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A very attractive walk can be had by leaving Reading on the Thames towpath from Reading Bridge and Caversham Lock (both about a 5-min walk from the downtown area) and simply following the towpath to the old village of Sonning. This walk is about 4 miles in length, and traverses open landscape and wooded river margins. Return the same way, or catch a bus back (buses roughly hourly; no service on Sunday).
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Small, but has a number of old aircraft.
These beautiful formal gardens were once part of Reading Abbey, and the ruins of the Abbey can be found between the park and the river Kennet. The Abbey's founder and benefactor was Henry I and he was buried in front of the high altar in 1136. The Abbey went on to become one of the most important religious and political centres in England. A few of the Abbey's buildings still exist intact, including St Laurence's Church and the Gateway, and the ruins themselves offer a fascinating glimpse of the abbey. Open during daylight hours. Free. The gardens were restored to their former glory and reopened in Spring 2005. The Abbey Ruins were re-opened in June 2018 following a £3 million Heritage Lottery Fund project, Reading Abbey Revealed.
Founded in 1922 by husband and wife classicists Prof Percy Ure and Dr Annie Ure, this university museum houses one of the largest British collections of ancient Greek ceramics. Also in the collection are an Etruscan amphora depicting Troilus, an Egyptian mummified cat's head and a model boat from the 20th century BCE.
A museum about the history of food, farming and the countryside in England. It has several galleries showing how the countryside is shaped by nature and human activities. There is also a garden and a cafe.
In Reading's Victorian Town Hall, the museum explores the history of the area, from the Roman city at nearby Silchester through mediaeval Reading and its Abbey to the coming of the railways and Reading's 3Bs (Biscuits, Beer & Bulbs) economy. The museum also displays a full size reconstruction of the Bayeux Tapestry, made by the Leek Embroidery Society in the late 19th century. Open Tuesday to Friday: 10am - 4pm, Saturday: 10am - 5pm Closed: Sundays, Bank Holidays. Closed: Mondays (except during Berkshire February and October school half-terms). Closed: Easter Bank Holiday weekend (including Good Friday), and from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day.
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.