UK: getting my 3 basic ground transportation cards

It might be nice to take the bus direct since that way you don't have to change at busy Paddington, but I would probably choose the train.
I don't buy train tickets for after my flight in case my flight is delayed. It might be more expensive, but I also don't like to sit around waiting, so I just buy the first available when I get to the station.

The Off-Peak fare from Paddington to Bath is £32.20 and is good anytime on the selected day, so you do not need to worry about missing a reserved train as you would with Advance tickets.

Heathrow Express is now offering tickets from Heathrow toPaddington for £6.99 if bought online 90+ days advance.

So the total cost is low enough that you can travel on the day you arrive without the Senior Railcard. Just buy it when you get to Bath.

Heathrow to Bath should not be undertaken via London. This is too much back tracking and a waste of time and money. Instead, take the rail/bus link ( ie a coach) direct from Heathrow to Reading rail station and pick up the train there to Bath.

Now that cheap advance tickets are available on the Heathrow Express, backtracking to London for Bath is no longer quite the bad choice it once was. You don't say which terminal you are arriving at - from T2/3 the time is about the same via London (Express) or Reading (Railair coach). From T5 the coach wins out. From T4, always to certain extent the red-headed stepchild when it comes to public transport, possibly the express now wins out.

Do you need a reservation for the cheap Heathrow Express tickets? Are they good for any departure for a given day? Thanks for the info. I wasn't even going to bother with the Express this time.

Jennifer---to get that 6.99 price on the Heathrow Express, you must buy the ticket on the website 90 days or more in advance (up to 6 months in advance). The ticket is for a specific day, but is good on any train that day.

https://www.heathrowexpress.com/tickets-deals/discounts-deals

I have bought ours for next April!

Lo, if it is just you, then yes a Senior railcard is a good choice. If you and the racer are traveling together then you can get a Two Together Railcard for half the price of two Senior cards. You do have to remain welded at the hip though.

Thanks everyone for the advice and alternatives. I intend to wait until I arrive on 2 May to get any cards or bus or train tickets, and I'll likely avoid jet-lagged backtracking to London. I plan to finish the trip with 7 nights in London before flying back to the US.

This year the racer missed racing and I missed traveling due to some health issues of mine that kept both of us in Tucson. So the racer's gotta race in 2016, and the traveler's got to travel. The timing will require that I be on my own with my Senior Railcard, tucked safely in my moneybelt, of course.

Lola, thanks for the link. One more question: it appears if you want to buy a round trip (return) ticket, and get an even better price, you must come and go the same day. Is that correct? I didn't see an option to select a separate return date. Not that I'm complaining... The £6.99 price for one way is great; we'll just have to order it twice, once for each date, if necessary. Thanks for the help. (I just learned how to make the £. £ £ £. And this one: € , €, €!)

"if you want to buy a round trip (return) ticket, and get an even better price, you must come and go the same day. Is that correct?"

Not quite - the outward journey is valid only for the selected date. The return journey is valid within 30 days.

(Single £6.99, Return £11.90)

Correct. When you buy a RT ticket, you only need enter the first date of use---- and it must be used on that day with this Advance ticket. The return to Heathrow is good on any day you choose, but must be within 30 days of the first trip.

Our UK trip is 5 weeks so I will have to buy two separate tickets at £6.99 each. :-( But it is still a great deal.

£O£A. ( just having fun H€R€)

Thanks, £o£a and ramblin.

cute, £O£A, very cute. I like playing with symbols, and turning them upside down and reading words off an old phone or calculator. I missed that £O£A though.

Happy Saturday.

I like having fun H€R€ too.

I just ordered our tickets! Thanks, £o£a! I'm also going to post the link on the Transportation page to share the good news.