HelpHound Local

I have lived in Reading for two years now, since I moved here to attend University. I have found Reading to be a really nice place to be, the first year I was in halls and my experience of Reading was very much in the eye of a student; the night life is brilliant, town is great and has all the shops you need (clothes shops, supermarkets, toiletries, music shops, baby shops, mobile phone stores, electrical stores, banks, stationery stores, health shops etc...) the surrounding area around my hall contained all the shops I needed and therefore was brilliant for getting anything essential, and non essential, that I needed, and The University was close by. The second year I moved to private accommodation and experienced more of the life of Reading. Again, I was still very much surrounded by students but in a house this time and therefore respecting local residents was more important. Reading is quite an expensive town as it is so close to London. The train station in Reading travels to loads of different locations at short distances and long distances. Buses run regularly in Reading and sometimes it is easier to get public transport in this town rather than drive as the one-way systems in Reading can prove to be very frustrating unless you are very used to them. The University of Reading itself is picturesque; the campus is beautiful and very green with a lot of trees and a large lake. There are old buildings and very modern buildings and has a really nice atmosphere. I often see people on campus walking their dogs or just generally taking a walk around the grounds of the University. As Reading is only about a 40 minute train journey from London, many people live here and work in London by commuting each day.

Reading is great in some parts. One of the best bits is the Oracle shopping centre. You can literally live here theres so much to do. In the daytime there are loads of high street and more upmarket stores like House of Fraser. There are loads of cafes to have lunch or breakfast depending on how keen a shopper you are. In the evening there is a cinema with very large screens, and there are loads of bars and resturants of every nationality. Tapas, Italian, Indian. Theres also a pretty riverside walk through the middle of the shopping centre which is open and so on a sunny day this is nice to just chill out by the river. There is a good bus system, free for over 60's and it goes through all the suburbs so you can easily get to the town centre. Theres also a large train/bus station that Ive had to change at many times and its quite well organised. Some parts of reading can be very expensive and so make sure you save a lot before buying a house there. My parents lived there until I was 2 and my gran still lives there, and its a great place that just needs a bit more development.

I have lived in Reading for the last two years as a university student and have enjoyed it immensely. It has a great university which has one of the greenest campuses in the country and is viewed as the best University for research. Reading is also great for shopping. The oracle, which was built in 1999, is home to a huge number of big named retail shops and is spread over 2 floors. The shops are of a decent size and have a wide product range. In 2007 in a poll, it was rated 10th best retail destination in the UK. The train station is seen as a major junction point on the nation rail system. It is just 40 minutes away from London and you can get trains that run to most parts of the country. Entertainment wise, Reading has a number of different attractions and venues. There is a Vue Cinema just outside the Oracle on the Riverside, a speedway and dogs track, the Hexagon where you can watch live performances, a up and coming football club with a modern stadium (Madejski Stadium) and a Casino. The nightlife is also very good. There are a number of clubs and bars in Reading, Q Bar, Dogma, Bar Risa, Yates and Bar four are amongst the most popular bars in Reading, both with the locals and students. A great place to live as it is close to London, has an excellent University, a train station that allows you to travel to a huge number of stations around the country, a highly rated shopping centre and a great nightlife.

I have lived about 20 minutes outside of Reading for all of my life. Reading has some great shops, especially since the Oracle was built and there is some lovely restaurants along the riverside there. The Oracle has also provided a large amount of parking right in the centre which makes Reading really accessible. The nightlife is alright..but doesnt compare to some other major cities. Overall, Reading is a great town to be in if you enjoy a busy lively atmosphere.

Reading is a well known large town in Berkshire for its top University, festival, shopping, nightlife and football team. It is in a fantastic location at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet and is midway between London and Swindon which makes it perfect for commuters. It is also one of the largest towns in England and the capital of Berkshire. There are a number of different ways to get to Reading. Firstly, by river as I have already mentioned via the Thames and the kennet. By road, Reading is very close to the A4 which connects London to Bath and Bristol. By train, Reading has a large train station providing fast trains to London Paddington, London Waterloo, Swindon, Bristol. Cardiff, Exeter, Oxford, Guildford and Gatwick Airport making the town very well linked. The education sector in Reading is excellent and thriving with history as well as Ready School is the tenth oldest school in the whole of England based in Victorian buildings. The University of Reading is a top British University where people come from all over the country and world to go to. Reading town centre is a major shopping centre and has been voted one of the top ten retail destinations in the whole of the UK which is quite something. The main town centre is around Broad Street which contains both the Oracle shopping mall and the Broad Street Mall which are both enclosed shopping centres. There are 3 major department stores in Reading; John Lewis, Debenhams and House of Fraser. There are also branches of the chains Marks and Spencers, BHS, H and M, Primark and UNIQLO. There are even 2 branches of Waterstones in Reading!! Besides the two main shopping centres, there are 3 smaller arcades called The Bristol and West Arcade, Harris Arcade and The Walk which contains smaller, specialist stores with loads of individual produce. Culturally, Reading has a number of art centres including concert halls and art galleries. The main cultural event of the year in Reading is of course the Reading Festival which has been going since 197. It is considered to be the largest UK music festival after Glastonbury. Reading also has a buzzing nightlife with loads of bars and clubs. Overall, this is a great town.

Reading is home to the Premier league football team and also the university. There are lots of shops in the town and it is a great place to go shopping with friends, or go to the cinema. There is a train station in Reading which takes passengers both in and out of Reading. The university is very beautiful and many people apply to study at Reading University each year. Another attraction that people visit Reading for is the Reading festival. It is a popular event which has great bands playing at.

Reading is a decent city, with a very decent university. I often pass through when on the train (as if you want to go anywhere north of Winchester you usually have to go through reading). It has a large shopping district and although some of the housing is expensive, generally it''s a little more affordable than some of the cities in the South of England. Reading is not a huge city, but neither is it particularly small, making it both a great place to live and a great place to visit. As a city I would give reading 8 out of 10 as it also has some interesting history.

I grew up near reading and I am not a big fan at all. It isn''t actually city although it does keep applying for city status. There are some alright shops in the oracle but not loads, and certainly nothing out of the ordinary, topshop etc. the centre isn''t very pretty or interesting and the outskirts don''t really hold much either. The nightlife isn''t awful but certainly not good for it''s size. There are some ok hip hop clubs if you''re into that, but if you like any sort of dance music (aside from chart) you''re going to be hard pushed.