Train from Bath to York

Patti, I booked our advance train tickets on our last trip through the national rail website (nationalrail.co.uk). Once you select the journey you want and click the buy tickets button, it will take you to the website of the rail service for that line. I don't know if that's the best way to do it, but it was simplest for me and we got very good prices on our advance tickets. Good luck and happy travels.

As far as I know this is the official ordering spot: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk Keep in mind the day of the week and time of day can have a huge impact on ticket price. If you pre-book the tickets you can save a lot of money but tickets are for that train only so don't miss it. Also bring the credit card you booked with because the automated system in the stations is designed to identify you from your credit card. Picking a random day in May it looks like you could save a bunch of money if you're willing to book Bath to London and London to York separately. But then you're responsible for the connection and collecting tickets, of course, and with a group that might be more than you want to handle. Also make sure you're getting into the right station in London. All the trains I saw into York seemed to come from Kings Cross station. Hope that helps,
=Tod

If it was me I'd go via Bristol Temple Meads, which is only 15 minutes from Bath by train, then it's just under 4 hours to York, with no changes. On the National Rail website I can see a 10.00 departure from Bath, with a 15 minute wait at Bristol, getting to York at 14.29, for £40.00 per adult. That's for a weekday in May, prices on other dates may well be different. Going via London would be a real drag, especially if you need to travel from Bath to London on a weekday morning. That route is one of the busiest in the country at peak commuting times. Getting across London isn't a big deal, but it's going to be more stress than going from Bath to Bristol. EDIT: Bristol to York is a Crosscountry Trains route. They have a fare search feature on their website, where I found June fares for £30.50. Bath to Bristol is around £7. http://www.farefinder.crosscountrytrains.co.uk

From most parts of Britain there is no option of what station in London you arrive at. If you go from Bath to York via London you will have to get the tube from Paddington to Kings Cross. It isn't that hard (direct route with no changes), but changing at Bristol will be much easier.

I traveled from Bath to York once. I traveled by train and made at least two transfers along the way. If I had it to do over, I might take a train into London (Paddington), a taxi to Kings Cross Station, and then the train from there to York. Check schedules for cost and convenience. At the train station in Bath I was given a printed itinerary for the train trip. Times and transfer stations were spelled out. I think you can use the BritRail website for plotting a route between points. In my experience, British trains keep on schedule, so a 10 min slot for transfering from one train to another will probably work.

National Rail has the right website for UK travel.

Just to follow up - it looks like the cheaper fares go through London and require a tube transfer between stations that Philip and Swan mention. On the individual ticket display at the website - each ticket has a "number of transfers" number and it's a link so you can see where those transfers are and what they involve. The "2" transfers are usually the London trains and the single transfers are not. Choosing a random weekday in May it looks like you'll pay about 100-112 pounds per adult cheapest fair routing around London and as low as 60 pounds routing through London depending on your time schedule. If you decide to not go through London and 6:00am works with your schedule it looks like there's one train at 6:09 that is direct with no transfers at all. If ease of travel with a group is at premium maybe this is worth it to you. Good luck,
=Tod

I traveled in trains from York to Bath, via Bristol. I recommend traveling from Bath to York, via Bristol.

Sincere thanks to all of you who responded to my question. I feel much more comfortable making train reservations now. Based on your input and checking out the national rail website, I am confident that I can book reasonably priced tickets between Bath and York via Bristol. Again - thank you, fellow travelers!

I have done Bath to York(and other points north)via Bristol Temple Meads a few times. It's a very short trip to Bristol and an easy change. How old are the kids? You may want to consider a rail pass bought in the US. Kids 15 and under are free one per adult pass. I travel by train often in the UK and use a a pass most often. Rick Steves site sells the passes. Check it out.