I am in the (Very) early stages of planning a trip to the U.K. for 2008 and I would love some opinions before I decide what part of the U.K. I want to visit this time. (I like to decide this fairly early so I can research the specific area I decide on.)

Background:
I have been to most (but of course not all) regions of the U.K. at least once. My husband who is going with me has been there only twice. We are middle-aged. My husband is in superb physical shape - me just adequate.
We will be going either in May or September.
We will be going for a minimum of two weeks (but hopefully a little longer - say 17 days).
We prefer to concentrate on a region rather than try to cover tons of territory.
We will be renting a car for at least part of the trip.

Regions I am currently considering:
Wales (I have been but my husband has not) and the Southwest (we have both been).
Scotland (We have both been to Edinburgh but only I went to Northern Scotland.
I am leaning towards Scotland because it has been so long since I was there. My husband enjoyed the Soutwest and would love to return there. I loved the castles in Wales and think that he would enjoy them too.

On our last trip we tried to cover a little too much territory (Edinburgh and environs, Yorkshire, Northumberland, Norfolk and even a bit of Kent). We don't want to cover that much territory again.

Sorry to be so long-winded but I could really use some neutral input before making a decision.

We love castles and greathouses and beautiful scenery. We are both walkers (my husband especially. For physical reasons I can only do shortish walks - say a mile or two on farely level ground). I like the occasional museum and art gallery. My husband is less enthused with them. We both hate shopping.

Thanks to anyone who has an opinion (with maybe some reasons why) that they are willing to share. New ideas are welcome too. I don't need a lot of info (once I have made up my mind, I have plenty of time to research).

> I am leaning towards Scotland < Yes!

Have you been to the Western Isles? That's what I suggest...

Gawd - I'm not going to be any help at all

But honestly at the times you want to travel, all three of those areas would be great and easily fill your 14-17 days.

I personally would choose Scotland concentrating on the NE ("castle trail" area) and NW coast. You could rent a cottage in Aberdeenshire for one week and one in Argyll or Ross for another week and see all the castles, scenery, waterfalls and such.

But I could be just as happy in Devon/Cornwall or North and west Wales. Each area has all the things you seek.

Oh, another place good for a few days if you decide on Scotland - Orkney

Now leaning even more towards Scotland!
Of the Western isles - I have only been to Skye. We usually do the B&B thing but renting a cottage for a week sounds tempting - I think I could work out some pretty good circular tours.
Right now I am thinking maybe 2 days in Edinburgh - to recover from jet lag. Then rent a car and head north. Does it make sense to do the East or West coast first or does it matter at all?

6 of one 1/2 dozen of the other. I'd probably decide based on availability of favorite cottages.

As your dates start to firm up, you can look for cottages in the various areas you're considering and if you find a special place only available one of your weeks - that is your decision maker . . . .

(BTW - if you are still kicking around the SW or Wales - I'd so the same thing. Rent a cottage maybe in far western Cornwall for a week and then another on the south Devon coast for the second week. In Wales - on the North coast then maybe in Pembrokeshire)

I think both Wales and Scotland would be great options for you and your husband - castles, scenery, walks.

Personally, with you having 17 days I'd go for Scotland - I was there last year and met an american couple who had spent a few weeks travelling around. Visiting the islands, mountains, towns - wonderful!

You could even get a train ride so both of you (not just the car passenger!) could truly enjoy the scenery for a couple of days.

You could spend a few days in each location travelling around or spend a week here, a week there using them as bases to get out and about.

Perhaps, a couple of days in edinburgh (as you said, to get over jetlag), then move northwards - a couple of days in different locations, 5 days or so to recharge batteries in one location and then a few days in a few more locations.

Have a wonderful time!

Leaning even more towards Scotland. Thx for some great ideas - normally I would not consider a cottage since we are not usually in one spot for a week but in this case - it is looking like a viable alternative to B&Bs.

