National Rail gives two routes to Bath from Heathrow: one through Paddington Station and the other through Hayes and Harrington Station, that has an additional train change at Reading. The latter is much cheaper but allows only a 4 minute transfer time between trains at Hayes. Hayes looks like a small station but I wouldn't want to miss my train if traveling on an advance ticket restricted to a specific train and time. Anyone have experience with this? Thanks.
Posted by
Preston UK
1401 posts
If you buy an Advance single from Heathrow and the first train is late and you miss your connection you will still be able to use the ticket - it wouldn’t be your fault.
There is also a third route which is to take the RailAir coach from Heathrow to Reading station and then train to Bath. Or the National Express coach all the way to Bath if the timings work.
Posted by
Camano Island, WA, usa
1588 posts
There is a 7 times a day Coach Shuttle From Heathrow T2 to Bath for 15bp one way. Be sure to verify this for any updates.
Posted by
Preston UK
1401 posts
Be careful with the bus times. There are also a number listed that involve a change in Bristol (which is past Bath) and therefore take a lot longer.
Posted by
2710 posts
Go on the Hayes & Harlington route. If you have an advance ticket and miss a connection - just take the next available train.
Posted by
Lake District, England
9200 posts
Go on the Hayes & Harlington route. If you have an advance ticket and miss a connection - just take the next available train.
Very bad advice, putting the cart before the horse. It doesn't matter a scooby what the trains do if your flight is late, and you miss your first train and thus your booked train from Reading. Arriving tired off a flight, heading to the tour is not a time to be doing multiple changes and be skimping on costs.
If Heathrow Express still have availability of their £10 early bird tickets buy one of those- they are valid on any train that day. Then buy separately either an Off Peak Single (valid on any train after 9.30am) for £63.60 or a Super Off Peak Single for £43.80 (valid on any train after 1030 am. That way as long as the plane arrives on the right day it doesn't matter what time it lands. You just take the first available train every half hour. Going via Paddington takes exactly 8 minutes longer than the Hayes and Harlington route.
In truth I wouldn't even buy the Paddington to Bath ticket until I arrived. That price is the same whenever you buy it so is the most you can pay. But GWR also sell last minute advance tickets. So you may not even pay that much- as at 1019 am today every train departing Paddington from 1030 am has Advance Train specific fares at either £43 or £40.50. So you can turn up eleven minutes before departure and still get a cheaper ticket.
The turn up and go fare from Heathrow via Hayes and Reading is £49.10 Super Off Peak Single so minimal savings.
I would almost say- don't buy anything until you arrive at Heathrow. See if there is a direct bus due to leave shortly. If there is and it has space buy your ticket on line or at the machines and hop on that. If not just do Elizabeth line to Paddington then the above.
Posted by
Isle of Skye, Scotland
1396 posts
As always isn31c gives excellent advice on public transport options. I am a UK resident and accustomed to our public transport, but recently needed to travel from Heathrow to Bath. I opted for the Hayes and Harlington route and hated it! We were travelling on a Sunday and our journey from Hayes & Harlington to Reading was delayed by engineering works, as was our journey from Reading to Bath. Bad luck I know, but the wait at Hayes & Harlington was miserable, not helped by very cold weather and a tiny waiting room on the platform.
If I had to make that journey in future I would probably opt for the bus direct from Heathrow, or the Heathrow Express or Elizabeth Line to Paddington and direct train from there.
Posted by
2710 posts
The follow up advice by isn31c is indeed correct - buying an advance specific train ticket when coming off a flight is risky because if you miss the train you booked, they can charge you again.
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5518 posts
As there has never been an absolute "knock out" choice the merits or otherwise of all the methods wax and wane over time making it the perennial talking point. (The coach could become that if ever the frequency of the direct services were increased.)
The Hayes & Harlington option was somewhat higher up the rankings in the past when the semi-fasts to Didcot Parkway still stopped there: twice as many trains to Reading off peak & services that didn't stop at every lamppost.
The on the day GWR Advances are usually priced just a bit below the flexible split ticket fare.