Hi all,

My husband and I are returning to NYC from hiking in Norway and have 10 free days which we think we might use to explore Wales (my preference) and a bit of Scotland (husband's preference).

We'll fly into Heathrow and have no need to spend time in London (we lived in London for three years) except on the final night of our journey when we will have a large dinner party with friends and family there. We are happy to take a train away from London, but are sure for mobility that hiring a car is our best bet after that.

We enjoy scenic nature (though we will be sore from hiking, so more hiking beyond easy nature walking is out!);
We enjoy history, particularly Romano-British, Medieval, and Early Modern history;
We enjoy local lore, happenings and culture, such as festivals;
We enjoy good food and wine;
We enjoy Bed and Breakfasts and small, local hotels.

If you were me, what would you be SURE to see and/or do?

-C

Welcome to Fodor's!

First, when is this? Timing can be important, especially on the local festival, etc. score.

Second, do you have to land in London after Norway? What if you landed in Scotland and worked your way south? It could save a day or more. If landing in London is inescapable, think about flying directly up to Scotland. The airfare from Heathrow or Gatwick to Glasgow or Edinburgh is often comparable to the train fare, but you wouldn't need to get into central London, and the best place to hire cars is usually at the airports.

Third, given your priorities, you might want to look at an itinerary that starts in Scotland (probably Edinburgh) and works its way down the east side of the country. You could include the fabulous Northumberland coast with its castles the Holy Island, Durham, Hadrian's Wall, the North York moors or Yorkshire Dales...

As a new poster you're going to be limited as to how many time you can post in a given period, so make 'em count with as much information as you can squeeze in. Again, welcome!

Thanks for the start!

We're planning 17/08/2019 - 24/08/2019 for dates, and yes, we have to fly in and out of London. Flying right to Scotland is a suggestion well taken: thanks!

OK -- IF flyng in/out of LHR is set in stone, I would book a flight immediately up to (take your pick depending on which part(s) of Scotland yo want to explore GLA, EDI, ABZ, or INV) then do a linear drive down to London as Gardyloo describes. My own personal choice would be ABX > Fife > Edinburgh > Northumberland > Yorkshire > London (that would be a rush in 10 days but doable)

HOWEVER that doesn't include Wales and DOES Include Edinburgh smack dab in the middle of the very busiest/most expensive time in Edinburgh and you likely couldn't find accommodations of any sort at this late date.

So for practicality -- consider flying from LHR to GLA, then down through Dumfries & Galloway, the Lake District, North Wales, then in to London via the Cotswolds. At this late date you may have problems finding accommodations in The Lake District. August is the highest of high seasons in scenic parts of the UK.

OOPS -- I now see your dates -- you don't have 10 days. That is only 6 to 8 days depending on if that includes travel days or not. If we're talking about a week . . . Pick EITHER Scotland or Wales. And being August you might have a bit easier time finding accommodation in Wales. But Good Luck - the nicer places do book up quite far ahead for August.