for a youngish family and commuting to london etc

cheers!

There’s nicer places!

don’t do it, look at Pewsey or Hungerford. Readings a toilet.

Farnborough? 35 mins to Waterloo.

Rebuilt station at huge cost, new train depot, crazy traffic system on the roads.

Some parts of west Berkshire are lovely.
I lived in Aldermaston wharf.
It has a train connection to reading then on to London.

don’t do it, look at Pewsey or Hungerford

Considerable longer commute to London by car or by train.

but worth it

With that attitude why not live in the Wye valley.

Used to live in Tilehurst, Calcot, Tidmarsh……… if you know the area, you will notice I was moving further away. Now in Thatcham, even further away. Mum still lives near Tilehurst station on the way to Purley, but I would rather gnaw my own genitals than live there again. As said there is ‘much’ nicer places to live.

Winnersh? Earley? Wokingham? Horrendous traffic for sure.

I have to work there every week, I hate trying to get around it!

The road system is screwed by the river and railway running through the town, everything is then condensed into into the thoroughfares that get over and under these obstructions.

I lived at Winnersh triangle for a few months when I moved down south, hard to imagine a duller place on the planet.

All down to the detail I’m afraid. Commuting to the city means a good train service to Paddington and then a lousy tube journey – but thousands do it.

Loads of really nice places to live in Thames Valley including parts of Reading itself, but best places very expensive.

If I was moving to the area today I would look at Maidenhead rather than Reading as CrossRail will start from there when it is eventually finished making a 45 minute journey to Liverpool St, but if you have another reason for looking at Reading its not the end of the world. 20 years ago Reading was in an appalling state, but it really has changed and mostly is not a toilet these days.

The Wye valley is particularly nice, its also where my grandfathers ashes are scattered. But I live in Devon, which is almost far enough away.

Like this

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N99kv6ojn48[/video]

Gets a bit noisy at the end of the summer!!!!

I live here, well wokingham now, it’s crap, there is absolutely nothing about it (appart from work) that makes me want to be here.

If on the other hand you may be content with shoping in the oracle and obliterating the memory afterwards with £15/shot vodca in sacura afterwards on a saturday and telling everyone you meet how close to london you are then its great!

thisisnotaspoon – given that in 2012 wokingham was voted the best place to live in britain I fear that your comments say more about you than about berkshire!

Captain Slow. Having being born in Reading and lived there up to 12 years ago, I am aware that Reading is a pit and has actually got worse as a bigger pit ever since. Road system is the worse. Shopping is mediocre, as long as you pay through the nose for public carparks. We stopped for food one night and paid £5 for 2 hrs parking. My mother has lived there for a similar amount of time and is contemplating moving away after being burgled, like the neighbours. So that’s a great invite to live in Reading.

Guys, I’m not suggesting that Reading is some sort of paradise, just that there are loads of good areas if you can afford to live in them. Not sure what the OP’s motivation is for thinking of living here, but if it has to be Berkshire then Reading has as much to offer as any of the towns.

The traffic is indeed a nightmare, but the main point I was trying to make is that whilst some will hate the Oracle and the trendy bars in the town centre others will think they are a positive. The same applies to the river and the railway – if you want to row or commute by train (I do neither!) you could see them as positives, but if you want to drive from one side to the other maybe you see them just as barriers.

Reading then, not as nice as Windsor, but better than Slough…

@kimbers – is your workplace convenient for Paddington / tube connection ?

It’s a bit of an odd place, it’s not suburbia, it’s not town or village living – so betwixt and between. That being said it’s a city with decent facilities, Uni, Football and Rugby teams, good shopping. Close to Heathrow and M4 (Wales 1,5-2hrs ?). If it where me I’d pick a town outside with train station or shortish drive to a commute point. Have a friend who commutes in from Thame and lives in a village near there, says it’s a good compromise.

The three best things about Reading are:
Palmer Park Velo
AW Cycles
Reading Climbing Centre

If you want your kids to cycle, there is no better club. We live in Windsor.

As TiRed says: Really good climbing wall, at least 1 half decent bike shop (though technically its caversham for the snobs). Theres some amazing road riding really not very far from town i.e north towards henley, stokenchurch and the chilterns. Ditto some great riding straight from town (Across the caversham bridge and head along the river towards mapledurham) or a short drive (Swinley, and the aformentioned chilterns)

A few pretty nice pubs as well plus the usual selection of foods. Theres a great takeaway indian up near the shinfield road.

