Why Reading is our favorite city in the UK

Why Reading is our favourite city in the UK 

Many students who come to our homestay are looking to improve their English language skills and gain access to the world of resources at the doorstep of our city here in Reading. But many people don’t know about the wonderful sites and experiences within our city. With a short ride to London, the focus is often on what the major city offers; however, second to London, Reading is regarded as the best town in the UK for economic activity, student life, and quality of life. 

Here are our favourite places in Reading that we recommend to all our students and visitors…

• View Island

Located near Caversham Lock on the River Thames, View Island is a quiet oasis in nature, away from the stresses and pressures of daily life. It is a small park with grass pathways that feature famous wooden sculptures nestled in the woods. Recovered from an abandoned boatyard in 1998, this island is now a spot of relaxation and immersion in nature. 

 

• Highclere Castle

Fans of Downtown Abbey will recognize this enormous estate as the location for filming the famous television series. Home to the Earls of Carnarvon, the castle has housed some of the historical figures who have contributed to the founding of Canada, the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, and more. 

• Reading Museum

A stunning architectural site, this museum tells the history of the city and the surrounding towns in Berkshire. There is an endless amount for visitors to learn with art, archaeology, natural history, and history collections. You will surely leave the museum enriched and appreciative of all this wonderful city has to offer!

• Reading Hollywood film studio

A state-of-the-art film and TV studio complex with a Disney production at the Thames Valley Science Park.

• Reading named top Tech City in the UK

Reading has the third-largest amount of tech businesses and organisations, being beaten only by London and Manchester.

• Reading Madejski football stadium 

This comprises Green Park, Arlington Park, Campus Reading and Reading's 3rd newest Green Park train station.

• The Crossrail

The new Elizabeth line opens on the 24th of May, 2022. It splits London in half at Paddington station and goes from the West of London in Reading to the East of London in Shenfield.

This is London's most advanced and fastest line on the London official tube map, a 20 Billion pound project with a direct train to London-Paddington from Reading every 10 min within 23 min.

Our students particularly like that you can also go from our Homestay to Theale station, situated 0.7 miles away by foot, by bus or by car and catch the train to Paddington direct!

If you have the weekend off, why not go to St Pancras station from Paddington and head to Paris within 2 hours for 1 or 2 nights via Eurostar.