Location, location - Reading?

al_yrpal

I have lived near Reading for 27 years and my son had a house in the lower Caversham area (near where the rock festival is held). Reading has come on enormously over the last 10 years. You can shop til you drop, there are plenty of bars and restaurants. Good art type things, a thriving Folk scene in Caversham. North of the town you have the Chilterns and the Ridgeway with some of the best walking/cycling country in the home counties attracting people from all over at weekends. The Thames and nearby Henley/Goring and Streatley are nice places. Trains run every few minutes to London Paddington, and there are excellent links to the Midlands too, with the M4 and M40 nearby. Reading has one of the highest proportions of terraced housing in the UK (mostly Edwardian). You can drive to the Solent in an hour and five, and the Cotwolds the same. Traffic is a bit manic. Lower Caversham is priced well and you can walk to the station. North of the Thames is nicer but pricier. As someone said avoid the Oxford Road area, Whitley Wood and some parts of East Reading. The Rock Festival, and Womad are great fun but they do cause traffic chaos for a bit.

For crime, prostitution and guns, Oxford road seems to figure frequently. The rest of the town is OK. I have never felt unsafe and I am on my pension.

dander

I spent many years in the university area of Reading - it's lovely there. Really attractive houses, nice people, always felt safe.

Reading is fantastic for the access to London - pretty much unbeatable train service. There can't be many better places if you want to commute. Sure all the other places mentioined, like Wokingham and Basingstoke have plenty of good points, but they're not 1/2 hour into Paddington!

balsingh

alanobrien wrote:

I have lived close to reading for the last 20 yrs or so.
Plus points are it has good infrastructure and surrounding areas can be nice and green Woodley is an example.

Bad points avoid Lower Early a sprawling "new town" now many years old but at one time the largest new estate of its kind in Europe.

Just found this thread whilst doing a search as I'm looking at Reading too. Why should Lower Earley be avoided? Most people say its one of the more upmarket areas around Reading with easy motorway access and no ex-council bits. Other than the fact that its a big estate, is there any other reason to avoid it?

buglawton

Because of the housing shortage, even the grimmest of Reading properties are still 'popular'. Some areas around Reading can be very convenient but it rather depends on where you work. If you are not tied to Reading for work or commuting, consider a place with more atmosphere such as Marlow.

Edna_Bucket_2

buglawton wrote:

If you are not tied to Reading for work or commuting, consider a place with more atmosphere such as Marlow.

True enough...when it comes to the atmosphere I have been told that Reading is twinned with the Moon... :D:D

PosterBoy77

I bought a couple of BTL properties in Reading in 2002 which I subsequently have sold in 2005 and 2006. Both were Three Storey Victorian houses, one in the Oxford Road area and one at the other end of town close to Thames Valley Park. The Oxford road area has become renowned for crime and prostitution, and hence I sold that property as the area started getting more crime ridden. The house at the other end of town was burgled Twice - once when I was renovating it, and again when it was lived in by tenants. I have heard that it has been burgled again since I have sold it. The only positive things about that area is that you can get in and out of it very quickly by road along the A329(m)

Reading has lots of facilities, but the roads system within the town is appalling and unable to cope with the traffic. It does however have good rail links.

The only part of Reading I would consider living in myself now are some parts of Tilehurst and Caversham.

I myself live out in the countryside between Reading and Newbury which is far more pleasant and the prices are quite similar. However it is harder to find lower end properties.

Leeds_Fan_2

I lived in Reading for 3 1/2 years whilst working in Farnborough and Aldershot. Journey was ok most of the time but when it went wrong it was horrible. J11 M4 can take 60 mins to get past some days. Back roads ways are better.

I lived in the centre of Reading and really enjoyed most of it. Good places to go out and eat etc. and shopping good. Could go 5 mins out of my apartment to the centre of town or 10 mins the other way and be by the river in countryside.

Downsides - had 2 bikes nicked (were both locked and under cctv), wifes car had the wing mirror kicked off, 3 months later students jumped up and down on it!! Nightlife can be a bit edgy as well. Aslo there is so much develoment going on with Apartment blocks in Reading that selling one is not easy (in case thats what your thinking of buying). And parking is awful.......

I have now moved to Yateley (quieter but nicer IMHO). Have lots of countryside but easy to get to most places) Reading is only 25 mins away, Guildford 30 mins and London 45 (all on good traffic days...). We looked at Fleet as well when we moved (slightly more going on in the evening than Yateley).

Have also lived in Brookwood (not bad - great rail links but busy main road through the middle) and Warfield (don't do it).

Hope that helps.