's post: To clarify in case you aren't familiar w/ the term - "Self Catering" means a vacation rental (apartment or house). Nothing to do w/ catering as such. That is what I meant by booking two cottages. many cottages do rent for shorter periods but the majority require full weeks. AND even if your dates work out that you only have 6 days in an area (or even 5 days) renting a cottage for a week is cheaper than B&Bs or hotels. 'Eating' a night or two will still be a bargain.

I agree about not driving on your first day due to jet lag. The three easiest options (assuming you fly into lHR) would be staying the first night in Windsor which is only 7 miles from the airport, or Bath or Oxford which both have express coaches from LHR. Then collect the car the next day and head to the Cotswolds.

If you fly into MAN instead -- you can take either stay the first night there, or take the train to York and pick up the car the next day and travel to wherever your cottage is.

Thank you so much for the quick responses, now I have even more to think about! To answer some of your questions & respond …

Yes, I’ve chosen Thirsk as Mom & Dad are big James Herriot fans. I chose Sutton Bank because it was touted as the ‘greatest view in Yorkshire’, but I feel maybe you disagree with this assessment? Yes, Helmsley because of Rievaulx and because it looks like a nice town and a bit smaller than Thirsk, but large enough to have pubs, shops, etc. if we wanted to stay in a town north of York. However, several have recommended the Dales as being more scenic and walker friendly so perhaps I should choses a town in that region?

I would much prefer to pick two places and stay in each for a week, but I’m afraid we’ll be driving over an hour each way to visit the sites we want to see, by doing shorter stays in more places I thought we could cut down on those longer drives… the disadvantage being packing & moving of course. We do plan to pack light because we are looking to a mix of self-catering & B&B’s – in the self-catering we’re hoping for a washing machine so we can do laundry and therefore pack as light as we can. However, the idea of coming home every night does sound appealing and I like to cook so I feel would be a bit more settled with this option.

East Anglia/Cambridge is an interesting idea and more stream lined than my current itinerary; I’m not sure if anyone is willing to give up the Cotswold’s on this trip, but I will look into it. I have considered taking the National Express from Heathrow to Bath because of jet lag, and we still may do that. My husband can drive stick, but is worried about driving a stick left handed whilst driving in the left lane – we’ve been told that we may need to pick up an automatic at a larger rental place such as an airport, so that is the only reason we may have to pick up our vehicle at Heathrow. As to flying out of Manchester – we’re flying from Toronto and Air Canada offers a good variety of nonstop flights to London and also one to and from Edinburgh in the summer – Manchester just isn’t as convenient and seems to have much longer flights with layovers & is pricier too.

The agricultural shows & festivals ideas are brilliant – thank you so much for the links! Our original plan was to stay in Bath a few days, but then we’d need to move more often and prices in Bath are steep! We are looking to avoid traditional hotels at all costs. I mention Wotten Under Edge because it’s far enough South in the Cotswold’s to make Wells, Stourhead, Bath & Cardiff easily accessible but still appears to have the Cotswold “feel” we’re looking for.

And finally, yes, we are missing Stonehenge – my husband and I would like to see that or Avebury but everyone else is against looking at ‘big rocks’… alas, we must all give up things. I’m hoping this is the first of many trips as I realize we are missing out on many things because of our group size and slower pace. Thank you again for all of the helpful advice!

janisj - It's funny you mention Windsor - I had originally added that as an option either at the beginning or end of our trip as a cushion either to or from London to see the castle & the towns of Windsor & Eton. I just keep thinking it'll be pain to have one overnight in a hotel or B&B ... probably not as much of a pain as a sleep deprived person attempting to drive in a new country however... We had also considered doing the same one night stop over with Hampton Court as opposed to Windsor ... ugh, so many decisions!

One thought I had was that, since on your existing plan Edinburgh is the biggest city you'll visit, and one in which you're also spending a few days, what about reversing the order of things? Fly into EDI and spend the first couple of days without a car, while you get used to the time change, get used to cars and buses driving on the left, and see the city unhampered by parking and traffic issues.

