Reading Guidebook
Great Shopping
Its easy to spend a day at The Oracle! Set on the banks of the River Kennet it has an indoor arcade with over 80 shops, a huge variety of riverside bars and restaurants and a 10 screen cinema.
Oracle
Its easy to spend a day at The Oracle! Set on the banks of the River Kennet it has an indoor arcade with over 80 shops, a huge variety of riverside bars and restaurants and a 10 screen cinema.
Health & Wellbeing
The Thames Lido is a gem. Located less than 2 miles from the apartment it is the oldest surviving outdoor pool of the Edwardian Era. It was left unused for 43 years, granted Grade II listing in 2004 and opened in 2017 after a 4 year restoration project. The elegant outdoor pool is heated and you can also treat yourself to a spa treatment and enjoy a meal in the Mediterranean tapas restaurant.
14 現地メンバーのおすすめ
Thames Lido
Napier RoadThe Thames Lido is a gem. Located less than 2 miles from the apartment it is the oldest surviving outdoor pool of the Edwardian Era. It was left unused for 43 years, granted Grade II listing in 2004 and opened in 2017 after a 4 year restoration project. The elegant outdoor pool is heated and you can also treat yourself to a spa treatment and enjoy a meal in the Mediterranean tapas restaurant.
Buzz Gym is not just another boring gym. Buzz Gym is a fresh, fully equipped gym with a full studio class timetable for a low affordable monthly price. it is a 5 minute walk from the apartment and is open 24 hours a day with no contract or tie in. Pre Paid passes from £7.99.
Buzz Gym Reading
100 King's RdBuzz Gym is not just another boring gym. Buzz Gym is a fresh, fully equipped gym with a full studio class timetable for a low affordable monthly price. it is a 5 minute walk from the apartment and is open 24 hours a day with no contract or tie in. Pre Paid passes from £7.99.
Sightseeing
Reading is at the conclusion of the Kennet and Avon Canal, coursing along the West Country for 87 miles from Bristol.
This long waterway was constructed between 1718 and 1810 and was mostly used to ship coal and building stone from Somerset to London.
The canal towpath, traced by chestnut trees is another way to get to know Reading.
The waterway is busy in summer and has swans and geese, while the towpath takes you past the former prison, where there’s a gate with a quote from Wilde’s “Ballad of Reading Gaol”. At the confluence with the Thames, you’ll join the Thames Path national trail.
If you keep going east you’ll reach the cute village of Sonning, home to Reading Sailing club, tea rooms and pubs.
52 現地メンバーのおすすめ
Kennet and Avon Canal
Reading is at the conclusion of the Kennet and Avon Canal, coursing along the West Country for 87 miles from Bristol.
This long waterway was constructed between 1718 and 1810 and was mostly used to ship coal and building stone from Somerset to London.
The canal towpath, traced by chestnut trees is another way to get to know Reading.
The waterway is busy in summer and has swans and geese, while the towpath takes you past the former prison, where there’s a gate with a quote from Wilde’s “Ballad of Reading Gaol”. At the confluence with the Thames, you’ll join the Thames Path national trail.
If you keep going east you’ll reach the cute village of Sonning, home to Reading Sailing club, tea rooms and pubs.
In a conservation area on the north bank of the Thames, 2 miles from the apartment, Caversham Court is a garden on the grounds of a former mansion.
Some of Reading’s most powerful families lived here in the centuries after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and you can see pieces of its plasterwork and the 17th-century staircase at the Museum of Reading.
Today, there’s no more than a footprint of the house at Caversham Court, but the gardens are the real reason to come.
These flow down to the river and have beautiful mature trees like an Atlas cedar, a Bhutan pine, a cedar of Lebanon and a black mulberry.
If you’re in town in July you could watch a play during the Reading Open Air Shakespeare Festival, while Cult Screens organises film screenings, which you can watch from the comfort of a bean bag or deck chair.
8 現地メンバーのおすすめ
Caversham Court
Church RoadIn a conservation area on the north bank of the Thames, 2 miles from the apartment, Caversham Court is a garden on the grounds of a former mansion.
