Visit to Bath and London england
 

On the road again and planning a visit to Bath and London England with a friend the last week in October.
London is always a joy and with a 4 day stay we will need to sort out the options for getting around the city: travel pass or the oyster card or......... Visiting bath is another story. This will be a first time for both of us to this part of the country.
Checking out Bath on the Internet, we're impressed with its beauty and wonder if our 3 or 4 days should be spent in town. In the past I've rented a car for the flexibility.
We are up for suggestions and 'do not miss" suggestions. Many thanks.

Head over to Wells for a day trip from Bath. The cathedral on the green is absolutely stunning.

Getting a car into Bath is a pain, and it's get exceptionally good rail connections for a place its size - which doesn't mean, though, that everywhere you might want to visit from a Bath base is accessible by train or bus.

For most people, visiting Bath comfortably and being lumbered with a car are really mutually incompatible. Start off on the assumption you're going to go there by train, plan your stay and if and only if you then realise the place you really want to go to needs a car, look into the practicalities of hiring a car from Bath.

I would not stay 3 or 4 days in Bath - one day or one and a half day will be sufficient to capture the city's beauty and the major sights. Between London and Bath, there are other destinations to explore, especially Oxford, Stonehenge, Avebury, Salisbury. You may partly take the train and partly drive a rental car.

Oxford and Bath are easily accessible by train, while Avebury, Stonehenge and Salisbury may be explored by car which gives you the opportunity to see a bit of the countryside.

Fabulous/thank you! This is JUST the input I was hoping for. When I posted 'Mimi takes 11 year old grand daughter to London and Paris' the feedback was invaluable as well. For one, I utilized the suggestion of "AtHomeinLondon.com" and returning to the same flat for this visit will feel like 'coming home'.
We will take the shorter Bath stay recommendation.
Regarding using the train:
Flying into Heathrow and taking the train will probably require first getting into London which might make for a long day carting luggage. So I will chart the trip to rent a car at the airport...do country side visits before Bath where I will look into return the car and then taking the train into London where we have our 4 night stay before boarding the Quantum of the Sea for its maiden voyage trans Atlantic back to the States.

Mimi just think about your state of mind driving a strange car out of a major airport onto a series of strange motorways driving on the wrong side of the road with jetlag/exhaustion.

I've avoided it going East and felt better for it.

I disagree about cutting back your time in Bath. Aside from the sights in Bath itself, you can day trip to Wells, and to Salisbury, by public transport. You can also reach Oxford by train. If you want to overnight there, consider staying in one of the colleges: http://www.universityrooms.com/en/city/oxford/home

See also: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-from-bath.cfm

A better option is to take a bus from Heathrow to Bath. Do Bath first, then rent a car. If arriving after a long, overnight flight, I always schedule the first few days in a city. Cities offer more options, more things to visit, which are easily worked in with jet-lag recovery.

When we went to Bath, I visited the Jane Austen Museum while my husband napped. After a few days we rented a car and did day trips out of Bath. This IS possible though driving the car out of and back into town can be a bit tedious. But we found a lot to do in Bath: the Roman Baths, the abbey, tea at the Pump Room, the Assembly Rooms and the Fashion Museum, a walking tour of the city, the "house museum" in the Royal Crescent, a boat trip on the Avon River, and more.

"Flying into Heathrow and taking the train will probably require first getting into London "

It doesn't. And even if it did, it would still be the height of criminal stupidity for an American even to think about driving from an overnight flight.

Stay at home and kill your fellow-citizens. We don't want fools like you threatening our safety.

flanner--sorry, but I do it a lot (that is, picked up a car upon arrival at an airport)and haven't killed anyone yet-in fact, haven't had any problems. OTOH, picked one up at Waverley Station in Edinburgh after about a week in the UK and had a terrible time with it at first.

BTW--I've seen a lot of snide (and worse) comments on this forum today. Looks like many of us are having World Cup decompression or something.

>>and haven't killed anyone <B><red><u>yet</B></red></u><<

Pleas do NOT try driving to Bath off an overnight flight. You might be OK - fine even. But more likely you'll be in a terrible state.

You can take the express coach directly from LHR to Bath easy peasy. No trains, no transfers, no schlepping luggage on to the train. Then a day or two in Bath car-less since no one needs a car IN Bath (even the locals park outside of town and take buses in to do their shopping)

Then pick up your rental car as you leave Bath to explore other areas.

" I do it a lot (that is, picked up a car upon arrival at an airport)and haven't killed anyone yet"

Off a night flight? What flanner and janisj said in spades. So far I haven't seen any reason to have a car at all, and certainly not to get between Heathrow, Bath and London.

We loved Bath! We took the bus from Heathrow to Bath and enjoyed the ride very much. We stayed three nights and found plenty to do. We enjoyed the hop on hop off bus tour which helped us get our bearings in the city. The self guided tour at the Roman Spa was great, and the Free Walking Tour of Bath was awesome. One of the highlights was also the "Bizarre Bath Walk". That was such a crack up. Enjoy Bath!!!

