thoughts on these areas near Reading

mrtaylor272

ideally i would move to the coast but due to family and friends i will for now stay in the Reading area. 
however I prefer smaller towns and prefer the following areas which are close enough to home:
-newbury

-henley

-wallingford

I just wondered if anyone knows the areas and would suggest a preference for any of the three or amything else i havent thought of ?

ReadingTim

Other than 3 random place names, have you actually thought of anything? 

Suggest you get in your car and go and visit them.  If you don't have a car, that's ruled out Wallingford for starters.  Once there, have a wander around.  If you like the feel of the place, get on rightmove, and see what your money buys you.  If you see something you like, buy it.  If not, or your budget doesn't stretch that far, try somewhere else.  

Martico

Good advice I'd say. When I was looking at a new area I took a few weekends with an airbnb in each and explored for myself, got a feel for the places. 

Mutton_Geoff

Google "Heathrow SIDS noise" (standard instrument departures) and see where your chosen areas sit in relation to the departures from Heathrow (and arrivals when they land to the east).

mrtaylor272

i like henley as the river gives it the closest feel to the coast inland. however its probably the most expensive /posh area and to get there the main route is busy via caversham.
wallingford has a nice feel and lot of history but has enough facilities but no rail (although its only 2/3 miles to cholsey rail).
newbury has the canal and rail and new shopping area, feels bigger than the other two areas and busier but still nice overall.

The_Fat_Controller

Mutton_Geoff said:

Google "Heathrow SIDS noise" (standard instrument departures) and see where your chosen areas sit in relation to the departures from Heathrow (and arrivals when they land to the east).

When I was in Henley in the summer the ducks were louder than any aircraft !

HampshireH

Lots of nice areas on the outskirts of Newbury if you don't want town centre. But they are pricier. Donnington/Wash water/Shaw.

Like most places the town centre has an empty shopping centre and a multitude of eateries.

Can't comment on the other two and you don't really say what your looking for to be able to advise further.

Family home with dog walking or bachelor/ette pad with nightlife etc?

Skiddaw1

Ah... Our old neck of the woods....   All three areas are pricey (Henley especially) so much of it depends on your budget and requirements. Wallingford is lovely and there's a decent bus service to Reading/Oxford despite there being no station so even if you don't drive it's unlikely to be too complicated logistically. If you're on a tighter budget I'd suggest going further out- Didcot for example. It may not be the most picturesque town in the world but there's fantastic country on your doorstep and it's well connected and resourced. I'm rather fond of Didcot- we nearly moved to the edge of Didcot once. Banbury and surrounding area (North Oxfordshire) is also worth considering (again, a frequent train service to Reading and London but a bit cheaper than the Southern end of the county) or perhaps consider some of the other small West Berkshire towns as well as Newbury- Thatcham for example- or a bit further west in the Swindon direction.

mrtaylor272

single and like a quiet life but wirh access to train and shops especially a nice supermarket, coffee shop and book shop. also nice to be able to go for walks in nature.

Skiddaw1

Depending on your means, I'd suggest Thatcham, Goring or Pangbourne could tick most (if not all) of the boxes for you.

Marmaduke123

Wokingham or Twyford might be possibilities. Wallingford is lovely, but it's a car journey to the nearest stations at Cholsey or Didcot.