We are planning to spend time in London, the Cotswolds and Bath. But would like to also visit York. We would prefer not to drive from Bath to York. Is this possible (easy) or should we drive to York and ditch the car there? Thanks.

You'll need to change trains, possibly more than once.

Drive - trains may be slower. check National Rail Enquiries - Official source for UK train times and timetables for schedules and fares. Why not take train to Bath and drive thru Cotswolds and then up and over to York? www.seat61.com has lots of info booking trains yourselves at discounts.

Typically one would do London then Bath then up into the Cotswolds. The drive from say Chipping Campden to York usually only takes 3.5 to 4 hours.

You can do Bath Spa to York in four and a half hours with one change, or just over four hours with two changes. Once upon a time all routes led to London, but now there are cross country trains.

According to https://www.theaa.com/# it would be longer by road.

Guess trains best if quicker from Bath - no need of car in York so by train arrive hassle free and maybe even cheaper if get discounted rail fare than day's car rental + petrol. and no need of car in Bath.

The drive from say Chipping Campden to York usually only takes 3.5 to 4 hours.>

trains would take longer - so yes drive if that is your itinerary to York. Really consider London - Bath Spa by train - drive via Cotswolds to York.

Thanks for the helpful advice!

There are direct trains to York from Cheltenham taking 3 to 3.5 hours. Much less stressful that the drive and almost certainly less time consuming. The chances of driving a hundred plus miles on Britain’s motorways without incurring a major delay becaus of road works, or accidents or both, is pretty remote.

I would take a look at staying in Winchcombe, a really nice village in iteration, which is also a pretty good base for exploring the rest of Cotswolds. It has some great places to eat and stay. It is only 7-8 miles from Cheltenham so you could easily drop your rental car there, probably right at the station.

But if they had all day to get to York from Cotswolds they could make some neat stops with car - hard to do with train -like Stratford perhaps or Warwick Castle, etc.

From the OP "We would prefer not to drive from Bath to York"