"Flying into Heathrow and taking the train will probably require first getting into London ">

Yes you can take the Rail Bus link (maybe now a regular bus?) to Reading and join the London-Paddington high-speed (for backward train-wise UK) train to Bath Spa - as the station there is called. Or take Heathrow Connect trains to the first station on the line out of Paddington and then take a local train to Reading to join the high-speed trains which may only stop there between London and The West.

It may be quicker to take the Heathrow Express into Paddington and then go back out thru Bath but it would cost more.

. . . But . . . it would be faster, easier and cheaper to dimly board the Express coach at LHR and get off in central Bath.

Trains are not the be all and end all.

If you decide to take the bus from Heathrow to Bath do this:

After grabbing your bags and leaving customs, head toward the bus “1-13” signs. I believe they were yellow signs. Instead of exiting terminal 3 through the glass doors, look for a set of stairs that descend. They’re in the middle of the room. Near some shops. Follow the “Central Bus Terminal” signs. I got the tickets there rather than by advance purchase on the internet. If I had bought them in advance I would have saved a wee bit. I wasn’t sure that if I had purchased them in advance, but were unable to use them due to a flight delay, (for example) what would have happened. I didn't want to risk not being able to use them, so I waited and bought them there. The agent said I could have used them on a later coach if I had missed my bus. The ticket tells you which coach you will be on, and the bus when coming into the bus station will have the coach number illuminated.

mimi - if you fancy a bit of car touring, spend say 3 nights in Bath, then pick up the car, head to Wells for a couple of nights, and then head back to London via Stonhenge - much easier to visit in a car than by public transport. from Wells you could do a very nice day trip to Cheddar Gorge and/or Wookey hole, or Glastonbury, or any number of lovely National Trust properties...or just enjoy Wells which is truly beautiful, not just the Cathedral but also the Bishop's Palace with the swans swimming on the moat.

You could return the car at Windsor and see the Castle at the same time, then get the train to central London from there and finish your trip.

How many days did you say you had?

thursday and janis--my comment was directed at Flanner's categorical rejection of driving after an overnite flight, and not mimi67's trip. I do think, with you all, that she'd be better off getting to Bath on public transportation and then picking up a car there. As annhig says, that's a nice part of the world to tour by car.

Everyone's different: I'm able to sleep, albeit fitfully, on overnite flights and don't have bad jet-lag. I've driven a fair number of miles after overnite flights (e.g. Gatwick to Canterbury), and I find that my problems come later in the trip when I've gotten accustomed to the car and the road system and perhaps drop my guard because everything has gone well. I would not trust my spouse, however, to drive after an overnite flight because she is badly affected by jet-lag.

yes everyone is different something some Fodorgarchs continually forget in their prescriptive my way or the highway approach - good to warn folks who have never flown of being wiped out when arriving but to throw the baby out with the bathwater... what's good for the goose is not always good for the gander.

I love the exchanges and appreciate the concerns expressed for my safety and .... the safety of others. Please know I do not have an overnight flight from the states. We are taking a 3 day layover in Iceland so the incoming flight is around 3 hours and during the day. I also recently comfortably and without incident (injury or mishap)drove a standard all over Ireland; renting a car is not an issue. Finding parking, especially in Bath, would be more of a consideration.
I thank you for the constructive comments and I will look into the suggested alternatives. Perhaps the bus to Bath from Heathrow and then renting a car for the day since we both have Stonehenge on our list.

We have a Sunday to Wednesday AM (3 nights) for the Bath/Somerset area with the rest of that Wednesday til the following Sunday AM (4 nights) for London.

Thanks for the "Bizarre Bath Walk" recommendation. I've also taken up reading about Jane Austin and have my sights on our staying at the house she lived in while in Bath.
Again Thank You!

OK - now that we know you won't be a danger to yourself or others ;) . . . What I'd do is collect a car AT Heathrow and drive to Avebury and Stonehenge and stay 2 nights somewhere in Somerset (Wells/Glastonbury or some nearby village. Then drive to Bath and drop the car. Spend the last 1.5 days in Bath car-less and then finish up w/ an evening train to London. This will give you 1.5 days for Stonehenge and rural Somerset, and 1.5 days of Bath.

The disadvantage is an extra checking in/out but the advantage is a more efficient use of time and no need for back tracking. On such a short visit, efficient is important . . .

I like it janisj
Thanks

Won't apply to the OP but for others reading this thread: There are buses/coaches to Bath from Terminals 4 and 5 but these go via Bristol and take twice the time. Direct buses to Bath leave from the Central Bus Station (near terminals 1, 2 and 3) and take 2 hours and maybe a bit more.

I like janis' plan too - a variation could have you going from Stonehenge - Avebury then thru the fabled Cotswold Hills then going via Leamington Spa to end the car portion in Bath

LHR > the Cotswolds > <i>Leamington Spa</i> > Bath? Uh uh.

Now, if you DO want to see the Cotswolds - a variation to my earlier suggestion would be: Do Avebury/Stonehenge then stay somewhere like Burford (instead of in Somerset), then drive down to Bath, drop the car, stay over and train to London.

