Birmingham Airport instead of Heathrow

It's probably a bit faster to drive from Birmingham to Bath than it is from Heathrow to Bath -- if that was the question.

But, you said it was a car trip, so how does Paddington or the rest if central London fit into the scheme of things ???

There is no need whatsoever to go to into central London if you want to go to Bath from Heathrow by public transport. It takes longer and is more expensive than the direct coach, or the train via Reading. There is also a regular bus service to Oxford.

If you are getting a car though, I'm not sure how this matters. However, you do have the option of doing one flight leg via Birmingham and back from Heathrow if that stops you having to backtrack.

I'm pretty confused. Are you considering driving or taking the train?

If you wind up on M5 be prepared for delays, and don't follow caravans down the Lickey incline near Bromsgrove.

Paddington Station only came up as several people told me that going from Heathrow to points west was time consuming with several bus or train changes. And that it was faster to take the Heathrow Express into London Paddington and then return back out to Bath, for example.

I am interested in the simplest and most cost effective. Since we are planning to rent a car for two weeks anyway, flying into Birmingham and driving for 30-45 minutes to our overnight accommodation and having a car thereafter, sounded like a better proposition.

So, we'll use a car to hit Stratford, Woodstock, Oxford, Avebury, Bath and criss-crossing short drives between Burton-on-the-Water,
Cirencester, and other Cotswold villages. Then off to the Peaks, Dales, and Lakes Districst and fly out of Edinburgh.

Hope that clarifies. Thanks for all your suggestions. Ted

But keep in mind that you could also fly into Heathrow and drive to Oxford which is only about a 1 hour drive. There is no need to go into London unless you want to use the train for a portion of your trip. This is why people on this board are confused about your reference to having to go to Paddington to get to Reading, Bath, or Oxford.

What does flying into Birmingham do to your flight routing? Can you get a flight that is comparable in lengtth / number of connections to a flight to LHR? To me, that would be the deciding factor.

Taking the original itinerary of going from Heathrow to Bath - if you are arriving at terminals 1,2,3 then time wise going into Paddington on the Express is a wash with going by coach to Reading to pick up the train to Bath but costs more. Taking the Connect would take longer. From Terminal 5 it is always quicker by the coach service. From terminal 4 - well you have to go to one of the others first.

Having looked back at your earlier messages you wanted to take a public transport journey to start with and had picked Bath so you weren't driving immediately after your flight. The same presumably would apply to arriving at BHX, but you are now saying you would take a car from there. Don't think of the congestion around BHX being that much less than LHR at peak times.

As you have said before that you aren't really bothered that much about Bath, why not take the coach from Heathrow to Oxford, spend what time you want there and pick up the car from one of the hire places along the Botley Road to the west (all the majors are there)? You won't then do a north / south backtrack then and won't have the inconvenience of a car in Oxford. With the coach to Oxford you have a two hour window either side of your booked time.

From Birmingham International Airport Oxford is an easy train connection - once per hour on Cross Country, takes one hour, leaves at xx:14.

Amazingly, because of the circuitous routes required to go east to west in Birmingham area, it is faster to get to Stratford upon Avon by train from Paddington than Birmingham International.

Warwick and its castle is available by train from Birmingham International by taking the same Cross Country train as to Oxford but changing at Royal Leamington Spa and going back north one stop to Warwick.

Getting to the Cotswolds by train from Birmingham International is quite difficult - either Cross Country to Oxford then change onto the First Great Western (which originated in Paddington) to Worcester and west, leave the train at Moreton-in-Marsh; or frequent service to Birmingham New Street and change to a Cross Country service to the southwest and get off at Cheltenham. Cheltenham isn't in the Cotswolds but on the edge.

By car from Birmingham International you are closer than Heathrow to Stratford upon Avon and the northeast Cotswolds, and Warwick.

Oxford is about a draw. But unless you are a masochist you won't drive into Oxford and try to park. The best you could do with a car is the Park and Ride.

The central and southern Cotswolds and Bath, etc. are easier from Heathrow.

It's probably a bit faster to drive from Birmingham to Bath than it is from Heathrow to Bath

I don't think so.

Heathrow: straight onto the M4 extension, then the M4. Go west. Sleep because it is so straight and takes no brain power. In a straight line you get to the exit for Bath just before Bristol. Get off and go just a few miles south and you are there. Where you will park I don't know.

Birmingham International: A45 to M42 south to the jct of M42 and M40, M42 west to M5 south (watch out for overturning caravans on the Lickey Incline near Redditch, give them a wide berth) to near Bristol, east on the M4, then south to Bath.

A straight line beats complications for me most days, and I'm not convinced that that isn't faster.

Okay, go with Nige as the guy with vast driving experience. However, damit, last week it took me over three hours to get past the Bath exit from Heathrow with just one fast, emergency coffee stop on the west side of Slough -- and it ain't like I have to Braille myself along the roads. The stinking mess didn't clean out until I was halfway twixt Bristol and Taunton.

Now that the train encyclopedia has been written, and you've tossed Edinburgh into the mix, and brought economy into the picture to boot:
. you don't want to toss money at two modes of transportation on the same day

. a small car will stiff you about twenty-five bucks a day, plus another fifty or so for the second-city drop

. I've no idea what use you'd make of a car in either Oxford or Bath

. add an extra hour, at least, to your planning if you're getting a car at Heathrow T4

All things considered, I think I'd just get the car at Heathrow and start trucking along.