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Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers Thames and Kennet, Reading is 40 miles (64 km) east of Swindon, 25 miles (40 km) south of Oxford, 40 miles (64 km) west of London and 16 miles (26 km) north of Basingstoke .
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6 days ago · Reading, town and unitary authority, geographic and historic county of Berkshire, southern England, 38 miles (61 km) west of London. It is an important junction of railways running west from London and south from the Midlands, and the Kennet and Avon Canal (to Bath and Bristol) and the River Thames
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There are several possible derivations of Reading's name, however the true source is obscured. Reading holds several Royal Charters permitting Parliament to be held there during times of plague or rebellion in London. Reading grew rich through the medieval and Tudor periods thanks to a booming trade in cloth. The siege imposed by Parliament on the ...
By plane
Reading is well served by London's collection of airports. For travellers coming directly to Reading, here are the most convenient (in increasing travel time) ones. The times given for road travel assume no hold-ups - at busy times or in case of bad weather, road maintenance or traffic accidents you should allow considerably longer, especially if travelling to the airport to catch a flight. 1. Heathrow Airport (LHRIATA) is about 40 min via the M4 motorway. It is also linked directly to Readin...
By train
1. Wikivoyage has a guide to Rail travel in Great Britain 51.459-0.97221 Reading station, Station Hill, RG1 1LZ. Served by inter-city and regional train services from many different directions, including through services from Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London, Newcastle upon Tyne, Manchester, Oxford, Plymouth, Exeter, Penzance, Portsmouth, Southampton, Swansea, Winchester, York, and the airports described above.(updated Apr 2022) From London, you should travel from London Paddin...
By coach and bus
1. National Express, ☏ +44 871 781 8181. Coach services from around the country; advanced ticketing is necessary. From 6AM to 9:30PM, they stop at Mereoak Park and Ride, Mereoak Lane on the M4 Junction 11. Overnight, they stop at Calcot, which sounds grand, but is actually a drafty bus stop near M4 J(12) with nearby amenities including a large Sainsbury's supermarket (known locally as "Savacentre"), a McDonald's restaurant, a petrol station and a chemist. You will have to catch a local bus or...
By foot
The central area of Reading is easily traversable on foot. From the main rail station, you will be able to take in the Abbey Ruins, the Forbury Gardens, both rivers, both shopping centres, most (but not all so check) hotels, pubs and restaurants without needing more than shoe leather.
By bus
Buses provide a moderately good way of getting around Reading (say 3–5 miles out), with several buses an hour on most routes during weekdays, and hourly services in the evenings and on weekends. Beyond that distance, bus routes are much less frequent, with often only a handful of buses per day. Route 17 (Earley Wokingham Road—Tilehurst via town centre) runs a 24-hour operation with buses every 7 minutes in peak hours. 1. Reading Buses, ☏ +44 118 959-4000. Provide bus services within Reading a...
By taxi
There are two sorts of taxis operating in Reading, although only black cabs are strictly allowed to call themselves taxis: 1. Taxis (Black cabs). The taxis proper (which are not always black but are always London style taxi vehicles) in theory operate from taxi ranks around the town and can be hailed in the street. In practice, the only place you can reliably find them is on the rank outside the rail station. They are always metered.(updated Nov 2015) 2. Minicabs (Private hire cars). They loo...
Central Reading
Reading has several interesting sights to see within the central area. 1. 51.454528-0.973621 Reading Minster (Minster Church of St Mary the Virgin), Chain Steet, RG1 2HX, ☏ +44 1189 571057. A historic church from 11th century.(updated Nov 2015) 2. 51.456066-0.9652952 Reading Abbey Ruins & Forbury Gardens. These beautiful formal gardens were once part of Reading Abbey, and the ruins of the Abbey can be found between the park and the river Kennet. The Abbey's founder and benefactor was Henry I...
Surrounding area
There are also many interesting things to see around Reading. 1. 51.499167-1.1213896 Basildon Park, Lower Basildon, RG8 9NR (7 miles west of Reading on the A329; grid reference SU611782), ☏ +44 1491 672382, basildonpark@nationaltrust.org.uk. Feb-Dec: daily 10AM-5PM. This beautiful Palladian mansion was built in 1776-83. The interior is notable for its original delicate plaster work and elegant staircase. The early 19th-century pleasure grounds are being restored, and there are waymarked trail...
River trips
There are lots of things to do in and around Reading. You could try taking a river trip: 1. 51.464917-0.9763031 Salters Steamers, ☏ +44 1865 243421. May-Sep: daily. Day trips from Reading to Henley-on-Thames and return with 3 hours ashore in Henley (or you can return by train). Also less frequent trips from Wallingford to Reading. Depart from outside the Riverside Restaurant just downstream of Caversham Bridge. £8.50-11. 2. 51.466678-0.9795272 Thames Rivercruise, ☏ +44 118 948-1088. Run cruis...
