Arriving at Heathrow and getting to Paddington and then on to Bath.

This is one of the questions asked most frequently here on the travel forum, and there are a plethora of responses already documented:

https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=1y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=Heathrow+to+bath&utf8=%E2%9C%93

At least half of the responders will suggest taking the bus directly from LHR to Bath.

You don't have to buy a ticket for a specific train or time, you can buy an all day ticket which would be good on any train from Paddington to Bath on that day. It costs more than the advanced tickets, which are only good on a specific train.

A chip enabled card wont work on the Elizabeth line. You need a contactless card or can buy an oyster card and load it with funds. You tap in and out instead of getting a ticket. For the Heathrow Express you have to buy a ticket.

Rather than backtracking into London and Paddington station, you can take a coach from Heathrow to Reading and then transfer onto a train from Reading to Bath. (It's the same train from Paddington, you just pick it up further down the line. )

Arriving off a flight I would never recommend buying an advance ticket. Just swallow the extra cost of buying a full priced ticket. There are just two many variables at play.
You can even buy your train ticket on the day that way.

Sure you might get lucky, but if you don't and have to re-purchase on the day it has cost you more.

On this route, between Reading and Bath, there is only an £8.90 difference between the best Advance Fares and the full price fare if travelling in the super off peak period (after 10.30 am) or £16.90 difference from Paddington.

You can also buy a through fare from Heathrow to Bath which requires you to change at Hayes and Harlington and Reading (not allowed to go into Paddington) for £27.60 advance or £45.10 on the day. That is the cheapest way to do the journey.

Again for £17.50 saving I don't think the advance fare gamble is worth it.

The coach to Reading option is now rather expensive for what it is, particularly for a single rather than a return. Direct coach is probably the best if the schedule suits. I wouldn't wait nearly two hours if it had just gone though.

The easy way to do this is to take a coach directly from Heathrow to Bath.
Walk through the terminal at Heathrow to the coach station. There will be signs directing you. Walk up to the ticket window, buy a ticket to Bath. Wait outside on the benches. The coach will pull into the stalls right in front of you.
Easy ride all the way to Bath, arriving at the coach & train station there.
Far cheaper than a train ride.
This route is a lot less trouble than going all the way into London to begin your journey to Bath.
We have done this several times....coach from Heathrow to Bath is the way to go.....just my opinion and experience.

All 3 manned ticket offices at Heathrow have now closed (Central Bus Station, T4 and T5). Tickets are now purchased from machines at all three terminals. There are still roving station staff on duty 24 hours a day to assist passengers.
This is a recent change

We are arriving in Heathrow, going straight to Bath as well.

We are booking using Super Off Peak tickets, so that if we miss the one we schedule we are able to take a later train at no extra cost. We travel from Heathrow to Hayes, then to Reading, then to Bath. There is no need to travel all the way into London in order to go back the opposite direction.

We would take the coach direct from Heathrow to Bath, but it is infrequent and we'd rather not spend 2-3 hours at Heathrow upon arrival when we could be on our way already on a train.

Of course, if your intention is to be in London for a time before heading to Bath, this is irrelevant.

Hi maryellen.
We got lucky. We arrived at Heathrow, walked to the T5 coach station, bought our tickets to Bath. Walked outside, sat on the benches for 10 minutes, and the coach pulled into the stalls.
We got onboard, the bus waited 5 minutes for any other passengers, then took off for Bath.

Note: You must be watching for the Bath coach to pull in. It doesn't stay long at all. The bus driver does not yell out "Coach to Bath" or anything like that. "Bath" is on the header of the coach. The bus driver will put all large luggage in the hold under the bus. Then it's time to take off. It would be easy to miss that bus.

I am with those that say take the National Express Bus between Heathrow and Bath. Even if you can manage your luggage easily, it is far more convenient to walk out of arrivals and into the bus terminal, have the driver load your bags under bus, sit back and relax.

Hi Rebecca
Yes, I wish that we could take the coach, but our arrival time puts us past a direct departure with the next 3 all going to Bristol first and getting us to Bath 3 hours past when the train would get us there, so, train it is.

maryellen, yes it has to be the train for you.