Coach vs train from Heathrow to Bath

Jenny, there are a couple of ways to do this. Bus or train. The easiest way on public transportation from Heathrow to Bath is probably the National Express bus. It's a comfortable luxury bus and would be my preferred method. About £20 if you book in advance. Some bus runs are direct and take 2hrs35min. Some runs have a bus change at Bristol and take 4.0hrs. Here's a link to a picture of what I see. http://gyazo.com/c799ada8090c526859c1601a832953dd It would be best to reserve. I believe that if you miss your bus, you pay £5 to obtain a reserved seat on the next bus with available seats.

Secondly, you can take the Railair but to the Reading rail station and catch the train to Bath. You'll need to transfer from the bus to a train. Lastly, you can take the Heathrow Express train back into London Paddington and then take the train to Bath. Again, a train change. The train and bus stations in Bath are adjacent to each other.

The coach/train combination takes about 2 hours 10 minutes (less from Terminal 5), and runs twice an hour, somewhat more frequently than the coach options.

From Terminal 4 there is a coach option that requires a change at Bristol - no direct option. This is 4hrs+.

We have done something similar to what you're planning...flown in, hopped on a bus, and rode for several hours. I will never do it again! I would spend the night in London somewhere near Victoria Coach Station and then get on a bus the next day. Something on Ebury Street will be close, economical, and you'll feel so much better the next day. Less of a chance of accidentally falling asleep and ending up somewhere in Cornwall! :) Happened to us once long ago...what a mess. Meant to go to Exeter and I forget where we ended up but it was way off. Kind of funny now to think about but at the time we were not happy campers.
Maybe there is a main coach station somewhere near Heathrow that would be better but I would get a good night's sleep before you head out for the bus leg of your journey!

I second Anita's recommendation to spend a night in London and catch the bus the next day. Seattle to Iceland and then to Heathrow is exhausting in itself. Her idea of staying near Victoria Station is an excellent one.

Jenny, for what it is worth, the trip by train is really easy and relatively quick. We landed at Heathrow, took the Heathrow Express to Paddington in central London, and then a direct (i.e., no transfers) train from Paddington to Bath. Once in Bath, the train station is central and taxis are easy to catch there if you can't walk to you hotel easily. I've never taken the bus, but the Heathrow-Paddington-Bath train connection is really easy, even if you're jet lagged (as we were). 3 weeks, good for you. Happy travels!

Thank you everyone! Anita, your story cracked me up. Sounds like the beginning of an interesting and funny movie. I'm hoping we'll be running on enough pure adrenaline (and a wee bit of sleep) to stay awake and not miss our stop! Jenny

If you didn't want to go into London you could always goes into Slough (15 minute taxi ride from Heathrow) to get the train to Bath, you would need to change in Reading.