Then take the new tram to the airport and pick up the car there for your journey south, and end at Heathrow for the flight home.

Navigating towns like Oxford (or Cambridge ;-) ) or narrow country roads in a big vehicle (or maybe two ordinary cars and a pair of walkie-talkies?) while you're jetlagged and unfamiliar with roundabouts, and you keep looking at the doorpost for a rear-view mirror... Well, maybe a chance to rest up might be wise. Heading south from Scotland the roads are for the most part pretty easy, and you'll be more able to cope with hedgerows or country lanes by the time you get to the south of England, be it the east or the west sides.

If you're looking for the setting of the James Heriott books, then Thirsk is the right place and has a museum. If, on the other hand, you want to see the countryside of the All Creatures Great And Small tv show, then you want to be in the Dales, specifically around Askrigg which became Darrowby (you can stay in Skeldale House which is now B&B). So if you want to visit Aysgarth then basing yourselves in Askrigg or Hawes makes sense. The views around Wensleydale and Swaledale beat anything in the Moors, IMO.

>>I would much prefer to pick two places and stay in each for a week, but I’m afraid we’ll be driving over an hour each way to visit the sites we want to see, <<

Not really . . . Very seldom will there be an hour out and back sort of day. You will do day trip loops that cover a lot of territory and visit several places..

So one day in the Cotwolds will be a north loop that could go as far as Stratford/Warwick but certainly doesn't need to. You could visit Hidcote Manor, Snowshill Hailes Abbey/church, Broadway, and be back before dinner.

Another day you could visit Oxford and Blenheim Palace. Another - Bibury, Bourton on the Water, Burford, Minster Lovell. Then one day you can devote to Bath -- that <i>would</i> be a long drive.

The view from Sutton Bank is wonderful (be sure to also take in the view from the Mount Inn in Stanton in the Cotswolds - maybe ever better). I went soaring off of Sutton Bank(!).

From Thirsk -- one day trip would be York city (either driving down or taking the train). Another day or 2 exploring the Dales, Fountains Abbey. Another the Moors and Whitby/Robinhoods Bay. Another Castle Howard/etc.

Both areas are full of farms and on weekends would probably have farm shows, village fetes, steam fairs etc.

A people mover is not a massive vehicle -- but yes, you would have to pack <i>carefully>. BUT by having cottages -- you will also have full kitchens w/ washers/dryers so no one needs to pack for more than about 5 days and you can do laundry a couple of evenings.

I happened to be looking up sources of lardy cake and saw this
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUse...s_England.html


I love lardy cake. It's not for those on a diet

My next question is this: if we choose two week long stays what are the best towns for a base in both the Cotswolds & Yorkshire? I'd like something centrally located so when we do go sightseeing our drive isn't over an hour each way on most days. For example, if we stayed near Chipping Campden our drive to Stourhead would be 2 hours each way - far too long. The same is true of Yorkshire. We're really looking for something bucolic but still with some variety of Pubs, shops...a nice little town to walk about. Any suggestions are much appreciated.

Many have also suggested we not drive the first day or so until we're acclimated - if that is the plan we could spend a night or two in Bath (or Windsor as jj suggested, or Edinburgh as Gardyloo suggested) then drive to our next location...but this would hamper the two week long rental idea ... unfortunately I can't have it both ways...suggestions?

'Yorkshire' covers a huge swathe of Northern England so therefore there's no one town which will be ideal.
You've already mentioned Thirsk which is situated in the Vale of Mowbray. It's a busy, bustling place, perfectly acceptable but not particularly attractive, and the surrounding countryside lacks the beauty and grandeur of the Dales and Moors.
The advantages of Thirsk are that it has rail and decent road links, plus a good range of shops and pubs, and the Herriot Museum of course. However, I'd be hard pressed to call the place in any way bucolic.
Somewhere you might like to investigate is Masham. I'm probably biased because I live very close by, but it really is a lovely spot in Lower Wensleydale. It has good road links to deeper into the Dales, but also you'd be able to reach a lot of the places you want to see within an hour (Fountains, Aysgarth etc).
http://www.visitmasham.com/
There's a small market twice a week, shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants, two breweries you can visit, and a small Tourist office if you wanted more info on where to go. It's surrounded by lovely countryside with lots of interesting walks from the market square itself.

