P1Fanatic

My company is relocating from Cambridge to Reading before the end of 2003. Ive pretty much decided to move with them. Any of you reading locals tell me what its like, any tips of where and where not to live etc?

The relocation package we should get (going on past ones) makes it very viable to buy a house as they will pay for all fees including stamp duty, registry searches, estate agent fees, surveyors fees, furnitue removal etc

Simon.

what would scooby do

traffic is a nightmare - too many people and business crammed into one area - is all I know

Train to london is quick though - 25 mins

I also found £1.20 at Reading Services today which is nice

MattW

Traffic in Reading is a nightmare. Do you know where exactly your coy is locating to.

On the south side next to M4 you could buy in one of the villages in south Berks \ North Hants which can be very expensive. Basingstoke, Fleet, Farnborough are all within easy reach if you're looking for a bigger town.

To the west, you could try as far as Hungerford which is pleasant and fairly reasonable.

The East side is Bracknell , Slough etc, which are best avoided (in general IMO). I'm not sure about North.

If you're going to be in the centre than I would seriously look at somewhere out of Reading and close to a station.

LanciaChris

Funnily enough im also wondering about what reading is like to live in. Whats the nightlife like there? is it infested by barrys? is there a general feel to the place (like a kind of attitude that people seem to share)?

Just finished my degree and there are a few jobs i might be interested in there.

POSHBIRD

Reading is ok for nightlife and shopping and eating out but thats about it....
Look at the little villages close by, Mortimer, Sonning and Pangbourne are nice, but expensive.

I would not want to live in Reading, the traffic is worse than Newbury where I live and thats bad enough!!!.


Good Luck!



[Edited by POSHBIRD - 05/06/2003 14:38:48]

Dunk

iTrader: (1)

Traffic does seem to get worse, but maybe that's because people want to come here ! Like all places there are nice & pricey areas or cheapish & grotty (generally pricier the nearer you get to the Thames). Best to find out where your new offices are, how much time you want to spend commuting & of course how much you want to spend. Can't comment on going out or shopping as I'm too old & got a wife.

Here's some houses
http://www.whiteknights.co.uk
http://www.patrickwilliams.co.uk

If you want a property paper let me know.

D

P1Fanatic

Well I work 12hr shifts from 8am til 8pm and vice versa so traffic isnt usually a problem for me.

The relocation package says I must be within 15 miles of work to qualify for all assistance in buying a new house, so I would be looking to comply with that. Our Reading office is on the Reading International Business Park supposedly.

Simon.

ScoobyJawa

Its a dump, traffic is a nightmare, watch out for gangs and getting shot/stabbed outside the clubs

Wouldn't live there if you paid me! I think labelling Bracknell and Slough together is a bit wrong though, Slough is much more like Reading than Bracknell.



[Edited by ScoobyJawa - 05/06/2003 14:57:50]

ScoobyJawa

Spot on - you can move 15 miles away from the place then!

P1Fanatic

Dunk if you could post me a property paper or 2 that would be great. Obviously I would pay all postage etc and chuck in a couple of quid for a pint or 2 for your efforts

Simon.

Dunk

iTrader: (1)

15 miles gives you a decent amount of choice of locations - give a wide berth to anything off the Oxford Rd or in Southcote & Coley.

D

YGM
Edited as it's Reading Int B Park & not Thames Valley Park !!
[Edited by Dunk - 05/06/2003 15:04:51]

[Edited by Dunk - 05/06/2003 16:13:42]

andrew6321

Having spent the first 20 years of my life in Southcote, I can agree with Dunk on that one

Reading is no better or worse than any other medium sized town that thinks its a city...night life is ok, shopping is ok and its well placed for either London, Oxford, Bristol, south coast, etc. I could think of worse places to be...

If you can find a place south of the M4, then I think that would be a better idea than either north, west or east...

P1Fanatic

Well to honest I think it would be stupid to look outside of a 15 mile radius and pass up the chance of the relocation assistance. I can always live there for a couple of years then get somewhere better located.

YGMB dunk!

Simon.

MattW

The Inland Revenue says you must move within reasonable travelling distance for relocation to be tax free. Sounds like your coy is being very safe with their interpretation, I'd query this as usually anything up to 35 miles is well within tolerance.

P1Fanatic

Oh yeah Dunk - what are the SN meets like around Reading? Although the Scoob might have to go if a mortgage is on the horizon

Simon.

TopBanana

My girlfriend lives in Caversham (in the north) and I've grown to really like it. Rush hour traffic is pretty heavy so I always leave at 7am, but I've never seen it literally gridlocked.

