Heathrow to Bath

Hi Nancy, my husband and I just did this on May 29th for the Best of England tour. We took the bus shuttle from Heathrow terminal 5 to Reading and then a train from there to Bath. It was easy and only took a couple hours total. We arrived at 6:00 AM and had pre purchased both tickets, however, there were staffed ticket booths for both shuttle and bus and the people were very friendly. At the Reading station we had time to get coffee and tea and a breakfast snack to take on the train.

I also can't sleep on flights but found a second wind hit until we reached Bath nod were able to check in to our hotel. We've been back two weeks and I miss England. Enjoy!

From terminal 5 it will be quicker under normal circumstances if using the train to use the Railair coach (book separately online). Terminals 2/3 it is more equal so go on the price; the convenience has little in it. Terminal 4 as the ugly stepchild regarding public transport probably tips in favour of doing the train. However, there is an alternative of taking the Heathrow Connect to Hayes and Harlington and picking up a stopping train there to Reading. Not good on the convenience stakes as you have to carry luggage up and down a footbridge, but can turn out cheaper but maybe if you want to avoid confusion this isn't the easiest.

If the direct coach services fit your itinerary from your terminal location don't ignore them as they do have the benefit of no changes even if slower. I wouldn't personally take the ones that require you to go to Bristol and then back-track on a local bus, even if it is express.

Thank you, Terrytomg and Marco. Your feedback will help me decide this week, as we leave next Friday. Terry, I agree I wil probably get a second wind to make it to Bath and then crash. That's the lovely benefit of getting to a tour destination a day early.

Heathrow Express tickets to Paddington may be more expensive than other services, but straightforward from Terminals 1, 2, 3, or 5, and also covered by BritRail Passes, if you're using one.

Hi Nancy - My husband and I did the same trip last summer, flying from Seattle to Iceland, then on to Heathrow with no sleep. Even though I was pretty much a zombie by the time we arrived at Terminal 1, we grabbed the Heathrow Connect, caught an earlier train than planned from Paddington to Bath and arrived at our B and B not exactly refreshed, but stoked for our first trip to the UK. Very easy and not a bit confusing. Wish I was heading back there right now. Have a great trip!

Apropo of not much, Heathrow T1 closed for good today!

To add a different opinion, I took the National Express Bus from Heathrow to Bath. It was extremely convenient and I think a little shorter compared to the train since I didn't have to do a transfer.

I did what most people say not to do and purchased a ticket online ahead of time and I made it to the bus terminal about 10 minutes before it was supposed to leave and there were no extra seats. So I am not sure how things would have worked out if I had missed it. There were many other buses but I don't know how many extra last minute seats there are. But if I had to do this again, I would choose to take the bus but just a later one.

We took the National Express bus and it worked great. I was concerned that we missed our pre-booked bus because of a flight delay. They did charge us some nominal amount like five GBP each to change the ticket, but I did not have to buy the whole ticket over again and counted myself lucky for that. I was pretty apologetic so maybe they were just being nice.

There is an exception to the normal National Express rule in force from airports - elsewhere if you miss the coach your tickets are worthless, unless they are the more expensive flexible type. At airports they do try and accommodate you for the change fee of £5, but that is only if the space is available.

Dear Jenny, Laura, Kristen and VS, thanks for your comments. I am leaning toward the bus out of convenience and no switching around. My flight does not yet have an assigned terminal, which might make a difference. Thanks again Marco for the info on the surcharge -- if I miss the bus, at least I can still use my ticket. I am almost ready for the zen of packing into a carry on. Never packed 3 weeks into such a small suitecase before, but that's another story. Cheerio!