transportation - England

I find that either taking the coach from the Heathrow coach station directly to Bath or taking a coach to Reading, then crossing over the road and taking the train direct to Bath are the best options. It's all down to which option is the cheapest.

An open ticket allows you to travel at any time on a specified route. Other tickets limit you to one specific time of travel, but some of them can be changed for a small (ish) fee and some can't be changed at all.

I'm not surprised you're confused, it's a system designed by a moron and administered by the insane.

Many thanks, Al for your assistance.

Dick

For information on the coach to Reading/train to Bath Spa, go to www.railair.com. For timetables and fares for the direct Heathrow-Bath Spa coach, go to www.nationalexpress.com.

Hi Dick,
I had a good laugh at Al's comments- he is so right. The train booking system here in the UK is an absolute joke, and not a good one. Take the bus! And have a great trip!

We went from Heathrow to Bath by taking the Heathrow Express train which goes right to Paddington and then caught the train to Bath from there. It was morning rush hour at Padd when we arrived, but it was still easy to navigate and the train was on time. Even w/stops along the way, the train to Bath was only an hour or so. I booked the tickets to Bath online in advance from the FGW site so they were super cheap. The Express is not cheap, but it was easy and fast. I know everyone complains about the current UK rail service, but I much prefer a train to a bus. As I recall, there were only two options for advance fares to Bath so I chose the cheaper of the two which worked out great. (Not that it should matter to you, but we found Bath disappointing, while the surrounding countryside was HEAVEN!)

Gee, I thought when PM Maggie privatized the rail, it was supposed to get better.

Where's Dr. Beeching when you need him.

Dick, the bus LHR to Reading, then train to Bath (or bus all the way LHR to Bath), will get you there cheap/fast. Backtracking from LHR to Paddington, and then Padd to Bath, will only serve to add the cost/time of the Heathrow Express (not cheap)to the trip and if you decide to take the bus/train option from LHR, you'll be getting on a train in Reading that started in Paddington to begin with.

I'd take the Heathrow Express to Paddington station then catch the train to Bath. Easy. Get a railpass and don't worry about booking in advance.

Great information from everyone - all of which has been helpful. Thanks again.

Dick