london to bath by train
 

Understand that it is possible to go from london to bath by train (from paddington)???? Does anything leave from Victoria station area?

However on the way back we want to go from bath to heathrow by train direct. is this possible or will we have to change somewhere? does the bus go direct?

thanks

Frequent trains leave London Paddington Station to Bath, take about 1 1/2 hours. Only bus leave for Bath from victoria Coach Station (near victoria Station).

From Bath to Heathrow, you could take train to Reading, then change bus; or take bus directly to Heathrow from Bath, takes about 2 1/2 hours.

For train and bus schedules, please check: www.nationalrail.com, www.nationexpress.com.

The every 20 minute or so bus from Reading station to Heathrow isn't operated by National Express - whose website gives you a hopelessly misleading impression of services available. You actually need www.railair.com.

The quickest route from Bath to Heathrow though is to get the train from Bath to Paddington, then the Heathrow Express to the airport.

The relative costs of the three options you need to work out for yourself, as fares vary so widely from day to day and from minute to minute. You need to plug your details into the websites to do the sums

But fares in Britain are usually cheapest if you buy a return fare. A return Paddington-Bath-Paddington train will probably work out about the same in cost (though a very great deal more frequent and fast) as two separate buses Victoria-Bath and Bath-Heathrow.

In your shoes, with little luggage, I'd get off the returning train at Reading and get the bus from the station. This is likely to be pound or two cheaper than staying on the train to Paddington, and then getting the HEX train. But the Paddingtpon connection is flat, painless and fast: the bus connection at Reading involves humping luggage over bridges and out of the station.

With cumbersome luggage, I always go into Paddington and get the HEX to the airport.

From Bath just get the National Express service to Heathrow - it's as quick (if you pick the right service) & a lot cheaper than the train via Paddington or the train/bus via Reading and it means you don't have to hump luggage from train to train/bus

BTW the National Rail website (the proper one) is www.nationalrail.co.uk NOT www.nationalrail.com

Assume the national express service is a bus?

Yes, National Express is a coach (bus) service.

Thanks for the helpful info.!