Walks
Or there are many possible walks in the area: 1. 51.473672-0.9112973 Thameside walk to Sonning. A very attractive walk can be had by leaving Reading on the Thames towpath from Reading Bridge and Caversham Lock (both about a 5-min walk from the downtown area) and simply following the towpath to the old village of Sonning. This walk is about 4 miles in length, and traverses open landscape and wooded river margins. Return the same way, or catch a bus back (buses roughly hourly; no service on Sun...
Festivals
Reading is the home of one of Europe's major annual music festivals, held on the Rivermead site (an open area alongside the River Thames) over a period of several days. The festival can be guaranteed to fill the town with visitors and happening things; if you are planning to visit during these festivals do book your accommodation and festival tickets well in advance. 1. 51.467222-1.0119447 Reading Festival. Even bigger than the Womad festival which were held in the town until 2006 (now held n...
Reading is the home of The University of Reading which is ranked as one of the UK’s 10 most research-intensive universities and as one of the top 200 universities in the world. The main campus, Whiteknights Campus, is two miles from the town centre and is based on the beautiful 321-acre (1.3 km²) Whiteknights Park, which includes lakes, conservatio...
Reading is a significant commercial and information technology centre and if you have skills in these areas and the appropriate legal paperwork then finding a job should not be a problem. Reading also suffers from staff shortages in public service areas such as teaching or nursing, and campaigns are regularly run to attract overseas candidates for ...
Shopping
Reading is a major regional shopping centre, with most of its shops clustered in a fairly compact downtown area. Shops are split between those on outdoor pedestrianised shopping streets, of which the principal is Broad Street, and those in indoor shopping malls such as the Oracle Centre and the Broad Street Mall. There are two major department stores, John Lewis on Broad Street (often still known locally by its old name, Heelas), and House of Fraserboth in the Oracle Centre. 1. 51.4533-0.9723...
Money
Nearly all major British banks and building societies have branches situated in Reading, and most of them are based around the eastern end of Broad Street or around the adjacent Market Place which is also where most of the major financial institutions that make the town their home are based. These branches normally open M-F 9AM-4PM and Sa 9AM-noon. Most bank and building society branches have 'through the wall' type ATMs that are open 24x7. There are also clusters of stand-alone ATMs in the O...
Central Reading and Caversham
The following restaurants are all within walking distance of central Reading. 1. Bel and the Dragon, Blakes Lock (just outside the centre). This is a friendly modern British restaurant with a good atmosphere and reasonable food. Around £25. 2. Bina Tandoori, 21 Prospect Street, Caversham, ☏ +44 118 946-2115. noon-2:30PM and 6PM-11:30PM. Housed in the charming village of Caversham just over the river from Reading on the north side (just over Caversham Bridge and turn right and then left into P...
Surrounding villages
Many of the villages surrounding Reading have interesting restaurants or country pubs that serve food, and here is a selection. You will probably need to use a car or taxi to get to most of them. 1. 51.4089-0.95411 L'ortolan, Church Ln, Shinfield, RG2 9BY (just of Junction 11 of the M4), ☏ +44 118 988-8500. Tu-Sa for lunch and dinner. L’Ortolan, in the beautiful village of Shinfield, is Reading’s only Michelin starred restaurant. Chef Patron Alan Murchison is passionate about his cooking, but...
Reading, as a sizeable town, has many and varied pubs and bars. A healthy population (numberswise at least) of students and young city workers makes sure that pubs, wine bars and cocktail lounges are all well represented. The compact centre of town ensures stiff competition between establishments, which works well for the consumer, who has many dri...
Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers Thames and Kennet, Reading is 40 miles (64 km) east of Swindon, 25 miles (40 km) south of Oxford, 40 miles (64 km) west of London and 16 miles (26 km) north of Basingstoke.
Sep 22, 2023 · Things to Do in Reading, England: See Tripadvisor's 141,829 traveller reviews and photos of Reading tourist attractions. Find what to do today, this weekend, or in May. We have reviews of the best places to see in Reading. Visit top-rated & must-see attractions.
We are based in Christchurch Meadows, Wolsey Road, Reading, Berkshire. We have 4 Hard Courts that…
Reading is located in the county of Berkshire, South East England, three miles west of the town of Woodley, and 37 miles west of London. Reading lies just south-east of the Oxfordshire border. Reading falls within the unitary authority of Reading. It is in the RG1 postcode district. The post town for Reading is Reading. Reading on a map.