I was thinking this morning about where to stay. Thirsk is ok but a bit dull. Ripon is a possible with at least some good transport connections and the old centre is pretty nice. I spent 18 months working in Masham and it has a very pretty centre with stuff to do close by it is just a bit in the middle of nowhere (sorry Morgana but you know what I mean) though that does mean there is grand hiking all around. (plus two breweries).

I think that though people always want a Saturday to Saturday booking June is still relatively early in the season and I suspect landlords would rather have a 6 nighter or 5 nighter booked early than a gap in bookings nearer the time. So take advantage of your planning horizon.

I'd just stop by Windsor one night. Jet lag wears off, especially if you stay out in the daylight as long as possible. The castle and town is a pretty good visit, the river bank offers lots of walks and you can start good an early to get to the West.

UK motorways in the south of England take a bit of getting used to, I'd not like to learn to drive on these roads on the right hand side of the road (not my usual side) with an automatic (not my usual car) and the whole family screaming in the back at Heathrow.

No offence taken Bilbo - but compared to the 'hamlet' I live in, Masham is considered the local 'big town'!!
Ripon is a good suggestion, hadn't thought of that.

Let's look at Ripon then. The characters in the Alice books are said to be based on the choir pew carved animals in Ripon Minster (which is also a pretty good visit and worth getting a deacon to show you round), a fit person could walk from Ripon to Fountains Abbey, though I doubt if many do, along a public footpath. Fountains abbey is worth a good half day, looking at the old buildings, visiting Studley Royal, going bird watching... and eating cake. Light Water Valley amusement park is just up the road and there is Masham. Going south is Harrogate and Ripley (another old castle/village), all pretty close before you hack over to York or up to Richmond

For the Cotswolds you really can't do better than in/near Burford.

. . . But there are many fabulous sites (including gardens) much nearer the Cotswolds than Stourhead. If Stourhead is a must -- maybe you need to re-think the Cotswolds . . .

In North Yorkshire - Thirsk is good mainly because 1) it has lots of shops/restaurants, 2) easy rail connection to York, 3) is located in the middle of things -- so driveable to the Moors/coast and the Dales and everything in berween. The Dales are lovely -- but a long drive from the Moors. The Moors/coast are great -- but a long drive from the Dales and York. So if minimizing drive times is really important to you -- Thirsk or Ripon are likely your best area. -- You don't have to stay IN either town -- a nearby village would work too.

I think that though people always want a Saturday to Saturday booking June is still relatively early in the season and I suspect landlords would rather have a 6 nighter or 5 nighter booked early than a gap in bookings nearer the time. So take advantage of your planning horizon.>>

As a putative landlord/lady [albeit a cornish one] I can tell you that in June you shouldn't have a problem getting a 5-6 night let. The local tourist board is a good place to start looking as they have independent letters like us who don't pay commission to the big boys such as english country cottages and the like. We still have to be vetted by the tourist board and you should be able to tell from the website if they have the right no of bedrooms, washing machine [nearly all do] dishwasher [not so many] etc. etc.

Since it may come up, it's "maz ham" not "mash am" just saves a load of discussion.

Although I think Stourhead and Wells are not-to-be missed places, it is difficult to find somewhere that is both convenient to them and to the Cotswolds. The problem is that you have to cross the Avon valley at some point and either go through Bath or Bristol, or make a long detour round. The north to south roads are not fast, and there are few of them. The traffic is nearly always heavy.

On the subject of the Cotswolds, there are far more places to visit than ever get mentioned here. What about Woodchester Mansion, where building started in the nineteenth century but stopped when the money ran out. You can really see how a large house was built, and also hear an interesting story.