TopBanana

There are some nice villages to the south of the M4 - like the guys said. And should you want to work elsewhere, there are excellent train links although parking in the station costs a bloody ridiculous £11 a day!! Anyone know any cheeky parking spots? There's a beer in it

jbryant

Hi there,

Reading International Business Park is on the A33 (Basingstoke Road) just next to J11 of the M4 (ie. by the Madjeski stadium). It's NOT by the A329 as previously stated (ie. by the Microsoft campus).

Considering the shifts you do, you will miss most of the traffic, though it does get VERY heavy during peak hours, with gridlock through much of the town.

I commute from the North side of Thames/Reading (the nice bit )) at 7:30am and go through the middle of town to get to J11 (ie. past your work), and that part only takes me 15 minutes but the traffic builds up stupidly for the school run hour from 8-9am and afternoon run.

Property is stupidly expensive, but the paper you're getting will show you that. There are several nice areas and several very-not so nice areas. I'd be happy to advise by email. I would recommend a nice area near town, or one of the villages to south of M4 (ie. Mortimer, Bramley, etc). As you're asking about nightlife however I expect the central town option is the one to go for.

Town's good for shopping, and many many pubs for nightlife but similarly many geezers out there too. Oh, and carry a gun (just kidding!)

If you have any specific questions feel free to email me as per profile. I've lived here for 32 years now and think I know my way about!

Cheers
Joolz

unclebuck

From Cambridge to Reading

I would say you are in for a bit of a culture shock after Cambridge.

UB

jbryant

...or "lack of culture shock"

T.C

I originate from Sonning Common which is just into South Oxfordshire and about 5 miles from Reading. Very nice area to live and cheaper insurance and rates as it is an RG9 or OX10 post code. When I got married I moved to Lower Earley which apparently is now the second largest housing estate in Europe, before moving to Woodley 3 years ago.

Woodley is great. 2 miles from Reading, 5 minute train journey which avoids the need to take the car every day to work, and this means that traffic congestionis not a problem as far as I am concerned. Nice shopping centre and a pleasant community spirit. House prices are no more than other parts of the south and it is only 5 minutes from the A429(M)/M4, 20 minutes from Heathrow and easy access to the West Country, London and the South Coast.

Although I am probably a bit biased as I have lived in the area for over 30 years (I spent my first 10 years in Weybridge, Surrey)I agree with others in that it is no better or worse than many other medium sized towns and the 10 year restructuring plan for the traffic flow is about to commence which should result in the A3290 being extended to link up with the M40 and the Inner DistributionRoad being extended around the outside of the town so it will take many of the inner town traffic problems away.

P1Fanatic

Believe me, Cambridge aint all that. There is **** all to do. One cinema, no bowling or the ilk, the shops are pants, the nightclubs are pants, the few decent bars there are you get bored of. You think of Cambridge being massive cos its famous for its Uni's but in reality its tiny.

Simon.

ScoobyJawa

Quite a few scoob meets around in answer to your Q

Surrey and Bracknell to name a couple

boxst

JBryant:

I work at Green Park. Do you bring your scoob to work?!

Steve.

unclebuck

I like Cambridge it's much more civilised. Read ing's a dump. Plus Cambridge is full of quality oriental tottie studing English. mmmm....

UB

uksti

Reading is full of Barrys - one of them is me

Baz

jbryant

Boxst -

I actually drive way on past, through J11, and down to Basingstoke (hmm now there's somewhere I wouldn't want to move to!). I don't work in Reading; for my sins I just live there!

Joolz

Huxley

Fookin ell Mortimer yes it may be nice quite village by day but by night it has 2 people that have caused their on crime wave for the last 10 years or so and they still live there when they are not on holliday

Burghfield is not much better on the scale it is now becomming the dumping ground for the low lifes that Witley and D Raod Tilhurst don't want [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

But hay it's not all that bad I lived there for 31 years

Sonning that's a nice place to sit in traffic and view the bridge

Pangbourne "Pha" NIMBY town and it has some very strange residents one poxy road in from Reading and 2 main roads out with no ware to go Grid lock mornings and eve's but sort of has one thing going for it though Lancaster Subaru well sort of

But dont let that lot put you off comming to the Sunny Reading area look at bramley spencers wood beech hill, Twyford they are not that bad and iv'e missed a few


Huxley

Tiggs

lived in earley for 30 years (family from Sonning originaly) and Reading is fine if you have some money.....spend £300k+ and your in somewhere nice.

our close is quiet, never had any trouble (touch wood) like break ins, never locked the scoob when i had one but that all down to the quality of people around you. Spend £100k and your in witley.....good luck!

T

ps- It needs another bridge though.

Popeye P1

'I like Cambridge it's much more civilised. Read ing's a dump'

I lived in Cambridge for 6 years and loved it. Never used a bike as much in my life. Some great pub crawls. Very fond memories.