all things considered though getting to a hotel in Bath would only be about an hour more than getting to a hotel in London and they will be in Bath and not have to go there the next day. No brainer IMO to hop the trains to Bath.

Is it a long walk at Paddington station between the Heathrow Express and a train to Bath?

Most trains to Bath leave from platforms 1-5. The HEX arrives at platforms 6 or 7.

Paddington is a terminal station (http://www.networkrail.co.uk/documen...tion%20Map.pdf), so the closer to the front you sit, the shorter the walk to the concourse. It's a flat 15 yard walk to the barriers for platforms 2-5, or 25 yds to the barrier-free entrance to platform 1.

Platforms at Paddington aren't usually announced till 10-15 mins pre departure. The walk from platform 6 to the seats for waiting is actually longer than the walk between platforms.

The walk at the Paddington end is nothing much -- the walk from arrivals to the HEX at the Heathrow end is longer. Depending on the terminal (I haven't used all 5 of the terminals so not sure about all of them) it could take 10 minutes or more.

Heathrow Express trains are a short elevator plunge below terminals 4 and 5 but in terminals 1, 2 and 3 there is a combined station that does entail some minutes of walking thru corridors

Thanks so much for all your information. Now we will start looking for an air-conditioned (necessary because of breathing problems) hotel in Bath or Oxford that we can afford.

If you needed to find a hotel in a central area in England to take day train trips from, in what city or town would you stay?

What is your budget? A/c may prove to be a REAL problem btw.

"If you needed to find a hotel in a central area in England to take day train trips from, in what city or town would you stay"

THE best place for rail-based daytrips, by a million zillion lightyears, is London. Nowhere else comes even close.

Otherwise: Oxford really wins hands down if you want to be based somewhere nice. Winchester's a good way behind, but is no 2 (and has limited direct connections to LHR). Bath's not as good for train connections as Winchester.

I'm not sure there are ANY fully a/c hotels in Oxford or Bath, though. Thousands of us in and around these cities have breathing problems (valetudinarians have been flocking to Bath for centuries, and few people are as skilled at finding things to complain about as Oxonians): literally none of us see the need for a/c.

If being somewhere nice doesn't matter, then Birmingham or, if you're prepared to limit yourself to the southern third of England, Southampton are the best places outside London for direct rail connections.

Is there a hotel you would recommend in Bath and also Oxford where you have stayed? We would prefer for it to be central since we will arrive by train. Also, we like to walk around a city and explore as much as possible.

Still need your budget . . .

Around $150-200 a night with private bath. It doesn't have to be fancy, but clean and in a fairly safe area to walk around.

I'm asthmatic and find AC much worse for easy breathing

All in Bath:

The Abbey Hotel isn't posh but is just around the corner from Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths in the very center of things.

http://www.compasshotels.co.uk/bath/index.php

This one is even closer to the Abbey/Baths, costs a bit more but is still w/i your budget and would probably be my choice since it is a little nicer.

http://www.threeabbeygreen.com/prices,intro.htm

Or for more modern decor, the deluxe rooms here are quite nice.

http://www.haringtonshotel.co.uk/

A couple of Oxford suggestions that meet your requirements

Eastgate Mercure www.accorhotels.com

The Royal Oxford www.royaloxfordhotel.co.uk

Thanks for your help!

We are staying at the Buttery Hotel in Oxford for two nights. The Eastgate and Royal had not rooms available.