London to Stonehenge to Bath and sleep that night in Cotswolds

It's about 88 miles to Stonehenge, which is a two hour drive using the M (motorway) a lot of the way. From Bath it's an hour and half drive (66 miles) to Stow-on-the-Wold. If you haven't ever driven on their motorways it's a little different from here, the inside lane in the slow lane, outside lane is the fast lane, beware the English drive fast. As for renting a car I would suggest renting one in Slough, it's a 30 minute train ride to Slough from Paddington Station in Lindon.

Sorry, your itinerary isn't doable in one day. Drop either Bath or Stonehenge and it's OK.

London to Stonehenge will take at least 2 hours to drive plus you will need a large car for 5 plus luggage. You don't want to be driving in London. Somewhere such as Heathrow, Slough or Reading is a sensible idea, however, it will take you an hour to get there from your hotel and if you travel before 9.30 am, train fares will be expensive. You need 2 hours at Stonehenge unless you are just driving past it so you are not going to make Bath in time for lunch unless you want to eat at 4pm.

More sensible would be to drop Stonehenge and to take the train to Bath and rent a car there.

Thank you!
So how long is a reasonable visit to Stonehenge (considering we have a 12 yr old )?
Also how long a drive is it Stonehenge to Bath?

I agree with Jennifer that it will take at least 2 hours at Stonehenge. I love this monument so I can easily spend half a day or more there but I know many don't feel the same.

Part of your time will be eaten up by parking, walking to the Visitor Center (maybe 5 minutes), standing in line to get tickets, doing a comfort stop (no bathrooms out at the stones), waiting for the shuttle bus to the stones (could be a 15 or so minute wait depending on the # of people there) which are about 10 minutes away, walking around the stone circle, then making your way back to the Visitor Center. If it's a nice day you may want to have the kids expend some energy walking back from the Stone Circle to the Visitor Center by way of the barrows in the area but that will add maybe another 30-60 minutes depending on how long you stop to see things. With kids I think it would be better to go ahead and see the exhibits at the Visitor Center first, then make your way out to the stones which adds another bit of time.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/plan-your-visit/itineraries/#

Have you considered staying overnight in Bath? I also love Bath but I agree that you can't do both and get to the Cotswolds by evening.

The easiest way to reach the Cotswolds from London is by train from London Paddington to Moreton-in-Marsh, where there is an Avis car rental center in front of the White Hart Hotel. You may want to do this, then drive to Stow-on-the-Wold, check into your hotel, and do day trips to Bath and Stonehenge while you are in the Cotswolds, not necessarily on the first or second day. Drive time from Moreton to Stow is 15 minutes.

So, you could do your trip in the reverse order of what you originally planned.

It is 61 miles from Moreton-in-Marsh to Bath, if you should choose to do Bath the first day, and then back to Stow.

You could, starting early one morning, drive from Stow to Bath, then to Stonehenge, then back to Stow.

I agree with Pam. If you decide to go with your original plan, Bath is a lovely place to spend the night. And a lovely place to take walks around town.

One more option. You can take the train from London to Salisbury. (Quicker than driving.) Catch the "Stonehenge Bus" from the town center out to the stones (short ride-10 to 15 minutes). See the stones. Ride "Stonehenge Bus" back to Salisbury. Take a look at Salisbury Cathedral before you leave town.

Catch a train to Bath. Spend the night in Bath, as recommended by Pam. See the sights. Rent car in Bath. Drive to Cotswolds.