My fiance and I are traveling to England in early May. We planned to leave London Heathrow right away after landing and going straight to Bath for a few days, then travel up to the Cotswolds. My question is about the train from Bath to Moreton-in-Marsh: it looks like the most common journey has one change in Reading, but the time to switch trains is only 8 or 9 minutes. The other journey has three changes and is more expensive, and I'd rather go with the faster one, but I'm nervous about finding the train out of Reading in such a short time. Has anyone been to that station? Is 8-9 minutes possible for us (I haven't been on any UK trains since I was a teenager and my fiance never has)? Or is it worth spending more for the longer journey? Or is there a third alternate that I am overlooking? Thanks!
Posted by
Lake District, England
8136 posts
Reading is an official connection, if the train from Bath is on time, it's perfectly feasible, Plenty of platform staff to help you. If the worst happens you will automatically be valid for the next train an hour later.
I'm not sure what other route you're looking at (probably via Bristol and Worcestershire Parkway), but the obvious alternative is to get off at Didcot Parkway (the stop before Reading), train to Oxford and change again into the train from Reading.
Didcot and Bath are small easy to navigate stations. Oxford should be a same platform change.
That is about the same fare, if not up to £10 cheaper (depending on the train)- has to be booked as 2 tickets- Bath to Didcot, Didcot to Moreton.
Also for the Reading route- ask the train manager which platform the Moreton train is leaving from (s/he has live running information so knows) and for their advice as to how to get the change and the best place to get off the train at to be closest to the bridge which links the platforms.
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5466 posts
For early May before the timetable change Oxford is rarely a cross-platform change at Didcot. Arrive always on platform 2, with the local Oxford service leaving from 4 or 5, and only if you are very lucky from platform 3. Still an easy change and lifts are available to/from each platform.
Changing at Reading will probably come up because often is marginally faster albeit only by a few minutes. It is as already said more expensive as it is in effect a doubling back routing as you would pass through Didcot (at least the town) twice about 25 minutes apart on each train.
Posted by
OP
18 posts
Thanks sounds like it's not too big a deal! Just first time train users' nerves