Things to See and Do in Reading

Reading is the capital of the Royal County of Berkshire. Although it has over 150,000 residents it is still only a town as it doesn’t have a working cathedral. Like it’s close neighbour, Swindon, which has a population of over a quarter of a million people, Reading is a very large town in the south of England. It is much bigger than some of its neighbouring cities.

Reading is located on the banks of the River Thames about 30 miles south of Oxford and just off the M4 motorway. It is home to both Reading Football Club and London Irish Rugby Club both of whom play their home games at the Madejski Stadium in the South of the town near the M4 motorway.

Beautiful Caversham, which is located just North of the centre of Reading, across the river, is a suburb of Reading which is popular with families. Caversham has a bustling high street with many cafes and restaurants and lots of small local businesses. Caversham Court Gardens is one of the main attractions in Caversham and attracts visitors to its grounds all year round.

A short distance away from Caversham Court Gardens is Christchurch Meadows which is a lovely park area which houses Reading University boat club. Set on the banks of the river Thames the boat club serves both the mens and womens team at Reading University.

The University of Reading, which attracts students to the town from all across the UK, is based in the south part of Reading and is central to a thriving student scene. The University received its Royal Charter in 1976 and has over 15,000 students enrolled currently.

Reading is known as the centre of the technology corridor that runs down the Thames Valley with large companies like Verizon, Vodafone and Oracle having large offices in and around the area. With easy access to London via rail and also the M4 motorway, Reading is also a main commuter town for people working in London.

cavershamProbably the most famous annual sports event based in Reading is the Reading Half Marathon which is one of the major running events in the calendar each year. The event is based at the Madejski Stadium in March and takes a course into the centre of town before returning via the suburb of Whitley in the south of the town.

Reading has a small museum in the town centre which is popular with children and it has various other leisure activities including soft play areas, swimming pools and outdoor parks. The Hexagon Theatre is a popular destination with theatre goers and around Christmas time hosts a large pantomime performance starring celebratory names from the showbiz world.

As you can see from this short guide there is much to see and do in the County town of Reading. We encourage you to visit one day and check it out for yourself. Couple it with a visit to one of its more famous neighbours, Oxford, and get an added bonus.

Share Button