Another place never mentioned is Ozwleworth Church, which we visited a few weeks ago. It takes some finding, and you have to go through the grounds of the local manor house to get there. You will probably have the place to yourself, but it will make a more lasting impression than the sort of place where you have to fight your way in. It's convenient for Wootton under Edge, unless you meet another car on the steep narrow lanes.

Could I also put in a plea for Cirencester? It is surely the largest of the Cotswold towns and has lots of history and charm. In Roman times, it was the second largest city in the country after London, and it has an excellent museum. On the outskirts are the remains of an ampitheatre, and not far away is the Roman villa at Chedworth. Cirencester is a proper town with shops, restaurants and a bus service. It also has an impressive parish church right in the town centre.

We did Stourhead and Wells as day trips from Bath. If you took the bus from the airport to Bath, spent a day in Bath, then rented the car and drove to Wells and Stourhead, spent another night in Bath before you headed north, that would be an easier start to your trip. 3 nights in one hotel. Caveat: you would need parking in Bath. But I would stay in central Bath -- so on the first day if some one needs to drop back to the hotel for a nap, it's easy to get to.

I do think you might have to adapt this trip to mediate the differences in interests, energy, and travel style between your parents and your daughters. A lot of time in the car going first to one stop, then another, doesn't give you a lot of flexibility.

>>I do think you might have to adapt this trip to mediate the differences in interests, energy, and travel style between your parents and your daughters. A lot of time in the car going first to one stop, then another, doesn't give you a lot of flexibility.<<

I agree. It is a huge advantage of renting cottages for 6 or 7 days at a time. In any week, there will be times one or more of a 3 generation group of 6 will just want/need a down day. Sit around the house, taking a walk, watching telly, exploring the local village - anything but packing and moving and spending the day in the back seat of a people mover. W/ a cottage -- that is a possibility. Staying in a series of B&Bs - not so much.

Agree that two bases, with two different cottage rentals, is the way to go. In the north, Thirsk is a good location; as others have said, it's very easy to get to the Dales in one direction and the Moors in the other (over Sutton Bank, via Helmsley). York is very accessible as a day trip; there are park + ride places on the outskirts of York, but we've found that getting there early and finding a car park near the city centre has been fine. I've spent quite a lot of time in North Yorkshire - I come from England and now live in Canada. I've done two family holidays here with kids (now teenagers); we've stayed at this place - http://www.oldoakcottages.com/. I'd strongly recommend this, or something along these lines; if you have a look at premiercottages.com, there are others, but the nice thing about Old Oak is the indoor pool. This is a working farm, right below Sutton Bank and near a couple of lovely Yorkshire villages, Coxwold and Kilburn. There's a Tesco in Thirsk. We've done a lot of day trips from here, including to the coast - Whitby is nice and combines well with a day on the moors. It sounds as if you have a great trip planned!

Sorry, I gave you the wrong link for cottage rentals; it should be http://www.premiercottages.co.uk/index.aspx

Well, after mulling over all of the wonderful suggestions here I have somewhat reworked my itinerary. I think doing several long term rentals will work best and I've also really thought about things that are must sees for me personally (Bath, Stourhead, Wells) and what would best fit our traveling party on this trip. I've also implemented Gardyloo's suggestion to flip our trip around and begin with Edinburgh, that way we have a few days without a car in the beginning to recover from any jet lag before driving. We're still moving three times, but if we want to recover from jet lag somewhere (whether Bath, Windsor or Edinburgh) I don't see how this is unavoidable. However, our two main lodgings will be longer term. So here it goes ...