Some of Reading’s most powerful families lived here in the centuries after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and you can see pieces of its plasterwork and the 17th-century staircase at the Museum of Reading.
Today, there’s no more than a footprint of the house at Caversham Court, but the gardens are the real reason to come.
These flow down to the river and have beautiful mature trees like an Atlas cedar, a Bhutan pine, a cedar of Lebanon and a black mulberry.
If you’re in town in July you could watch a play during the Reading Open Air Shakespeare Festival, while Cult Screens organises film screenings, which you can watch from the comfort of a bean bag or deck chair.
This stunning Jacobethan style 19th Century house is set on a 5000 acre estate with grounds designed by Capability Brown. It is 25 miles south of Reading and famous as the location for the filming of TV Series and film Downton Abbey.
156 現地メンバーのおすすめ
ハイクレア城
This stunning Jacobethan style 19th Century house is set on a 5000 acre estate with grounds designed by Capability Brown. It is 25 miles south of Reading and famous as the location for the filming of TV Series and film Downton Abbey.
A 10 minute walk from the apartment brings you to Forbury Gardens an oasis in the heart of town on the outer court of the former Reading Abbey.
After the abbey was dissolved in the 16th century the space was left open and used for gun emplacements in the English Civil War and then for military drills during the Napoleonic Wars.
It became a public park in the middle of the 19th century, and the attention-grabbing monument in the centre, the Maiwand Lion, was erected in 1886 to commemorate the dead from the 66th Berkshire Regiment at the Battle of Maiwand in Afghanistan in 1880. The park has a dainty bandstand and ample lawns that fill up with office workers at lunchtime on sunny days.
Forbury's Restaurant
1 The ForburyA 10 minute walk from the apartment brings you to Forbury Gardens an oasis in the heart of town on the outer court of the former Reading Abbey.
After the abbey was dissolved in the 16th century the space was left open and used for gun emplacements in the English Civil War and then for military drills during the Napoleonic Wars.
It became a public park in the middle of the 19th century, and the attention-grabbing monument in the centre, the Maiwand Lion, was erected in 1886 to commemorate the dead from the 66th Berkshire Regiment at the Battle of Maiwand in Afghanistan in 1880. The park has a dainty bandstand and ample lawns that fill up with office workers at lunchtime on sunny days.
On the southeast boundary of Forbury Gardens, mingling with more modern buildings are the ruins of Reading Abbey, which was founded by Henry I in 1121. Like all monasteries across Britain and Ireland, the abbey was suppressed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII in 1538, and it’s last abbot Hugh Cook Faringdon was hanged, drawn and quartered.
Even though the complex has been disused for almost 500 years the ruins are Grade I listed, and you can enter the shell of the former chapter house.
The hospitium, a dormitory for pilgrims is intact, and has become a children’s nursery, while the Gothic abbey gateway on Abbey Square once housed a school attended by Jane Austen and was restored by George Gilbert Scott in 1861.
20 現地メンバーのおすすめ
Abbey Ruins
On the southeast boundary of Forbury Gardens, mingling with more modern buildings are the ruins of Reading Abbey, which was founded by Henry I in 1121. Like all monasteries across Britain and Ireland, the abbey was suppressed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII in 1538, and it’s last abbot Hugh Cook Faringdon was hanged, drawn and quartered.
Even though the complex has been disused for almost 500 years the ruins are Grade I listed, and you can enter the shell of the former chapter house.
The hospitium, a dormitory for pilgrims is intact, and has become a children’s nursery, while the Gothic abbey gateway on Abbey Square once housed a school attended by Jane Austen and was restored by George Gilbert Scott in 1861.
A short trip into the Chiltern Hills (9 miles north), just northwest of Reading, Basildon Park is a resplendent Palladian country house designed by John Carr and built between 1776 and 1783. After being used as a prisoner of war camp in the Second World War, the house, constructed from honey-coloured Bath stone, was completely dilapidated in the 1950s and scheduled for demolition before a thorough restoration by Lord and Lady Iliffe.
Cared for by the National Trust today, the property looks better than ever.
You can go in to appreciate the restoration work, and learn how the Iliffes searched for appropriate fittings across the country.
