My previous version of this question made our Italy trip a fantastic experience, so I'd like to solicit opinions once again. My wife and I aren't experts in any particular field but are passionate amateurs for history. Our favorite moments of past trips are inevitably the history in situ rather than in museums: Newgrange, Paestum, even "modern" oddities like Great Blasket Island.
To my point, then: we are driving out of London, down to Cornwall, and perhaps crossing into the southern portion of Wales for a bit. What shouldn't we miss? Also - my wife is particularly interested in hill figures, any thoughts on how best to explore these? Several citations mention "best seen from the air;" ORLY?
Bonus points if it's off the beaten path. It's hard not to hear about Stonehenge; what am I NOT likely to hear much about? We'll have a car and I've become moderately comfortable driving over there, so it doesn't need a bus tour or only be accessible on a major highway. (Once I've driven to Drombeg stone circle (not to mention all through Orvietto, Italy) I figure I can handle most of what UK country lanes can throw at me.)
Thanks in advance for any and all advice!
The Cotswolds, along with being generally a rather pleasant place, has quite a bit of Roman material. Probably the best known is Chedworth Villa which is definitely worth stepping in. the Cirencester amphitheater is also very cool and nicely atmospheric. Outside of that, Caerleon has some impressive Roman remains, including substantial sections of the wall and amphitheater. Possibly the most impressive Roman remains on your way are the fortress walls around Portchester Castle. The vast majority of British Roman material, however, is undergound, so museums are neccesary if that interests you. And don't worry, British museums tend to be very well laid out with plenty of reconstructions and at times quite terrifying wax figures.
In Cornwall you will be spoiled for choice if you like moody megalithic monuments. The most unique remains there are the Iron Age fogous, underground chambers of still unknown purpose. I know some of them are open to the public some of the time, but you might need to book in advance. Cornwall is also famous for its dolmen. I suspect your best bet for both is to see what tourist guides recommend, as they will recommend you to what is accessible to responsible tourism.