Car rental pick up outside of London headed to Bath

Hertz on Edgware Road...they're just outside the congestion charge zone and a tube or bus ride (no trains) away from you.

Bath is not the easiest of places to have a car = congestion, limited parking & if parking on a street - you will have meters which will have time limits on length of stay. It is however, easy to travel by train from London (Paddington) to the centre of Bath. See www.nationalrail.co.uk

So, by all means rent a car at the London end if you intend to amble about between London & Bath but to just rent a car to travel to Bath is not advised. If you intend to travel about from Bath, then perhaps arrange car rental in Bath (excluding your day of arrival).

I agree with previous poster - if you are not planning to do things between London and Bath, then by all means take a train directly to Bath. You will see lots of lovely scenery on the trip - the train goes through lovely country side and other interesting areas.

I would also pick up the car upon departing Bath, unless you really need it en-route. Direct trains from London Paddington station to Bath Spa run every half hour and take 1.5 hours. Tickets are cheaper if purchased at least a day ahead; see advance purchase tips.

As an American who's been driving in the UK for a batch of decades, I'm guessing that you've got the first-timer's hang-ups on driving amongst the Brits - - hence the question.

The cheapest thing to do is rent a car closest to where you're staying in London, pay the one-day congestion charge and press on. Otherwise you're going to be paying for the car and some other mode of transportation on the same day.

You'll need a car in Bath about as much as you'd need one in Manhattan (paraphrasing Fab).

There's a heck of a lot to see twixt London and Bath.

There is no cost differential between renting at Heathrow and anywhere else.

Of the places mentioned so far, other than London itself (Reading, Heathrow, Slough, Bath), all will require a shuttle/taxi/bus to get from the train terminus to the car rental place.

Of the places mentioned so far other than London itself (excepting the airport), all will require a bit of wiggling on regular streets as part of your initial driving -- this doesn't work so well for some people.

I looked at where the Hertz joint is on Edgeware Road. That's going to give you a quick shot onto the four-lane A40 which will take you to the beltway ring which you can take down to the M4 which will get you almost to Bath. (Pay attention: Turn your stinking gps off and do it my way or you're going to have a route from hell for a first timer. ) If you have Avebury and Stonehenge in mind, just continue down the M26 and then head west on the M3 and adjust afterwards.