The Staircase Hall, Octagon Drawing Room, Dining Room are all lovely, and you can have a cup of tea by the fire in the kitchen.
Outside, Lady Iliffe’s Rose Garden is a joy in spring and summer.
National Trust - Basildon Park
A short trip into the Chiltern Hills (9 miles north), just northwest of Reading, Basildon Park is a resplendent Palladian country house designed by John Carr and built between 1776 and 1783. After being used as a prisoner of war camp in the Second World War, the house, constructed from honey-coloured Bath stone, was completely dilapidated in the 1950s and scheduled for demolition before a thorough restoration by Lord and Lady Iliffe.
Cared for by the National Trust today, the property looks better than ever.
You can go in to appreciate the restoration work, and learn how the Iliffes searched for appropriate fittings across the country.
The Staircase Hall, Octagon Drawing Room, Dining Room are all lovely, and you can have a cup of tea by the fire in the kitchen.
Outside, Lady Iliffe’s Rose Garden is a joy in spring and summer.
Five miles up the Thames is an exquisite Elizabethan stately home, constructed in 1585 and offering tours on weekdays.
When this post was written the house wasn’t part of the visit as it was being refurbished, but if you are able to go inside you’ll be shown authentic 16th-century priest holes, built to hide Catholic clergy at a time when the denomination was persecuted in England.
You will be able to see the Mapledurham Mill, first constructed in the 1400s and altered in the subsequent centuries.
It produced flour until the end of the Second World War and is in full working order.
Also in the building is a hydroelectric turbine using an Archimedes screw and selling its energy to the National Grid.
In the grounds is the 13th-century St Margaret’s Church, and a tea room in the stables coach house serving freshly baked scones.
9 現地メンバーのおすすめ
Mapledurham House
Five miles up the Thames is an exquisite Elizabethan stately home, constructed in 1585 and offering tours on weekdays.
When this post was written the house wasn’t part of the visit as it was being refurbished, but if you are able to go inside you’ll be shown authentic 16th-century priest holes, built to hide Catholic clergy at a time when the denomination was persecuted in England.
You will be able to see the Mapledurham Mill, first constructed in the 1400s and altered in the subsequent centuries.
It produced flour until the end of the Second World War and is in full working order.
Also in the building is a hydroelectric turbine using an Archimedes screw and selling its energy to the National Grid.
In the grounds is the 13th-century St Margaret’s Church, and a tea room in the stables coach house serving freshly baked scones.
Nine miles north of Reading is the picturesque riverside town of Henley on Thames home to the famous annual regatta.
173 現地メンバーのおすすめ
Henley-on-Thames
Nine miles north of Reading is the picturesque riverside town of Henley on Thames home to the famous annual regatta.
Sports Venues
A 30 minute train journey will take you directly to Newbury Racecourse, the playground of very small men in colourful satin outfits since 1905. It’s no Ascot, admittedly, but it’s very well regarded in the racing world, and much less poncy.
45 現地メンバーのおすすめ
Newbury Racecourse
Racecourse RoadA 30 minute train journey will take you directly to Newbury Racecourse, the playground of very small men in colourful satin outfits since 1905. It’s no Ascot, admittedly, but it’s very well regarded in the racing world, and much less poncy.
マディエスキ・スタジアム
M4Home of Reading Football Club and London Irish Rugby Football Club
Great for Kids
In the Hampshire countryside, seven miles south of Reading, there’s a big outdoor recreation area opened in 1974 by the 8th Duke and Duchess of Wellington.
The park has 350 acres of hardwood and softwood forest, woven with four nature trails and a habitat for fallow and red deer.
The park also has a 35-acre lake with a cafe on its shore, and when the summer comes there’s loads for children to get up to.
Domestic animals await at the animal farm and petting barn, there are adventure playgrounds, a miniature train, sandpits, a maze, “enchanted forest” and 12 holes of mini-golf.
42 現地メンバーのおすすめ
ウェリントンカントリーパーク
Odiham RoadIn the Hampshire countryside, seven miles south of Reading, there’s a big outdoor recreation area opened in 1974 by the 8th Duke and Duchess of Wellington.
