Planning your visit
Address: The Oracle Riverside carpark (P&D), Reading, RG1 2AG View on Google map
Price: Once you're parked up, it won't cost you a thing
Toilets: There are public toilets in the shopping centre
The Kennet & Avon Canal is famed for its scenic beauty and magnificent examples of canal engineering. It sweeps through Reading's regenerated city centre where County Lock is now a haven in the heart of the busy shopping and cinema district.
Things to do and see
- Walking and dog walking
- Cycling
- Shopping - The Oracle Shopping Centre straddles the canal
- Fishing
Places to eat:
- The Bell and The Dragon
- The Oracle website lists all the canalside restaurants and cafes
Picnic spots:
There are plenty of grassy areas to have a picnic beside County Lock
Trails:
- Heritage Walk - from The Oracle follow along Chestnut Walk, taking in Chocolate Island, where Huntley & Palmer's biscuit factory once stood, Reading Gaol, where Oscar Wilde was imprisoned, and the Abbey ruins
Wildlife spotting:
The city benefits from having the canal run through it bringing lots of wildlife, particularly water birds
Getting here
By car - there is parking in the city centre and a pay & display at the Horse and Barge for patrons
