We are in our 60's and late 70's. Driving ourselves was not an option due to the other side driving. It would be very manageable to rent a car if one was comfortable driving on the left side. Our itinerary was packed by our choice. Our intent was to hit the highlights, giving us options for a return trip. Initially we were looking at 2-3 different guides, but found one that was willing to do it all. Once we established a rapport with our guide Andy, we were comfortable booking all 3 days with him. But it would be easy to use multiple guides. We chose a "somewhat" central location to stay for 2 nights.I didn't want to be be packing and moving hotels every day. Our hotel was in West Sussex at the Park House Hotel. It was lovely, but a bit out of the way. I would stay there again. The third night we moved to a hotel near the airport since we were flying home the next morning.
Our interests are history and I love gardens and nature, so we crafted our itinerary around that. We are members of the Royal Oak Foundation which gives us free access to England's National Trust properties, so we wanted to work some of them in.
Day 1: Andy picked us up at the ship at 8am in Southampton. We drove to Winchester to see the Winchester Cathedral.We checked out the Great Hall & Queen's Garden in Winchester. We also drove to Chichester to see the Southwick House, a military installation and then drove to Portsmouth to see some sights. Overnight at Park House Hotel
Day 2: Andy picked us up at 9am and we headed to Midhurst for a quick stop at the historic Spread Eagle Hotel. After that we headed to Petworth House and Park which houses the National Trust's art collection. Beautiful art and gardens. In the afternoon we went to Chartwell House and Garden, Winston Churchill's country estate.Super interesting and pretty place. Over night at Park House Hotell
Day 3; We checked out of the hotel, Andy picked us up at 9 and we headed to Blenheim Palace. It was a bit of a drive, maybe an hour and a half. The Palace is the birthplace of Winston Churchill and the home to the Dukes of Marlborough. Spectacular palace and gardens and exhibits. After that we did a quick stop in Oxford to see a few things. Overnight at airport hotel.
I only felt rushed when we did the Oxford add on after Blenheim Palace. While there's a lot to see in Oxford, I probably would have left it off this itinerary in the interest of time. I don't think I would change much of any of the rest since I thoroughly enjoyed everything. Overall we did a bit of walking, but mostly on even surfaces. And we did spend some time in the van looking at sights. At the various estates, when one of us would need a break, we would just sit on one of the many benches and let the other one continue on.
Sorry for the length of this, I hope it helps you in your trip planning!