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Photo: Brian Robert Marshall, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A 350-acre (140 hectares) park dedicated to the conservation of birds and a smaller selection of mammals, with children's playgrounds, cafeteria and a narrow gauge railway.
Beale Wildlife Park is situated by the River Thames, between the villages of Pangbourne and Lower Basildon in Berkshire, England. It has three main areas of attraction: collections of small exotic animals, farm animals and birds; landscaped gardens and woodlands; and children's play areas.
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This beautiful Palladian mansion was built in 1776-83. The interior is notable for its original delicate plaster work and elegant staircase. The early 19th-century pleasure grounds are being restored, and there are waymarked trails through the parkland. Accessible by road or take the Thames Travel 132 bus from Reading (see 'Get Around' section for contact info).
Mapledurham is a village with a special charm of its own, set in the valley of the River Thames, below the Goring Gap. Its cottages, church, almshouses and Watermill, with the old brick and flint walls, backed by the Elizabethan mansion and the still older manor house of Mapledurham Gurney, together retain an ancient village pattern which is rare today. The Watermill produces flour for sale, with wheat still ground by the traditional millstones. Accessible either by boat (see Thames Rivercruise in the 'Do' section) or a 15-minute drive from Reading
Another attractive walk is to leave Reading on the Thames-side Promenade from Caversham Bridge (about a 10-min walk from the downtown area) and follow the towpath to the point where it abruptly ends (the site of an old ferry where the towpath crossed to the other bank). From here a path brings you up to the main Reading to Oxford road in the suburb of Tilehurst. A five-minute walk towards Reading on this road brings you to Tilehurst rail station, from where there are frequent buses and trains back to Reading. This walk is about 3 miles (5 km).
Provides a walking (or cycling or even horse-riding) route from the Thames in Reading all the way to Bath. Even the part of the canal within Reading is quite pleasant and sometimes seems positively rural, in contrast to the commercial developments nearby. Since the Reading Westbury train line more or less follows the canal, it is possible to plan a trip on foot in one direction and return by train to your starting point.
Run cruises to Mapledurham House & Watermill (see the 'See' section) at 2PM on Sa Su & public holidays from April through September; and shorter trips during the same days. Depart Thameside Promenade just upstream of Caversham Bridge.
Day trips from Reading to Henley-on-Thames and return with 3 hours ashore in Henley (or you can return by train). Also less frequent trips from Wallingford to Reading. Depart from outside the Riverside Restaurant just downstream of Caversham Bridge.