[quote=""Minnie""]What a terrific trip, Tanzanite - and there's been so much in the way of good advice already on this thread.
I'd just add a word of warning about E Anglia: poorly served by road network, so getting around takes more time than you might think. And the place is stuffed with sights-worth-seeing - not merely Ely, but also Norwich, Bury St Edmunds, and a clutch of glorious manors and stately homes (including birthplace of Anne Boleyn).
Don't miss Lincoln Cathedral, whatever you do/wherever you go - and say 'hello' to the Imp!
I agree with all the posters who've recommended the following:
Re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings (these chaps know their stuff!)
Ightham Mote
York
Northumberland (Alnwich, Bamburgh, Lindisfare if poss) - and don't miss Durham en route there!
If straying on the other side of the country, yes, Stokesay's fab - and it's not far from Shrewsbury, which is a great place for a few hours' wandering (with or without Cadfael and Hugh Berenger - first home of Charles Darwin, also; battlefield where Hotspur died not far outside).
Pleased to see you visited Tintern on your last trip (my house was a few miles upriver). Did you visit Penallt Old Church (one of Wm Marshal's foundations)? Gorgeous spot.
Hope you'll be seeing something of the enormous riches of historic Somerset if you haven't already. If not, I could tell you about some wondrous places, many hidden away. But as inclined to blather for ages about 'em, will spare you!
Am sure you'll have a fab time, anyway. Wish you bon voyage

.[/quote]
I second all of these, but have to put in a plug for Knole (near Maidstone) which was one of Henry VIII's palaces. The ceiling of the King's Bedroom is one of the most marvellous pieces of plasterwork you will ever see - it was on the point of collapse about 50 years ago and was restored by my father and his architectural partner. I'll tell you the story if you're interested. I took my father back there just before he died and he told the housekeeper how they'd done it - of course, 50 years on, nobody at Knole knew anything about it.
Ightham Mote, as Minnie says, is glorious and is the other must-see in Kent. Don't on any account miss the Hastings re-enactment.
I live between Salisbury and Winchester and will doubtless be cast into the outer darkness for saying this, but Lincoln and Durham Cathedrals are without question our finest, followed closely by Ely.
Wales is even worse than East Anglia for narrow roads and extended driving times - look at distances on the map and double (
at least) your time estimate for any journey in Wales. I suspect you'd be exhausted if you tried to do southern England, Scotland and Wales in 9 days - certainly you'd be doing nothing but driving. A fun way to do Wales (on another occasion, in the summer perhaps) might be by train from Shrewsbury to Harlech - a 3 hour trip each way, but it is a beautiful journey through the Welsh mountains and up the coastal line, and can just about be done in a day. You only get the one castle, of course, but it would be a good day trip.
York - yes, absolutely. Ditto Northumberland and Wallington in particular - one of the best presented National Trust houses in the country, which really gives you a feeling for the family who lived there and for life at the time. If you're in the West Country, another National Trust must-see is Killerton, near Exeter - again, superbly presented and very much alive - they let you play the piano and the chamber organ in the music room, and they have an excellent permanent costume exhibition upstairs and a seasonal exhibition in the drawing room. It's one of those houses where you really get a sense of the family and the working estate.
Others have mentioned the two independent bookshops in Bath, Toppings and Mr B's. If you have the time, it's worth booking yourself in for
Mr B's reading spa treatment - something you won't get at any other bookshop - though I believe advance booking is essential.
Montacute House, near Yeovil, is a case study in late Elizabethan architecture and has many of the National Portrait Gallery's Tudor and Elizabethan portraits on display. It featured in the Emma Thompson film of Sense & Sensibility, as did Mompesson House in Salisbury Cathedral Close.
It's well worth checking the
National Trust website for opening times on their properties - they're often closed on one or two weekdays.
(Incidentally, the reason your pass does not cover Windsor Castle is that it is owned by HM The Queen, not by English Heritage or the National Trust or another such organisation which would be part of that scheme.)
(And if you happen to be in or near Hampshire on Thursday 14th Oct, check this out -
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=119341614785556 - it would be lovely to see you there!)
Wherever you end up, have a marvellous trip and, as others have said, don't try to cram too much in - take the time to enjoy it.