Reading
© OpenStreetMap, CARTO
A Deo et Regina | From God and the Queen
Why visit
Reading is more practical than visually coherent, but offers a few worthwhile stops. Visit the romantic Reading Abbey ruins where Henry I is buried. Tour the excellent Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) and the Reading Museum, which holds the Bayeux Tapestry's only full-size replica. Walk the Thames Path to the Goring Gap for a compact stretch of river. The Reading and Leeds Festival (late August) brings massive rock crowds. Use Reading as a base for nearby Henley-on-Thames, Windsor Castle, and Oxford. All within an hour. The new Elizabeth line gives swift access to central London.
When to avoid
Reading is a workaday commuter town. Don't expect a chocolate-box English experience. The town center has serious traffic and limited parking. Friday and Saturday nights in the Oracle shopping center area can get rowdy. The Reading Festival weekend turns the entire town into a logistical nightmare. Book trains and accommodation months ahead. Skip the post-festival cleanup days. Rail strikes occasionally disrupt the Paddington line. Some neighborhoods south of the river have higher crime rates.