Reading is a great place to live
Location
Reading is the county town of the Royal County of Berkshire. It is situated halfway between London and Oxford in the beautiful Thames Valley, at the heart of the fastest growing area in the South.
Set in the middle of England’s ‘Silicon Valley’ but close to the countryside, it is a thriving area of commerce and light industry.
Entertainment and Leisure
Reading is packed with shops, bars, restaurants and nightclubs all of which make it one of the liveliest places in the area. There is always a choice of live music and dancing as well as comedy and theatre.
We also have The Hexagon, a multi purpose entertainment centre, with a reputation for top class entertainment, including popular entertainers, drama and comedy. The town also boasts a spirited premiership football team and has it’s own stadium. It also hosts the annual Reading Festival and WOMAD, a festival of music and dance, which attract people from all over the UK and Europe. A modern ten-screen cinema complex can be found in the centre of town offering all the latest film releases.
For athletic types Reading offers three leisure centres each with their own pool (discounted memberships available for NHS employees), two other swimming pools, 600 acres of park with excellence children’s playgrounds, athletics and cycling tracks and water sports. Ice skating, dry slope skiing and boarding are offered in the neighbouring town of Bracknell.
Shopping
Reading is among the top ten retail destinations in the country with most of the major chains represented. The Oracle shopping and leisure complex opened in September 1999 to universal acclaim, it houses over 100 shops.
Getting About
There are good rail and road links to all parts of the UK. The M4 motorway provides ready access to London, Wales and the South West and trains run to and from London, the fastest taking only 30 minutes to reach central London. The principle UK airport, Heathrow, is only 30 minutes via frequent coach service from Reading station. There is also a direct connection with London Gatwick airport with an hourly service and a journey time of 90 minutes. Reading Buses provide one of the best bus services in the country with an all-town network of frequent services in and around the town centre, including night buses until 02.00 (04.00 at weekends).The Trust offers Interest free loans are available for the purchase of season tickets and for purchasing cycles.
For more information see www.readingtourism.org.uk
