London to Cambridge

Need some advice on which train to take from London Paddington to
Cambridge.

That will be tricky as trains to Cambridge depart from Liverpool Street station.

The fast trains to Cambridge depart from Kings Cross, and the cross London Thameslink trains from Kings Cross (they are a bit slower).
The slowest, but cheapest, trains depart from Liverpool Street.
Take the Circle or the Hammersmith and City line (same tracks) from Paddington to Kings Cross St Pancras.

To go from Cambridge to Heathrow take a fast train to Kings Cross, then the Piccadilly line tube train all the way from Kings Cross to St Pancras to Heathrow- total journey time 2 hours.

For simplicity yes Cambridge only has one station useful to a tourist. There is also Cambridge North, but that is in the suburbs- useful as a park and ride for locals, also for students. Not useful for tourists unless you like guided busways. Cambridge North railway station has one of the few examples of a guided busway in the UK!
Every 2 or 3 hours National Express run a direct coach from Cambridge Bus Station to Heathrow which takes 2 1/2 hours, so only slightly longer than the train.
There are even two early morning coaches for those with early flights.

Cambridge depart from Liverpool Street station.

only the slow ones though.

But it is true as above that Kings Cross is the best station for Cambridge with the hourly Great Northern 48 minutes non-stop at xx:12. Other slower GN trains are available, and they will all be faster but a tiny bit more expensive than the Greater Anglia trains out of Liverpool Street.

The fast trains to Cambridge depart from Kings Cross, and the cross London Thameslink trains from Kings Cross (they are a bit slower).

The Thameslinks run from St Pancras

But it is true as above that Kings Cross is the best station for Cambridge with the hourly Great Northern 48 minutes non-stop at xx:12.

The non-stops are half hourly, at xx.12 and xx.42.
The xx.12 has a final destination of Ely, and the xx.42 a final destination of Kings Lynn, so both do actually run on past Cambridge, with Cambridge North being their next call.
All the trains from Liverpool Street also extend to Cambridge North.
The Thameslink trains terminate at Cambridge.
If you have started at Paddington you could take Elizabeth Line to Farringdon then join the Thameslink train there.

Trains run to Cambridge from St. Pancras, King's Cross and Liverpool Street. The first two are about £30 single, and 50 minutes. The latter is about £20 single and 1h10m.

You aren't going to get a direct train to Heathrow. Your best option will depend on exact time and date though. There are many different permutations.

Options include train to King's Cross, Underground (Hammersmith and City) to Farringdon, Elizabeth line to Heathrow (about 1h50m).

Although there are some trains that go to Farringdon and that might suit your exact time better and shave off a little time and mean just one change.

If cost is an issue you could shave off £7 by taking the train to King's Cross or St Pancras then the Piccadilly line to Heathrow. That would add 15 minutes, so 2h 5m

This information is all very helpful for me. I was just wondering what the best way to get from London to Cambridge is (am going in August).

In the past I've taken a coach from Heathrow, or a rental car, but was wondering how best to get there via train also.

Thanks, everyone.

Laura.....best is subjective.

As you stated, you could take the bus.

The easiest alternative, but not the fastest, is to take the Piccadilly line to Kings Cross/St. Pancras and then get a train to Cambridge. That's what I would do. Less walking, less changing. Cheapest option.

You could take the Heathrow Express/Elizabeth line to Paddington, switch to a different undergound line to Kings Cross/St. Pancras and then a train to Cambridge. Not as cheap as the Piccadilly line. The Elizabeth line will take 15 minutes more than the Heathrow Express and to the HE devotees that 15 minutes is a lifetime wasted.

You could also hire a car service to drive you to Cambridge.

But the ultimate, best way to get from Heathrow to Cambridge is to charter a helicopter.

from an environmental perspective, the train wins by a country mile. The lines are electrified so all the way from Heathrow to Cambridge is under wire. The fast trains are also better because due to stopping less they contribute less brake dust.

In the middle is a coach, but far behind. It is diesel powered and emits particulates and noxious gases and emits carbon to the atmosphere. Tyres pollute as they are used as do clutches and brakes, and because of the route and London traffic there is a great deal of stop and go. This is mitigated to some degree by taking a large load of passengers so taking up to 40 cars off the road for each journey so the pollution per passenger is reduced.

The absolute worst is a car service which is almost certain to be either petrol or more likely diesel. All the same issues as the coach but for just one or up to four passengers.

So from a purely environmental point of view best is definitely the trains on that route, then coach, then private car. I have seen very few EV private cars (car service). Even they still have rubber tyres and brakes.

I know Frank II was being tongue in cheek- but you can actually charter a helicopter from Heathrow to Cambridge Airport (there used to be scheduled flights to all sorts of destinations from there) - http://www.helicopterhireprices.co.uk/html/heathrow.html

Reading that comment reminded me that, years ago, there was a regular scheduled helicopter from Heathrow to Battersea and I was just idly wondering what had happened to it, and this is the answer.
Back in the day you could actually through ticket it (on old paper tickets) as part of a Transatlantic flight- it was an old ABTA exam question- ticket a client from somewhere obscure in WA (changing airports in Seattle, ticketing the ground connection in SEA as well) to Battersea Heliport, London. You actually had to learn about all of Seattle's airports, in the UK!

Were you to follow Frank's example of taking the Elizabeth Line it would be better to stay on until Farringdon and change there for King's Cross.

Normally I would go out of Liverpool Street, as the trains are half the cost, and not drastically slower.
I also prefer Greater Anglia trains, and they have brand new units on the service now, newer than either Thameslink or Great Northern.
Who knows being newer they may be more environmentally friendly. Not a big question to me.
I certainly don't need an environmental lecture about why fast trains are better than slower trains.
Give me the fast trains for the same price as the slow ones, and I'll think about it. That is charge me with integrity and honesty, on a mileage basis, not "what the market will bear".
Do the green shirt brigade even care as to how the electricity is generated, or is it just electric good, petrol/diesel bad.
Likewise if I choose to travel by bus, I'll make that choice for a whole range of reasons. On this route the coach actually travels via the motorways, not Central London so much of the reasoning is ill informed and facetious.
It's amazing how so many environmentalists want to lecture everyone else but won't give their own private cars up.

that's ok, Stuart, you're right again. Normal play resumed.

Thank you, everyone. I think I've got it sorted. : )