The town of Reading

Reading is situated in the Thames Valley about thirty miles west of London. It has excellent connections to many parts of Britain and beyond by rail, road and air.

It is a dynamic town with excellent shopping and services. The College is in Castle Street, only a few minutes walk from the railway station, and just a stone's throw from town centre shops and restaurants, including the Oracle shopping and leisure centre.

Getting here

By rail Reading is only twenty-five minutes on the train from Paddington and has excellent rail connections to many parts of Britain. The College is a ten-minute walk from the railway station.

By road Reading is west of London on the M4 motorway, close to the M25, M3, M40 and connections to the M1 allowing for easy access to other parts of the country. There are high speed coach services to London and elsewhere.

By air Reading is within easy reach of both London Heathrow and Gatwick airports. There is a regular Railair coach service between Reading railway station and Heathrow (typically 45 mins, depending on the time of day), and a direct train link to Gatwick (1 hr 16 mins).

Parking

For the College There is no parking available at the College. However, there is parking in the nearby Oracle shopping centre - Oracle Riverside in Mill Lane is open 24-hours a day, Oracle Holy Brook in Bridge Street opens in line with shop opening times - see the Oracle website oracle-shopping.com for details. Alternative car parks are situated at Broad Street Mall (accessed off the mini roundabout on Castle Street, in front of the College), Chatham Place (accessed off Chatham Street near Oxford Road) and Queen's Road.

For the Town Hall Continuing professional development events are sometimes held at the Town Hall, Blagrave Street, a two-minute walk from the railway station, next to the Museum of Reading.

Parking is available at Queen's Road, the railway station, the Oracle shopping and leisure complex or Chatham Place.

Planning your journey

Here are some useful links if you are planning to come and see us:
www.nationalrail.co.uk
www.transportdirect.info
journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk
www.theaa.com/travelwatch
www.traveline.org.uk

Accommodation in the Reading area

We can provide a list of bed and breakfast accommodation on request, or you can call Reading Tourist Board's Accommodation Service on 0118 956 6226 or go to www.readingtourism.org.uk/accommodation