Reading
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 and you’re just a stone’s throw away from 900 year-old Reading Abbey Ruins.
Things to do and see
- Walking and dog walking
- Cycling
- Shopping - The Oracle Shopping Centre straddles the canal, and Reading’s high street and independent shops are just 200 metres north of the canal
- Fishing
- Visit the burial place of King Henry I. Reading Abbey Ruins are open free of charge, every day, from dawn to dusk
Places to eat:
- The Bel 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 or a short walk takes you to Forbury Gardens
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, the Abbey Gateway, Jane’s Austen’s school room and the Abbey Ruins, as well as great Victorian buildings by Waterhouse (Reading town hall), Pugin (St James Church) and Gilbert Scott (Reading Prison)
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 plenty of parking in the city centre including the Oracle and Queen’s Road car parks which overlook the canal
By train – Reading Station is a 10 minute walk from the canal