The park has 350 acres of hardwood and softwood forest, woven with four nature trails and a habitat for fallow and red deer.
The park also has a 35-acre lake with a cafe on its shore, and when the summer comes there’s loads for children to get up to.
Domestic animals await at the animal farm and petting barn, there are adventure playgrounds, a miniature train, sandpits, a maze, “enchanted forest” and 12 holes of mini-golf.
On the Thames side of Basildon Park (9 miles from the apartment) is a kind of zoo that opened in 1956, and blends animal exhibits, amusements for younger children and landscaped gardens.
In the walk-through aviary are snowy owls, barn owls, blue and gold macaws, spectacled owls, caracaras and many more.
You can also check out enclosures and paddocks with rheas, alpacas, meerkats, lemurs, prairie dogs, Cameroon sheep and red-necked wallabies.
Added to that are a miniature train, indoor play area, and a delightful water garden and dry garden, scattered with interesting sculptures and planted with exotic trees like a gingko and swamp cypress.
37 現地メンバーのおすすめ
ビール公園
On the Thames side of Basildon Park (9 miles from the apartment) is a kind of zoo that opened in 1956, and blends animal exhibits, amusements for younger children and landscaped gardens.
In the walk-through aviary are snowy owls, barn owls, blue and gold macaws, spectacled owls, caracaras and many more.
You can also check out enclosures and paddocks with rheas, alpacas, meerkats, lemurs, prairie dogs, Cameroon sheep and red-necked wallabies.
Added to that are a miniature train, indoor play area, and a delightful water garden and dry garden, scattered with interesting sculptures and planted with exotic trees like a gingko and swamp cypress.
Operated by the University of Reading, this museum can be found at the back of the London Road campus near the town centre.
The attraction was founded in 1951, through the university’s historic ties to agriculture, and has had a long refurbishment, opening its doors once more in 2016. The galleries map more than 250 years of the English countryside and are stocked with manual tools, clothes, ploughs, antique portraits of livestock, carts and tractors, both steam and diesel-powered.
There’s multimedia to keep youngsters engaged and they can also dress up in period costume.
If some of the old-time contraptions seem confusing the museum’s staff are on hand for any questions.
Museum of English Rural Life and Special Collections Service
Operated by the University of Reading, this museum can be found at the back of the London Road campus near the town centre.
The attraction was founded in 1951, through the university’s historic ties to agriculture, and has had a long refurbishment, opening its doors once more in 2016. The galleries map more than 250 years of the English countryside and are stocked with manual tools, clothes, ploughs, antique portraits of livestock, carts and tractors, both steam and diesel-powered.
There’s multimedia to keep youngsters engaged and they can also dress up in period costume.
If some of the old-time contraptions seem confusing the museum’s staff are on hand for any questions.
BHS approved Cloud Stables (6 miles from Reading) offer a variety of well mannered mounts for lessons, which are available for guests' use from toddler upwards, so it's a great place for absolute beginners! They will sentient match the character of the horse to the needs of the rider, so even your most nervous ninnies are catered for with kindly whinnies for a ride that's pleasing all round. Worth taking a camera along!
Cloud Stables
Church LaneBHS approved Cloud Stables (6 miles from Reading) offer a variety of well mannered mounts for lessons, which are available for guests' use from toddler upwards, so it's a great place for absolute beginners! They will sentient match the character of the horse to the needs of the rider, so even your most nervous ninnies are catered for with kindly whinnies for a ride that's pleasing all round. Worth taking a camera along!
The Red Kangaroo Trampoline Park is located 3.5 miles from the apartment. From the moment you walk in through the doors you'll be immersed in the biggest, brightest and bounciest family-friendly day out in Berkshire. Featuring a huge main court of wall-to-wall trampolines, and the most exhilarating aerial activities around, they have shaped a programme of trampoline fun for everyone to enjoy, whatever your age or ability. Featuring a massive 21-metre tumble-track for super springy somersaults, an epic gladiator beam, incredible total wipeout game and double cardio reaction wall, you'll clamber upwards through a mad cat's cradle of gigantic elastic bands, then swoosh down a rip-roaring power slide before getting competitive in our two slam dunk arenas, dodgeball court and awesome ninja warrior course. Cafe Roo serves hot and cold food and drinks including delicious home-baked pizzas and Polar Krush and a relaxing mezzanine seating area to recover!
