Trains, Bath

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Bath's railway station is situated on Manvers Street pretty much in the city centre. Despite being quite a small station it is a very busy one with trains stopping every few minutes to and from various destinations around the South West, London Paddington and the South Coast. The main line is that between Bristol and London with Bristol being a mere 10 minutes away and London about an hour and a half.

Services are run by First Great Western and connect to the rest of the country either via Bristol or London.

Architecturally the station is visually pleasant, having been designed by Brunel and built in the local Bath Stone. Worth noting too is the crenallated viaduct heading westwards. Within the Station there are all the usual facilites such as waiting rooms, cafe, shops and an ATM and also useful is the Tourist Information Office on Platform 1 (?) who can arrange accommodation, bus tours, car hire and a host of other services.

The station is also convenient for local bus services with the bus station being next door and a Plusbus ticket allowing unlimited local travel on the day of arrival is available when booking rail tickets.

I missed out on the cheap APEX fare by train from London and the train fare would have been almost as much as doing an Explorer Day with London Walks so on my visit in August 2005, I decided to do a guided tour from London with London Walks. As of 1/1/08, the London Walk tour is £32, it doesn't say exactly what's included but I know the train fare and the guide are included, a train car was reserved for us so that we could sit together. I think we had to pay extra to go see the Roman Baths but we got discounted tickets.

If you get the advanced purchase fare like we did, it was £19 round trip plus there is a free guided walking tour of Bath so Bath can be done much cheaper if you reserve your train tickets in advance.

I also use the trainline to book all my train journeys but you can also use Great Western Direct to book tickets. Do book tickets well in advance at least 14 days will secure you a good rate. We chose 2 single tickets from london costing GBP9 each way. The journey will take just under 1hr 30min with comfortable seating and nice scenary. If you travel with a gaggle of girls like we did you may try book 2 table seats opposite each other.

Trains for Bath Spa are run by First Great Western, on the line between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads. Trains leave Paddington on the hour and half hour during the working day (7 minutes past the hour on Sundays). The journey takes about an hour and a half. To return to Paddington, there are trains leaving Bath at 12 and 42 minutes past the hour during the working day (22 minutes past the hour on Sundays).

The train runs through some lovely countryside for much of the way and if you look carefully, you may see one of the famous chalk horses carved into the side of a hill to the south of the train line. The stone buildings of Bath also make a wonderful view as the train approaches the town.

Costs start at £44 for an off peak standard single rising to £171 for a peak time first class day return. (First class is available on most services.) London Transport travelcards and season tickets are not valid for travel to this station, as it is not in the zone system but discounts may be obtained with a variety of railcards, including the Network card or by purchasing tickets in advance.

The ticket office is open throughout the day until half past eight at night and there are reasonably good eating and toilet facilities available within this station, which is listed by First Great Western as accessible to wheelchair users, with staff help available for passengers with additional needs. Plenty of parking and cycle storage is available.

It's hard to be joyous about this mode of transport in Britain. You could be lucky and catch a clean, on-time, no problems train from London Paddington but in my 3 years living in UK this has happened excatly three times.

Paddington Station is ok, just be careful of your belongings as it is notrious pickpocket haven. The staff will most likley not be very nice but you are in London and by now are only too familiar with this bad atitude of the locals. Booking your train ticket in advance is A Very Very Good Idea, especially from London to anywhere on anything. Be aware of the 1000 terms & conditions attached to the cheaper(!) tickets - they aren't valid at peak times or days with a 'Y' in them (okay I exagerate a little but you'll understand my sarcasam when you've been through all of this experience) 1 1/2 hours later you will be in beatiful Bath. It's actualy quite a sight from the right-hand side of the carriage as you enter the valley and see the huge Abbey and surrounding buildings in the unique Bath Stone colour.

Bristol city is 10 minutes on from Bath and also woth a day-trip to.

It is easy to get to Bath by train - the station is called Bath Spa in the timetables if you are looking. Bath is on the main London to Bristol line so trains are frequent. You end up in the middle of the city centre and the bus station is just across the road if you need to go to Wells or somewhere not served by train. Both buses and trains here are run by First...

I visited Bath for several times and allways used train to go there. There is frecuent trains from Bristol, Swindon and London Padington. Trains are very confortable, restaurant service and the staff is very friendly. On the web below you vill find time table and prices.

Bath is a much smaller city than Bristol, it's near neighbour. Some services , such a coaches therefore visit Bath on the London-Bristol route. There are a good number of both tran and bus services between the two cities.

The following website provides a very good summary of the various public transport options that may be of use to you.

Bath does not lie very far from the M4 Motorway, but those last 15 miles or so can seem to take ages.