Surrounding Countryside

Reading is awash with green and blue, with two rivers running directly through its centre (and even its shopping centre!) and boarded by the rolling hills of the Chilterns and south Berkshire’s leafy suburbs.

Did you know that Reading is home to around 100 parks and playgrounds across the borough, with 20 woodlands and five local nature reserves? Well, step just beyond its immediate boundary and you’ll find even more green, open space with miles of countryside to enjoy. Choose from pretty Thames-side villages or the inspiring beauty of the Chilterns – trust us, the scenery rivals anywhere in the South of England.

To the north there is Sonning Common, Peppard, Nettlebed and the gateway to the Chilterns Area of Outstanding National Beauty, as well as National Trust properties and stately homes perfectly dotted within the countryside.

To the east you’ll find the sought-after riverside villages of Sonning, Playhatch, Wargrave and Henley, all boasting access to beautiful countryside rambles and glorious country pubs serving some of the very best of Berkshire’s produce.

To the south you’ll find the areas of Shinfield, Arborfield, Spencers Wood and Silchester, complete with Roman City Walls and Amphitheatre.

Finally, to the west of Reading’s centre, you’ll find the picturesque riverside locations of Pangbourne, Goring & Streatley, Basildon, Woolhampton, Yattendon and Bucklebury, with royal family links and miles upon miles of rolling hills where you can truly escape the everyday.

Who says you can't have your cake and eat it?!