Joanel

We have plans to go by train from london to bath and then by bus from bath to heathrow.

How is luggage handled in each of these cases? We do NOT travel super light, so will have 26" suitcases.

thanks

alanRow

Big stuff goes in the ends of the carriages, small stuff goes in racks above your seats.

Don't rely on "some seats have luggage space behind them" as the seats that do are few and far apart

janisj

&quot;<i>How is luggage handled</i>&quot;

You schlepp it yourself. On the trains, you lift it up the steps and then stow it at the end of the car w/ everyone else's. On Coaches it sometimes goes under the cabin.

djkbooks

You'd probably find a smaller bag plus tote each, or smaller bag each plus one shared tote, far more manageable. Think stairs, lifting, large cases stored out of sight (best to attach them to the rack) and vulnerable. You can keep small tote with items most important to you with you. A 26&quot; bag will probably not fit in any space behind seats, and definitely not overhead.

I'm not necessarily a Rick Steves fan, but he says, &quot;There's a thief on every train.&quot;

I do not travel light either, but would if I were using trains and buses.

BTilke

The weekday, nonholiday trains heading to Bath in the late morning/early afternoon aren't crowded and you would most likely have enough room to keep your suitcases by you. For example, the train I took to Bath last Thursday left Paddington around 11:30 am and was much less than half full (be sure to check the seats you've picked aren't reserved for someone else). There was plenty of room for luggage throughout the train.

JeanneB

Joanel:
You don't say if you're an experienced train traveler. But &quot;stairs&quot; on the train usually start with one <i>big step</i> up to a narrow door. Boarding time is short, so there may be a crush of people behind you and a crowd at the top of the stairs. In other words, it can be rather chaotic.

On our first train trip, my friend carried her overstuffed 26&quot;. We still laugh at the spectacle of her trying to get on/off the train.

We finally figured out it was better to work as a team. One alights the steps while the other stays on the platform and hands up the luggage, lifting from below. Then both board to deal with storage.

RufusTFirefly

We've used 26&quot; and 27&quot; suitcases on trains with no problem. It would partly depend on how crowded your particular train is and whether or not you are particularly weak for some reason (age, illness, disability, just generally not in good shape).

But it really is not a big deal--it's not like you'll have to be getting on and off trains several times a day, day after day. At worst it's a couple of minutes of scrambling around--certainly nothing to obsess over.

CactusScot

I'm studying in Scotland, living in America, so every holiday I end up trying to wrestle giant suitcases onto british trains. The comments about using smaller bags are definitely true- make sure you're able to lift the bag at least to your shoulders without too much trouble as you may have to put it on the higher luggage shelf (most trains split their luggage area into 2 shelves). If you're willing to stand the whole way to Bath, and the train isn't too crowded, you can usually stand with the case in the atrium bit of the train, near the doors, but you'll have to be a bit squished when people get on or off. Also, you don't say who 'we' are. If you're all girls, the helpless female act works pretty well in London.I find that if I look stressed (which I usually am!) and have difficulty getting the bags up the steps, some guy will always give me a hand.
As far as the bus goes, it depends what kind you're taking, but they mostly have luggage space near the entrance. The necessity of being able to lift the bag comes into play once again though!
On the whole, the luggage may make the trip a bit more stressful, but it's not the end of the world! Have a great trip!

JackOneill

Don't worry about it. Of course, depending on time od day and time of year, the train could be crowded, and that will make it a little bad. Yes - 26&quot; suitcases are a pain. But my wife and I still travel with one, sometimes two. We just can't pack light.
We caught the train from Bath to London and there was almost nobody else on it. We were probably just lucky in that regard.

alanRow

&lt;&lt;&lt; As far as the bus goes, it depends what kind you're taking, but they mostly have luggage space near the entrance. The necessity of being able to lift the bag comes into play once again though! &gt;&gt;&gt;

Most of the time luggage is put in an external compartment under the seating area so there's no lifting of luggage into the bus

ben_haines

In Paddington station in London you have ten minutes to board your train. Then luggage goes as people have said. In Bath there is no rush. I prefer to take my bag or bags to the back or side of the bus, for the driver or a young traveller to place it in the boot.

Ben Haines
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suze

You &quot;handle&quot; is yourself. You need to be able to lift the suitcase yourself &amp; carry it up a short but steep narrow flight of stairs. The you lift it onto shelves provided at the end of the car in a luggage area.

Joanel

suze - are you talking about train or bus?

ben, 10 mintues and then luggage goes? what does that mean?

we are only planning one train ride london to bath and then I guess the bus bath to heathrow. Husband can lift, we both can wheel.

arrival in london to hotel we use a driver to pick us up. all set there.

owain

'Bus' generally means a local/commuter service. The National Express service from Bath would often be called a coach instead, and one of the differences is the ability to store luggage in a proper compartment underneath.

alanRow

&lt;&lt;&lt; ben, 10 mintues and then luggage goes? what does that mean? &gt;&gt;&gt;

It means you have 10 minutes to get your luggage &amp; yourself onto the train &amp; then it leaves whether you or your luggage is on the train

suze

sorry, i was talking about train travel.

Joanel

Thanks for all the helpful info.