Rent a car or Travel by Train?

I think having a car for the 10 or so days that you will be exploring these areas would be ideal if you want to visit any of the smaller towns and villages, or the more picturesque rural parts of the Cotswolds and Wales. You wouldnt really need one for Bath itself, so you could pick it up on the day you leave there. As for where to drop it off, it would depend on where you end up (how far into Northern Wales) before heading back to London.

But be mindful of just how big a vehicle you'd need for 5 people plus all your luggage. Some of those roads, once off the motorways, can be pretty narrow, and parking in the towns can sometimes be problematic with a large vehicle.

Around Bath will be generally fine by public transport, but the Cotswolds would require combinations of bus and train (depending where you want to go) and you might find some places you want to see need a taxi too. The same applies for north Wales but even more so. You'd be far better off with a car for these places.

I agree with the above

You won’t need a car in Bath. Consider picking up a rental on your last day in Bath for the Cotswolds/Wales, returning it in the city where you catch the train back to London. These are available from north Wales.

We just finished a four week drive tour of S. Wales and England in October. It was wonderful. If you can pickup a rental car in Bath, that works. You can turn it in at Bath, or perhaps at Heathrow.

Going to the Cotswolds and N. Wales, I recommend a car rental. The train only goes to one town in the Cotswolds.

The car allows you to see the beautiful British countryside.

Here is my story of our trip, including our transatlantic cruise back to the USA, with details on B&Bs, restaurants and more.
https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=599139

The Cotswolds are much better with a car. Pick up a car in Bath, sightsee the Cotswolds, then sightsee while driving to northern Wales, then you could drive to Chester, England which is on the border on North Wales and Chester. Turn your car in Chester and take train back to London.

I would prefer to have the freedom of a car between Bath and maybe Chester or further south, especially with a full car-load of people. But these are some public transport connections that I researched recently:

Daytrip option from Bath - Stonehenge, Avebury by Mad Max Minibus day tour

To Cotswolds - Train 2.5 hrs to Moreton-in-Marsh, then bus 30 min to Chipping Campden

Daytrip to Stratford, Blenheim, or more Cotswolds - Bus to Stratford 1-1.5 hrs each way; train/bus to Blenheim 1 hr each way from Moreton (connect at Oxford); local bus or taxi within Cotswolds

To Conwy - Train 5-6 scenic hrs (connect at Hereford or at Worcester & Birmingham)

Daytrip from Conwy - Leisurely train/bus loop around the highlights of North Wales

Conwy to London - fastest is only 3.25 hours with one connection at Chester; others are longer with more connections. Check schedules later to confirm timing of the direct departure from Chester.

While the Snowdon Sherpa does have a lot of stops in northern Wales, it can also have some pretty large time gaps in its schedule and it would be too easy to miss out on other cool things because you were waiting for a bus back into town you couldn't really afford to miss.

Good to have a car in that area provided you're okay with (and understand the rules and laws for) driving in areas where the roads are quite narrow and are using a GPS system that relies on GPS signal rather than cell data since your phone will be in the dead zone in a lot of the mountain space there.

Thank Laura for all that research! A big help if you decide not to drive.

But, like everyone else, I'd recommend a car for your Cotswolds and North Wales touring, seems easiest to pick it up in Bath and return in Chester (which is also well worth visiting). Much more flexibility in these rural areas. You might end up with some kind of minivan for five people plus luggage, but that's OK too. Just take it slow on the narrow country roads and remember left left left! ;-)

Thank you all for your advice and input! Looks like we will rent a car for driving around the countryside. Thanks also for the recommendation to drop the car off in Chester and take the train back from there to London. I’ll definitely look into that. I really appreciate everyone’s thoughts.

I’m struggling now with figuring out lodging. Europe isn’t easily set up for a family of five for hotels. Scouring through the VRBO and AirBnb listings. Ugh!