Day 1 : Fly into Edinburgh (flight arrives @ 8:30 am) do some sight seeing or rest for those who need it
Day 2: Edinburgh sightseeing continued
Day 3: Pick up car & drive to Yorkshire (stopping somewhere about half way to stretch & see something along the way; arrive at Yorkshire cottage (exact location TBT) staying for 5 nights
(days 4 - 7 could be switch depending on the weather, and what we feel like doing - since we won't be moving much we have some flexibility)
Day 4: Masham, Aysgarth, Hawes
Day 5: Helmsley, Rievaulx Abbey, (possibly Eden Camp if time allows)
Day 6: York (probably taking the train from Thirsk)
Day 7: Fountains Abbey & whatever else comes our way
Day 8: Drive South to the Cotswolds (again stopping at an interesting midway point to stretch & see something along the way) Arrive at Cotswold cottage (exact location TBT) staying for 6 nights
(Days 9 - 13 can also be switched to suit our needs once we've settled in)
Day 9: Explore the Cotswolds
Day 10: Oxford
Day 11: Explore the Cotswolds
Day 12: St. Fagans
Day 13: open to whatever we decide on our last day...
Day 14: Return car in Oxford & take the National Express to Heathrow

I'm interested in your thoughts on this itinerary. I know it isn't perfect (Edinburgh deserves more time) and I still need to decide on our actual bases in each location (I'm taking everyone's suggestions into consideration). I'm also trying to decide if it would be better to do 6 nights in Yorkshire & 5 in the Cotswold's because I could easily do that if Yorkshire requires more time of the two. I appreciate all of the great feedback!

makes sense to me

Pretty good. couple of comments:

By St Fagans - do you mean the Museum in Cardiff? If so that will be at least a 2 hour drive from most places in the Cotswolds.

And Edinburgh to say Thirsk is a 5 hour drive -- any stops (like Hadrian's Wall for example will ad a lot of time/quite a detour.

The One major exception is Alnwick -- right ON your route. But the problem (other than it is too far north -- only about 2 hours from Edinburgh) is the Castle is FANTASTIC and has something for everyone. Medieval castle, Harry Potter connections, stately home, beautiful gardens -- takes most of a day to see. So maybe a slight modification . . Drive in the AM from Edinburgh to Alnwick. Spend all afternoon there and stay the night in Alnwick or nearby. Then the next day you only have about 3 hours to Thirsk. This would add an additional stop/check in/check out but well worth it IMO. And on the drive south from Alnwick you'd have time for either Hadrian's Wall or even better for the kids and your Dad maybe - Beamish

http://www.beamish.org.uk

Well, two months later and everything is set. We will be flying in and out of Manchester (found great priced, nonstop flights!) and staying for our first week in Helmsley and our second week in Bourton-on-the water. I just wanted to thank everyone for your great suggestions and first hand experience accounts!

Yes, by St. Fagan's I mean the museum in Cardiff. Yes it'll be between and hour and half to two hours I figure ... but as we decided to give up Scotland we're willing to make the journey into Wales as it sounds like an experience everyone would enjoy and we can drive through the Wye Valley and see some beautiful countryside.

Great! I can be more specific about some suggestions now.
I am sure you will love Helmsley. It's a lovely place in itself but also a good base to explore.
You mentioned Eden Camp earlier - this is perfect for a rainy day activity. I worked in a school for many years and we used to do regular school trips out here. The children loved it and got a lot out of their visits.
If you are going to visit the Dales then your girls might well love this place.
http://www.theforbiddencorner.co.uk/
It's set in beautiful rolling Dales countryside, and is a very strange place indeed! However you must buy tickets in advance - you can't just turn up and go in.
If you plan to visit Whitby and your girls like reading then I'd suggest they look at the Robin Jarvis series called The Whitby Witches. My own children loved these books, and they would definitely enhance a trip to the town.
http://www.robinjarvis.com/whitbyhome.html
The Ryedale Folk Museum is another great day out and not too far from you. Hutton le Hole is one of the prettiest villages in the area, and the Museum consists of lots of little houses and rooms that you can explore.
http://www.ryedalefolkmuseum.co.uk/
Lastly, don't miss Rievaulx Abbey, very close to Helmsley.

Terrific! lovely plan litchickmi.