For those who complain about the roads…. people love bristol and that place has roads akin to the 7th circle of hell!

It’s like America, but smaller.

I live here, well wokingham now, it’s crap, there is absolutely nothing about it (appart from work) that makes me want to be here.

Comments like that remind me how lucky we are live with this a few minutes stroll from our door:

I grew up in Reading and before,during and after the oracle was born. I saw it change into another generic town but with the attitude of a wannabe city.
I now live in fleet,Hampshire – it’s a great line to get to Waterloo station and major airports , plus good links to the south cost.
Plenty of good riding on the doorstep too 🙂

Have a look around fleet,farnborough,elvertham ,etc etc

Once again, STW shows it’s Elitism and class boundaries.

Reading is a nice enough place, riverside appartments, walks down the Kennet and Avon canal, shops, bars, things to do…. It’s everything you want and expect in a town in the South.

It’s not, a picturesque village in the Cotswolds… no sir… it’s not.

As long as a village in the Cotswolds isn’t what you’re after.. .Reading will be spot on.

Lived there for 12 years but have now moved out to more West Berks than that… Although I agree there is a pattern with many posters moving away, that doesn’t make Reading a bad place, it just means the posters priorities changed and they moved away.

as with all towns… Good and bad bits… but, once you close the door, your house is your castle…

With Weeksy on this one – been down this area on and off for 10 years or so, currently living about 6 miles outside of Reading in some beautiful Berkshire countryside. I’ve got a small station about 2 miles away (Mortimer) – 10 mins to Reading then about 30 mins to Paddington if I need to be in London.

Don’t think I’ll live here for ever, but not a bad part of the world at all! Reading is pretty much like any other smallish city – good bits and bad. Pretty generic shopping, not the best night out in the world, but then I’ve grown out of that and much prefer a decent restaurant or pub these days.

in 2012 wokingham was voted the best place to live in britain

ha, haha, HA, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

voted by idiots living in Wokingham I assume?

I worked in Reading for 5 years. I lived in Reading for 18months of that then moved to Winchester and later Basingstoke. I preferred Basingstoke to Reading. At least it’s cheap and has nicer countryside round about.

Lived there for several years when we didn’t have children. Fine in those circumstances – nice flats, pubs and bars etc, good transport links to London.

When we had kids, we didn’t want to bring them up there. The only options for housing in our budget appeared to be Winnersh and West Reading, where schools appeared to be mediocre at best (although this may have changed, obviously) – so moved to northern England.

Caversham is nicer, but much pricier. There are some better houses in the area south of Cemetery Junction, but again, pricier. Avoid West Reading like the plague.

given that in 2012 wokingham was voted the best place to live in britain I fear that your comments say more about you than about berkshire!

As voted in wokingham life? Its like reading in posh minature, complete with stupid one way system and half deserted high street. And house prices are mental, 250k for a terrace!

But yes, its better than Reading!

Once again, STW shows it’s Elitism and class boundaries.

I lived in Whitley for a while………..

Mandela Court used to be pretty friendly

Worked in Central reading for 12 years, lived there for 4 years (right in the centre).

Now live in cholsey – just north west of reading.

In my experience

Pros
– good for shopping
– good private schools
– good biking nearby (not the lakes mind)
– good transport links

Bad points
– parts of it are a real dump
– parts of it are very rough (remember the two girls drugged, raped and shot a few years ago)

If your kids are young I’d look outside – thatcham, Wallingford, Wokingham etc

Still easy to get to London but nicer. I often have to go to London and can get to the city in less than 1.5 hrs door to door. If just paddington less than an hour.

Hope that helps!

Another reading born and bred here. If you lot think it’s crap now, you should have seen it in the 70’s.

Good for mainstream restaurants and shops and cinema in the oracle. Nice countryside and riverside pubs a short drive away. Good commuter lines into London. Plenty of riding in the Chilterns to the north or swinley and army lands to the east, or in Wales in 90 mins. There’s far worse places, in my opinion.

To the op, if you’re seriously looking, the nicer areas tend to the other side of the river, caversham, emmer green, etc., woodley / lower earley are newer but also ok. Further out parts of tilehurst can be OK, and you can pretend it’s purley. Whitley’s a bit of a hole, as is just about anything along the Oxford road.

(remember the two girls drugged, raped and shot a few years ago)

Hotel at the top of Connaught road… my posh rented flat overlooked it.

When I moved to Reading I had my car stolen and burnt out within a month. Forgot to mention that.

Mandela court. Class. £20 bag please 🙂 lots of lost evenings!