You will also find this post of relevance to your own query - (It is in the Wales forum):> https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/wales/gatwick-airport-to-north-wales-using-public-transport

Map of Rail Network (Use www.nationalrail.co.uk to find trains). http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/static/documents/content/routemaps/nationalrailnetworkmap.pdf

I agree with others, that Chester could be a good place to ditch the car. If you intend to also see Paris, why not fly straight to Paris from home, then Eurostar train to London or fly direct from Paris to Bristol Airport - which has shuttle buses to nearby Bath. Also note that you possibly could fly home from Manchester Airport - nearest big airport to north Wales/Chester. (You can also fly from Manchester to Paris or maybe Liverpool to Paris). Check out your flight possibilities here:> www.skyscanner.net (tick monthly view).

www.travelodge.co.uk will have accommodation suitable for your large party. (AirBnB is really homeowners usually only catering for 2 or 3 people). For the Cotswolds, you will find a Travelodge at Cirencester. (From here, you could also day trip to Bath). Please note that Cirencester is not on the rail network. The nearest place to hire a car would probably be Swindon or Oxford - though you might want to start from Heathrow. In north Wales, you will fond several Travelodges. I used the one at Porthmadog and found it very hot in summer due to a lack of air con. Also consider this chain:> https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels.html

www.farmstay.co.uk may well be able to provide accommodation for you & the 3 kids. However, some farms may be down narrow roads. I suggest that you look on Google Earth/ Maps and at various locations - pull on the yellow man to see the street view. That way, you can check out the location of places you might stay as well as what the roads are like. Click this link and you will see north Wales - you can click and drag to other places you might visit.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.9915653,-3.732688,10z/data=!5m1!1e1

http://www.visitwales.com

I have done Ireland, France and parts of England with 5. Most hotels and B&B do not have rooms that sleep 3 so traveling with 5 means 3 rooms. Besides renting a house, consider the YHA hostels (https://www.yha.org.uk/). They are clean, have family rooms, usually have kitchens and Wi-Fi and have friendly staff that know the area. My kids always liked the hostels over hotels.

Pretty much anywhere we went as a family of four, apartments were a better deal than hotels and B&B's which do not accommodate families very easily. I cook for us most nights and pack us lunches which adds to the apartment/house savings. But not everyone likes to cook on vacation. I do, but I like cooking and new ingredients are exciting to me. But just having breakfast in, will save money.

Having five people may make car rental more affordable per person too. You may also do better with taxis where smaller groups do better with metro. Price it.

As long as one feels somewhat comfortable driving on the left, I’ll vote for the rental car every time. You can stop where you want, when you want, and for as long as you want, without worrying about train or bus schedules. Having a rental is really nice when you come across a place you hadn’t planned on stopping at, but decide to stop. Many castles and abbey ruins are not on bus lines. In June, there will be plenty of tourists and parking might be limited in some places, but not impossible to find. Expect to pay for parking in most places. There are a lot of nice small towns and villages in the Cotswolds and having a rental has its advantages. Pick the car up when leaving Bath (you won’t need it in the city) and just return it to the same place or drive to London and turn it in at Heathrow. Bath is only a 2 hours drive from Heathrow. Maybe schedule a trip to Windsor castle on the way into London.

When we went to England, how to travel once there was always a topic for discussion. Trains take away the hassle of driving on the other side of the road between towns, though that is often the easiest. In town, it can be confusing, to say the least, and cars are often parked by the curb. Cost is a toss-up -- trains can cost more, especially for a family; with a rental, there is the initial fee + fuel costs. I recommend Googling car rentals in the UK for options - many have great rates. Pre-purchasing multi-day train tickets can save you noticeably over buying as you go.

If you decide to rent, check your credit card privileges. Many cover damages if you pay for the rental with that card. That means you are not paying for the insurance options and you are saving a good bit. My husband didn't realize we didn't need to have their coverages and went along initialing options - to the tune of almost $400! Needless to say, he didn't do that again! lol

Whichever you decide, ENJOY the trip!