Where to live in Berkshire?

[Timmette03]

We are relocating to the area and will need to be within approximately 30 minutes drive of school in Woolhampton. Any recommendations of nice areas would be really appreciated alongside any to avoid, we will need to rent before we buy? What is Reading itself like? We will be coming to visit but just to get an idea of what I am looking at online. We have a school sorted and no commute needs to be factored in. Would really appreciate any help.

If the school is in Woolhampton, the Burghfield / Mortimer area is nice.
Reading town is awful, but there's some good suburbs. I'd stay south / west of the town though as it's a nightmare to get across in rush hour!

Thank you I will have a look at those areas. I didn’t realise Reading had negative connotations. The online blurb is fairly positive.

Anyone else have any knowledge about this area? Would really appreciate any info.

Nothing wrong with Reading, pp needs to get over themselves!

Newbury ?

Reading isn't very pretty but it's ok and has a lot of facilities.

But for your school requirements it might be better to live in Newbury or Thatcham.

Crowthorne has some fantastic schools, Bracknell has nice areas and good train links. Lots of forests (and roundabouts!)

There are some parts of Reading that are fine but a lot of people hate it.

What is your budget and do you need motorway/ train stations?

I would head towards Newbury rather than Reading personally.

Ha ha, yes to the roundabouts!

Wrong side of Reading for Woolhampton though.

You could also look at Tadley OP but I've no idea what it is like.

Depends on your budget. Cold Ash or Bucklebury very nice, villagey. Newbury lovely market town, amenities, well connected.

Mumsnet hates Reading. It's my home town and I love it. But I don't drive so don't care about lack of parking, love living 15 min walk from Tescoand appreciate the public transport which means my teens didn't need me to drive them everywhere.

Catherine (Princess of Wales) has her family home in Bucklebury, very naice if you have a budget to suit!

Thanks for all these tips, I did see Newbury come up when I looked online. We have a school already so that’s not a consideration just we want to be in approximately 30 minutes drive to it, the school is in Woolhampton. No need for commuting requirements, I suppose although this makes it more flexible in location it’s hard to narrow down. What is Reading itself like is it fairly safe, I mean the town centre?

I've lived in Reading for over 45 years, it used to be lovely, there's plenty wrong with the town area now though, I only go in if I really need to these days.

Much prefer Newbury to Reading, the surrounding villages are lovely too, Speen, Donnington, Hermitage, Kintbury...just depends on your budget I guess x

What are you looking for? Town, village or rural? And what budget?

Nice villages might be Hampstead Norreys, or villages along the Thames, Pangbourne, Goring or Streatley. Kingsclere or Ecchinswell. Parts of Newbury are good - look at Speen Lane or Northcroft, and Newbury has plenty of restaurants, gyms, theatre, art centre etc.

Reading is better if you like more buzz, shops and facilities but rent first and get to know the area. 30 mins to Woolhampton can be tight in the rush hour from central Reading.

Newbury. It is a nice small town with good shops, restaurants, theatres (2 of them) cinema and a good community feel.

Reading is tricky, there are some really nice parts, but they are all on the opposite side to Woolhampton.

Aldermaston village is nice (the Atomic Plant is actually in Tadley, Aldermaston is merely the nearest station). Hampsted Norreys and Ashamstead are nice as well.

Avoid Tadley at all costs. Likewise Thatcham.

Reading is OK, but like any towns, it has its bad bits. Parts of Caversham and the area around the university are nice, Whitley Wood, Cemetery Junction and the Oxford Road less so. Either way, central Reading to Woolhampton in school run hour will usually take more than 30 mins.

I’d definitely prefer Reading to Newbury myself. Reading has city vibes, Newbury is quite a pretty town, but more going on in Reading.

I assume you want to be within 30 min of Woolhampton at rush hour? Which really means West Reading - Tilehurst, Calcot, Southcote. There are much nicer places around, although they have reasonable bus services into the town centre if you need the train to commute.
If you don’t need public transport as much, I’d come out of Reading to a nearby village.

What’s wrong with Tadley?

pangbourne is lovely. Or Streatley is nkce. Maybe Hungerford or Kintbury are worth a look too.

What kind of facilities do you want in the town or village? What sort of budget do you have for property?

Woolhampton itself? Bucklebury / Upper Bucklebury.

I wouldn’t go to Reading as the school journey would be a pain twice a day. Traffic can be bad. (Unless there’s a school bus?).

I wouldn’t live in Reading to try and get to
Woolhampton, as the traffic will likely be a pain in the mornings. Calcot is absolutely fine. It is residential, and near a huge Sainsbury’s, Boots, B&M and gym. Theale is also a nice enough village, with a high street that has a selection of amenities. Woolhampton itself is lovely, but property there is expensive. A friend of mine lives in Aldermaston, which is also nice. It depends on your property budget too, as to where you could realistically live.

We won’t need to commute other than to get to school. Budget would be about 1.6 to buy but a little flexible. Ii quite fancied living in a big city for s change but if it’s isn’t great then it will have to be a village. Thanks for all the replies it’s always helpful to get different points of view.