England Itinerary Help! Car or Train?

It depends on what you want to see and do between Bath and York. Bath to York via Oxford is an easy trip to do by train. But if you want to see the Cotswolds, a car can be useful.

The National Rail website shows numerous trains between Bath and York, but most of them involve changes in London, including a change of stations there. Some change in Bristol instead of London, which would be easier. Travel time is about 4.5 hours. Via Michelin shows about the same duration for a drive between Bath and York (plus any stops or traffic delays). One of the routes takes you through the Cotswolds and close to Stratford-upon-Avon. Driving would seem to make the most sense given the time you have and the places you want to visit.

Bath has trains to Oxford, changing at Didcot, taking about 1.25 hours, so you could get your train fix and rent the car in Oxford to visit the Cotswolds and Stratford on the way to York. I like trains too, but that seems like an unnecessary complication just to get an hour on the rails. You'll want to take the train from York to London, after all.

Oxford is notoriously car-unfriendly, so perhaps hold off on car rental until you are ready to leave Oxford. Rental days are too expensive to be wasted, these days.

Why not leave the driving to the professionals and take one day tours. In Bath, I and many others on this site can reccomend Mad Max Tours. Cotswolds, Stonehenge, et al

Both Oxford and Cambridge and an easy hour or so train ride from London. Excellent for day trips.

Whether or not you need a car depends on where you want to go.....

We did 3 nights in Bath and 3 nights in York with 6 nights in Chipping Campden (Cotswolds) in-between.
You don't have time for that, but you could do a couple of nights in Chipping Campden to see the Cotswolds. We stayed at the Volunteer Inn B&B that has a great pub and Indian restaurant. It is relatively inexpensive.

If you had more time, you could stop in Stratford Upon Avon, which is wonderful.

York is special, don't miss the amazing Minster (Cathedral), walking the ancient walls and the National Railway Museum.

Be sure to read this post:>https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/britrail-or-eurail-pass

Man in Seat 61 has a good video about his day trip to Bath

The only place you’d need a car is The Cotswolds, which cover a large area and which are not best served by public transport. In the cities a car would be a money guzzling liability, and surplus to requirements.

The rail link between Bath and York is easy enough and York to London is on the high speed east coast line, door to door in a fraction over two hours or so. Bath to York direct I think is operated by Cross Country, or was last time I travelled, but I’d be guided by National Rail website to see what other alternatives are available - may be possible to have more availability if you are prepared to change trains (Birmingham? Leeds?) along the way.

Ian