We will be staying in London in late October and want to take a couple of daytrips. Which is a better destination, Bath or Wales?

Both are worthy destinations.

Personally, I wouldn't try and do Wales in a day. It's a fascinating country on its own and I think you'd find yourself tired from the travel and resentful that you didn't have more time to spend there.

Bath's a good day trip, as is Oxford, Canterbury, Rye, Stratford. People on this site seem to like Salisbury although I didn't find it all that exciting. I'm assuming you've already thought of Hampton Court, Windsor, Kew, Greenwich. Wherever you go, have fun.

You can easily get to Newport or Cardiff on a day trip from London, but the scenic parts are too far for an easy day trip. Unless you have some special reason for visiting Cardiff, such as family connections, it would be better to go somethere nearer London such as Bath, Cambridge, Arundel or Rochester.

If you like books, try Hay-on-Wye in S. Wales. I actually haven't been there but I'm reading a book about it. The whole town is made up of about 50 bookstores!

We spent two nights in Hay-on-Wye. What a treat! Every business place, from the movie theater to the decrepit local castle, has been transformed into a used-book store. And all the homes are B&Bs, it seems. We had a great time.

We spent 5 days in North Wales in May. Headquartered in Wrexham. Lovely country. So much to see and appreciate.
John