RedKangaroo Trampoline Park Reading
8 Bridgewater ClThe Red Kangaroo Trampoline Park is located 3.5 miles from the apartment. From the moment you walk in through the doors you'll be immersed in the biggest, brightest and bounciest family-friendly day out in Berkshire. Featuring a huge main court of wall-to-wall trampolines, and the most exhilarating aerial activities around, they have shaped a programme of trampoline fun for everyone to enjoy, whatever your age or ability. Featuring a massive 21-metre tumble-track for super springy somersaults, an epic gladiator beam, incredible total wipeout game and double cardio reaction wall, you'll clamber upwards through a mad cat's cradle of gigantic elastic bands, then swoosh down a rip-roaring power slide before getting competitive in our two slam dunk arenas, dodgeball court and awesome ninja warrior course. Cafe Roo serves hot and cold food and drinks including delicious home-baked pizzas and Polar Krush and a relaxing mezzanine seating area to recover!
Food scene
Bel & The Dragon was a former biscuit factory, is located on the waterfront of the Kennet & Avon Canal and is only a 5 minute walk from the apartment. The unique building has been lovingly refurbished to house a vibrant & atmospheric restaurant and bar as well as five new, beautiful en-suite bedrooms. The boardwalk and dining riverboat, The Majestic Bel, also provide an ideal waterside setting for alfresco & private dining.
23 現地メンバーのおすすめ
Bel & The Dragon
Gas Works RoadBel & The Dragon was a former biscuit factory, is located on the waterfront of the Kennet & Avon Canal and is only a 5 minute walk from the apartment. The unique building has been lovingly refurbished to house a vibrant & atmospheric restaurant and bar as well as five new, beautiful en-suite bedrooms. The boardwalk and dining riverboat, The Majestic Bel, also provide an ideal waterside setting for alfresco & private dining.
Carluccio's, the iconic Italian restaurant, is located near Forbury Gardens which is a 10 minute walk from the apartment and serves food delicious food inspired by Antonio Carluccio to deliver maximum flavour with minimum fuss.
Contemporary, white-walled chain Italian cafe-deli, with pastas, handmade focaccia and a kids' menu.
Mention you are our guests and receive a complimentary glass of Prosecco and 20% off your bill!
9 現地メンバーのおすすめ
Carluccio's - Reading
31-35 Kew RoadCarluccio's, the iconic Italian restaurant, is located near Forbury Gardens which is a 10 minute walk from the apartment and serves food delicious food inspired by Antonio Carluccio to deliver maximum flavour with minimum fuss.
Contemporary, white-walled chain Italian cafe-deli, with pastas, handmade focaccia and a kids' menu.
Mention you are our guests and receive a complimentary glass of Prosecco and 20% off your bill!
White-painted pub riverside pub a 5 minute walk from the apartment serving good food including tapas and paella, and four interesting changing ales along with various craft beers. It has friendly service, a modern interior with airy conservatory, tables on the tow path and beach hut booths at the back. The pub hosts twice monthly quiz and live music.
The Fisherman's Cottage
Kennet SideWhite-painted pub riverside pub a 5 minute walk from the apartment serving good food including tapas and paella, and four interesting changing ales along with various craft beers. It has friendly service, a modern interior with airy conservatory, tables on the tow path and beach hut booths at the back. The pub hosts twice monthly quiz and live music.
Groceries
Tesco Express is a 9 minute walk from the apartment (turn right and straight down Kings Road) and is open from 6.00 - 23.00.
Left from the apartment and a 2 minute walk is Nisha Food & Wine convenience store which is open from 7.00 to 23.00.
Tesco Express
1-4 London RdTesco Express is a 9 minute walk from the apartment (turn right and straight down Kings Road) and is open from 6.00 - 23.00.
Left from the apartment and a 2 minute walk is Nisha Food & Wine convenience store which is open from 7.00 to 23.00.