Just depends on if you want to see Wells/Glastonbury/Somerset or Cotswold villages. About the same driving/'hassle-less-ness'

the highlight of the Cotswolds to me were the Slaughters - Upper and Lower - old wool towns - there is a wonderful footpath between them, going thru pastures and woodlands. I'd stay in a larger wool town but don't miss the Slaughters!

Pal - have you been at the paint stripper again, old chap?

Leamington Spa is nowhere near the route from the Cotswolds to Bath - it's near Coventry.

But I do agree that the Slaughters are lovely, if you can get there when the world and his wife haven't had the same idea.

PQ: neither Slaughter is a 'town'

(Hey - you can be pedantic about trains so what's good for the goose is good for the gander)

Thanks again for comments
Having discovered Dartmoor in my search, our travels will be a little different. After a restful 3 hour flight from Iceland, we're picking up a car in Heathrow on Sunday traveling to Aveburg where we'll explore the area to include Locock and possibly Castle Combe before settling in for the night somewhere near Stonehenge. This brings us to Monday and after a tour of Stonehenge its off to Salisbury to include the Cathedral and Old Sarum. We'll motor through Dorset(an area I'm still checking out). I'm also checking if we want a shore route or head to Exeter. In either case, we want to be close to Dartmoor Monday evening. Tuesday will be spent exploring the park with a trip through Glastonbury and Wells before settling in Bath for Tuesday evening where I found a nice guest house right off A-367 and with free parking. It'll be a 5-10 minute walk to the center of Bath. Thursday we'll have time for more sites in Bath before getting the car back to the airport mid afternoon to begin our 3 night stay in London.
That's the frame work and there is work ahead to check out driving time and sights we want to visit. I found a 2 mile Riverside Walk for Lacock and will check on the availability of others. I am checking out all the National Trust sites that fall on our route.
I'll check other forum notes concerning Dartmoor.
And will share the itinerary once completed.
Again, any and all comments are welcome to sites to visit along the way. I've found such nice houses to rent and will present the idea to borrow the grand kids again to bring them over for a week or two if this works out to be a pleasant experience.

>>In either case, we want to be close to Dartmoor Monday evening. Tuesday will be spent exploring the park with a trip through Glastonbury and Wells before settling in Bath for Tuesday evening<<

Whoa :) . That is a LOT for one day. Just Exeter into and around Dartmoor back up to Wells/Glastonbury to Bath would easily be 5.5-6 hours 'behind the wheel' time w/o any stops. Dartmoor is terrific -- but the roads are very narrow and very slow. Then Wells and Glastonbury are worth a couple of hours each. This would really be a 2 day trip.

Meant to add -- Lacock and Castle Combe are much closer to Bath than to Stonehenge/Salisbury.

I'd consider Avebury/Stonehenge/Salisbury the first day, then head SW through Dorset towards Dartmoor. Then up through Glastonbury/Wells to Bath. Visit Lacock/Castle Combe from Bath.


Or . . . another variation - you'd have time to stop in Wells/Glastonbury enroute from Salisbury to Exeter.

janisj: I like your suggestion and I am also concerned about the distance and cutting the time in Dartmoor. I'd wanted to go directly to Stonehenge after picking up the car at the airport. Our arrival from Iceland is at 11 am, at best putting us in a car rental and being on our way by 1 pm (?)

At that, the last entry to Stonehenge is at 3 pm. It seemed too rushed given one never knows about flight delays from Iceland. If we don't need to purchase a reserved ticket I could play it by ear and if the timing looks favorable go ahead and pick up your suggestion and visit Stonehenge first moving on to Salisbury and Dorset on that first day. We could give Dartmoor Tuesday and work toward Bath though Glastonbury and Wells. Our Thursday ride back to London could include Lacock, Castle Combe and Avebury.

I just don't want a time to HAVE to be at Stonehenge, especially if we get tied up with a delayed flight, delays at the rental place, or my getting adjusted to the driving. I'll check their web site again about the requirement for reserved timed tickets.
Thanks for sticking with this trip planning. It will be making choices given our limited time.

mimi, I think the plan to head to Salisbury on the day you land is a good one; it won't matter when you get there, and it's a beautiful place to spend your first night in England. Then it's a very short drive [less than 30 mins] to Stonehenge which could be your first stop in the morning.

then head west towards Dartmoor.

I'd do what Annhig suggests. First I'd to Avebury after collecting the car at LHR then down to Salisbury for the evening. Then first thing in the AM go to Stonehenge -- it is less than 10 miles and about 15-20 mins.

I might check out Inner Access ( special access before opening time) http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/c...jan-sept14.pdf That link only mentions booking through Sept but AFAIK they do offer it year round. Might be worth e-mailing English Heritage,

If you can take the Tower Tour at Salisbury Cathedral, I highly recommend it. One of our England highlights.

((H))

Thanks: The possibility of the Inner Access being available in Oct is very exciting and would change our itinerary! Having a car is an advantage enabling one to do it.
My friend and I are easy going and we may just forget about Dartmoor this visit. We want to relax and there really sounds like enough to see and appreciated in a smaller radius between Stonehenge, Salisbury, Bath and Aveburg. We could "hang around" making the inner access a possibility.
I will email as suggested. And will check out the tower as suggested.