Scotland sounds great, you mentioned going in May or Sept. but if you change and go in July or August you must go to the Tatu (I'm not sure of the spelling) in Edinburgh. It is great experience.
Another thought would be the Lake District. It is a nice place to take hikes and walks.

May in the Western Isles has to be seen to be believed.

You could do the Outer Isles archipelago. Lots of level walking, and a few bumps for the more adventurous.

The history tends to be more archeological than recent so the "castles" are ruins and duns, rather than reconstructions.

There are a FEW "great houses", but if that's a lack, it's made up for by nature, views and open air.

If you decide on Argyll and Ross as a base have a look at this cottage: www.lochfyneshore.co.uk.
We are staying there for a week in September, and I am really looking forward to it! Only downside with Spetember over May for Scotland is the midges are quite likely to still be very active I understand.

We loved Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides in May. The upside for May is longer evenings and nesting seabirds. For somewhere really different to stay, have a look at these traditional but modernised blackhouses:

http://www.gearrannan.com/

Scottish/Irish midges will indeed be active still. But these days they can be as bad in May.... Precautions are fine....

hetismij: I am madly bookmarking all these great sites. I suspect I will be spoiled for choice.

Maria h:
The blackhouse village looks amazing! Definitely bookmarked.

Anchoress:
Are the midges really bad in May? I had hoped to avoid them as much as possible. What about late April?

Basically, you don't get midges in May. Even with climate change

Hello, we live in The Lake District in the North West of England, that's the bit just below Scotland. We run a guesthouse and have some Americans with us at the moment who have the Fodors book, that's why I looked up the site.
I'm surprised that there are not many mentions of The Lakes. Many of Englands most famous and respected poets and artists lived here and were inspired by the dramatic scenery of what is now a National Park.
We have more Michelin starred restaurants in the area than anywhere apart from London.
There are many National Trust houses to visit, privately owned grand houses which are open to the public, or for the more energetic, countless walks, you would call them hikes, of varying lengths. Beatrix Potter wrote her world famous childrens stories here and was inspired by the animals and scenery, film buffs will have seen 'Miss Potter' starring Rene Zellwegger. Sorry if that's spelt wrong but you know who I mean.
Nearby are 'The Dales' where Wensleydale cheese is made, famed now for being eaten by 'Wallace and Grommit'
One of the other questions asked in the forum was for info on the best villages in England, well the Cotswolds do have a number which are really pretty, but then so do we. Hawkshead, where Wordsworth lodged and went to school, Grasmere home of the gingerbread and the only place you can buy it, Cartmel, home of sticky toffee pudding and horse racing, to name a few.
Please do take a look at our Tourist Information site to get more, a nationally run website for tourism to England. Have a look at Ambleside Online, come and see Ambleside or Grasmere Sports, hound trailing, fell running and goodness knows what else.
We are the only Bee and Bee so take a look at us too,

David and Christine.

Kingswood: Don't worry , there are MANY threads on here about the Lake District.

But this OP didn't ask about the Lakes so no mentionon this specific thread . . . . . .

I vote for wales.
www.walesinfo.com and www.visitwales.com
Scotland is also very nice this is a hard one to choose from. Buta s you have 17 days you could get a cheap flight between Edinburgh or Glasgow to Cardiff and split the time into two. Then hire a car to drive to a central base to stay while you stay in Wales doing day trips.

semiramis, if you are still looking for ideas, I would second janisj's suggestion. We're doing a similar trip in June 2008 - highlands and islands sort of thing.

I always recommend the Lake District due to its impressive scenary and relatively compact size. The views when driving round are great. There are short walks from handy parking, boat trips on the lakes etc. The atmosphere is tremendous. Things are a bit limited when it's wet, but all the West coast of Britain gets high rainfall. Check out the walk round Tarn Howes -you'll love it (2 miles) see http://www.nicholson.u-net.com/tarns.htm
Have a look at the walks on www.lakedistrictwalks.com
Cottage accom on http://www.uk-cottage-rental.co.uk
Good luck.
I hope your trip works well!