Lauren & Ryan's quick guide to the local area
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Lauren and Ryan’s Quick Guide to the Local Area
We have lived in a few locations around the local neighbourhood over the past few years. Our quick guide isn’t chapter and verse about each area. We just wanted to highlight a few of the key points that we feel make them stand out. From pubs and parks, to cafés and trains, hopefully the below will be a nice little insight to what’s on offer…
Tilehurst
Known as one of Reading’s best areas for families, there is so much Tilehurst has to offer. There are brilliant transport links and fantastic local schools, where every Primary school has either a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating.
The village triangle is the central point of the area, with an array of local shops, including a florist, bakery and pharmacy, plus there are some great cafes like The Switch or Mad Hatters.
If long walks in the open countryside are what you want, then look no further then Sulham Woods. Approaching nearly 200 acres of woodlands and fields, you can enjoy hours of peaceful walking and exploring.
For the commuters, Tilehurst train station is just one stop from Reading central which provides easy access to London, and you are only a few minutes away from junction 12 of the M4.
Lauren and Ryan’s favourite thing about… Tilehurst, is how easy it is too get places, yet everything is on your doorstep. There really is a great community spirit in the village.
Calcot
Divided into the three areas of Forms Farm, Beansheaf Farm and Langley Hill, Calcot runs along the A4 so access to every part of Reading can be easily achieved.
Calcot is probably best known for the Sainsburys complex (or SavaCentre for us locals) and Ikea that came to the area in 2016. But there is so much more to Calcot! Both Calcot Primary and Kennet Valley primary schools have good Ofsted reports, and Lidl and Aldi have always been very popular amongst local residents.
One of the most famous buildings is Calcot Park, a large stately home that has since been converted to apartments and sits of the grounds of Calcot Park Golf Course. There are also some great parks like Linear Park and Calcot Recreation ground.
Lauren and Ryan’s favourite thing about… Calcot, is The Avenue Deli located just off the Bath Road crossroads. The breakfast’s here are one of the best in the area, so be sure to check it out!
Southcote
Located south of the Bath Road, Southcote is extremely popular with families due to the great local primary schools and easy access back into central Reading. Similar to Calcot, both of the primary schools have good Ofsted reports, and there are some great parks and walks close by.
The Southcote Beefeater and The Mansion House at Prospect Park are two pub restaurants which cater for families. Prospect Park is one of the largest parks in Reading and has a great kids play park, sports facilities and even had its own ParkRun every Saturday morning at 9am (which is very muddy in the Winter months – trust us!).
Lauren and Ryan’s favourite thing about… Southcote, is if you walk to the end of Circuit Lane, you can cross over the Holy Brook and eventually meet the River Kennet. It is a lovely walk along the river during the Summer months, and also a great running circuit.
West Reading
As an area, West Reading is everything from Reading West train station to the start of Tilehurst.
The Oxford Road, which runs from central Reading to Purley is commonly associated with West Reading, with dozens of residential streets leading off it. There is a vibrant feel to the area with an abundance of local shops to choose from, and plenty of parks for kids to play in.
The Tesco Extra on Portman Road is one of the landmarks in the area, built on the historic Battle Hospital site. There are plenty of things to do here including Red Kangaroo Trampoline Park, Escape Room from Escape Reading and access to the The Atrium Health Club.
Transport links are brilliant, with the train station which heads back into central reading and an awesome bus network opening up plenty of opportunities to easily travel across the town.
Lauren and Ryan’s favourite thing about… West Reading, has to be Red Kangaroo. We have been taking our daughter here since it first opened 5 years ago, and she still loves it now as a 7 year old, as much as she did as a toddler.
Burghfield
A more rural part of Reading, Burghfield is a large area, but with very few properties, consisting of mostly fields either side of the main road leading through to Burghfield Common and beyond.
Burghfield is home to AWE, but that is top secret and something we can’t talk about…. What we can talk about is three of the best pub restaurants in all of Reading. The Cunning Man is a local country pub on the banks of the River Kennet and a personal favourite of ours.
The Hatch Gate Inn offers some of the best Indian cuisine available anywhere. And finally, The Six Bells is one of the nicest and welcoming local village pubs around.
Lauren and Ryan’s favourite thing about… Burghfield, is all of the pubs above!
So there it is, our quick guide to the local area. Hopefully you found some useful info and will visit some of our recommended hotspots.
Any questions or points to discuss, feel free to the reach out on the below details.
Lauren - 07552 040408
Ryan - 07731 105514