Reading

About

Ask anyone who has visited recently, and they will tell you about the shopping, the restaurants and the nightlife. Talk to someone who has lived here a while and they will praise the beautiful stretches of river, the acres of parkland and ancient woodland.

Reading is surprising in so many ways: Michelin Star restaurants; over eight hundred listed buildings and monuments; boutique hotels; a world-renowned red-brick university; family friendly museums; two National Trails and two great rivers on our doorstep.

Famous as one of the UK’s top ten retail destinations, Reading offers so much more than superb shopping. The Forbury Gardens, is the town’s floral heart, beautifully laid out next to the monumental ruins of Reading Abbey, and the peaceful towpaths of the Kennet and Avon Canal, where you will find Reading Gaol and the Oscar Wilde gates.

There is so much to intrigue and inspire, including mile upon mile of unspoilt Thames frontage, where you can walk, take a cruise, feed the swans or watch elite rowers in training. You can also walk from the Thames along Kennet Mouth to find yourself at Blake’s Lock, where you can see the Riverside Museum and relax in a waterfront restaurant that started life as a Victorian pumping station.

Nothing stands still for long in Reading, and that is as it should be in a town that enjoys a pivotal location in the South East, at the romantic heart of Royal Berkshire. With Heathrow just 30 minutes away, Reading is easy to find from all parts of the world.

10 Things to do In Reading

• Reading Museum - The museum's collections span the famous Roman eagle from Silchester to the capital from Reading Abbey and an amazing collection of Huntley & Palmer biscuit tins. The current exhibition, On Track, celebrates the important place that the railway has played in Reading's history since 1840.
• Visit a Church - Reading's churches include the most complete example of Franciscan architecture in Britain; Pugin's very first church design and the famous Pugin screen.
• Discover more about Greek mythology and life at The Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology. Find out how Odysseus escaped the Cyclops cave or study scenes of warriors going into battle. See everyday and extraordinary objects, from the small oil bottles that athletes wore around their wrists to a mask of the terrifying Gorgon Medusa, including a fascinating funerary boat, jewellery, grave offerings and a mummified cat's head.
• Relax in a garden - Caversham Court Gardens on the banks of the Thames is a garden of national importance and listed in the English Heritage 'Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England'. It dates back to the 12th century and was refurbished and re-opened in 2009.
• Go Shopping - Reading offers a mix of independent and high street stores with plenty of choice at The Oracle or Broad Street and the new IKEA.
• Take a boat trip to Marlow, Henley or Wallingford with Salters Steamers, boats leave from Caversham Bridge? Or Thames Rivercruise offers a hop-on-hop-off boat trip from Caversham in Reading to Goring with stops at Mapledurham Lock, Beale Park Wildlife Park and Goring (with easy access to Streatley).
• Visit the Reading Abbey Quarter and learn about its fascinating 900 years of history. The Abbey Quarter covers the former precinct of one of Europe's largest royal monasteries. The Reading Abbey Ruins are currently closed to the public until 16 June 2018 when vital conservation work is completed. The Ruins can still be viewed from various points around the perimeter during this period from where you can see conservation work in action. See Teatime in Wonderland’s review of her visit.
• Walk or Cycle along the Thames Path National Trail to Sonning Lock Tea Rooms (just over 3miles one way) - Reading is a busy, lively place but the route of the Thames Path is surprisingly quiet for it keeps to the north, least urbanised part of the town.  Once Reading is left behind, you'll enjoy a landscape of gentle wooded hills, fine houses and, of course, the ever-widening River Thames. From Reading to Sonning cyclists can share the Thames Path but from Sonning, with its lovely 18th century hump-backed bridge, the Trail narrows and is for walkers only. Carry on to the Mill at Sonning, cross over the bridge to Playhatch and then continue on to Dunsden Green for a visit to Loddon Brewery (extra 2.2 miles). The Taproom is open Thu-Sat 10am-6pm and the shop is open Mon-Sat (check times). You can buy Mr Hobbs Gin here as well.
• Visit a hidden gem, Berkshire's dynamic contribution to aviation history is graphically re-captured at the Museum of Berkshire Aviation at the historic site of Woodley Airfield, near Reading - once the centre of a thriving aircraft industry. Miles and Handley Page aircraft built at Woodley are being re-constructed and exhibited along with fascinating pictorial records and priceless archives.
• Attend a festival: Reading-on-Thames Festival (Sept), Reading Carnival (May), Reading Fringe (July), Reading Festival (August), Reading Beer & Cider Fest (May).