Help Needed Travel from Heathrow to Bath

[CindyP]

Hello all. I've been absent for awhile but now our trip is getting close......just a bit over a month away. Our flights and accomodations are all made, now I need to figure out how to get from one place to another. I'm always hesitant about committing to a train/bus times in advance because of what seems to be inevitable late arrivals.

We fly into Heathrow on a Wednesday morning and need to get to Bath. On advice I received here I looked into First Bus from LHR to Reading, and then the train from Reading to Bath. I also looked at the train from LHR into Paddington and then from Paddington to Bath. Both of these take around 2 hours, assuming there is not a long wait for connections. The prices on them are comparable.

On another forum I was advised to take the National Express Bus direct from LHR to Bath. This is a 2 hour bus trip and is considerably less expensive if we book it in advance, and for an extra 5 pounds per person they allow you to take any available bus within 24 hours if your plane arrives late. Their last minute fares appear to be the same price as advance fares for the train or the First Bus/Train options.

Has anyone used National Express? It seems like a good deal and would certainly be a simpler option since we wouldn't have to switch from bus to train or train to train while we are still foggy from jet lag.

Thanks so much for your time.

Cindy P.

 

[Ian Sutton]

I haven't used National express for years, but used to a lot back in the 1980s. For a 2 hour journey I'd recommend it for that convenience factor you mention, especially as there is a walk within Paddington to get from where the Heathrow express comes in, to where the westbound inter-city trains go. All undercover, but some steps, so a hassle with bags.

Whilst there is an onboard toilet on the coach, I'd go at the airport for a more comfortable experience. Worth getting it worked out in advance where the coaches go from (e.g. airport map or one on National Express website if they show maps). Makes life easier if you know exactly where you are heading. Also useful to note the coach number (e.g 920 to Belfast at the start of the 2nd video), so you can be sure that the coach is the right one, though you can ask the driver / fellow passengers. Drop off is usually pretty central, typically at a bus station if the city has one.

Finally, they've been such an institution for many decades that 'The Divine Comedy' wrote a song about them.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUCfDYfLtLA


but this acoustic cover version might be quite useful in a way, as it shows the buses etc. so you'll know what you're looking for.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_A0m1rBY34


regards
Ian

 

[Pauline]

I've looked into taking them but their schedule is never good, so check how often they run. I know several people who prefer these buses to the train.

 

[Rome Addict]

Taken them between Heathrow and Gatwick. Clean, standard long distance type buses. I actually have looked at taking the bus to bath from Gatwick but train is closer to where we are staying. Parking is a major hassle in bath so stay away from driving whatever you do.

 

[Chris]

Last year I took the train from LHR to Paddington/train from Paddington to Bath. There wasn't a lot of extra time between my arrival at LHR and the train to Bath and it was a little tense when my bag did not appear on the carousel. Fortunately, instead of the usual lost bag "maybe we'll send it on if we find it" routine, a very nice woman picked up the phone and it popped up on the carousel within minutes. My friend was waiting outside the terminal and we just made the train to Paddington in time to catch the train to Bath.

 

[Andrew]

I used the National Express coach in 1996. From the main airport bus station near Terminals 2 and 3, it looks like it runs every 2 hours, 20 past the even-numbered hours. If you're arriving at another terminal and search that as a starting point, it looks like they route you on one of their coaches to that station and they aren't that frequent. You'd be better off using the airport's own terminal transfer options: I think the Heathrow Express train is free between terminals.

 

[Kathy]

We've taken the National Express bus between Heathrow and Gatwick a few times.

I'd prefer a shorter journey without the transfers and needing to haul your bags around, especially after an overnight flight. Plus it sounds like you've got flexibility on which bus to take and don't have to worry about making a specific schedule.

You could also consider a car service...

 

[Pauline]

When we lived in the US we would fly to Heathrow and get a car service to Bath. We used Clive from http://www.drive-u.co.uk/ .

 

[CindyP]

Thanks everyone.

Ian. I'm still smiling about those videos. What a hoot. But yes, the newer one showed the actual buses, so it was actually helpful.

Pauline. It looks like they run every 2 hours. The 10am would work for us. Our plane is Supposed To land at 8am. We carryon so no luggage to wait for. If we miss that one we would have to wait until noon but even that wouldn't be too bad.

I did look at a car service which would of course be wonderful. But it is about 4X as much, so we will save that luxury for the day when we can't deal with a bus.

So.......National Express bus is booked.

Once I figure out our next long distance move I will have to determine how to get from the bus station to our accommodations. One step at a time.

I'm going to post another question on our next move.

Cindy P.