Or anyone else who's familiar with Reading. Need some advice about suitable pubs/accommodation/nightlife in that town.
I'm running a re-union next year for ex-REME apprentices formerlybased at Arborfield. We're all now mid-50's but still of course teenagers at heart especially at these kind of events. Us there anything worth doing apart from the ubiquitous Spoons and other chain pubs?
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In past year or so I've acted as social secretary for alumni of three former work places and a YHA group.
If you just want somewhere to sit and chat with decent beer and palatable food on hand Spoons, or at least the better situated ones, are difficult to better.
The really hard bit, if it's more than just an evening, is stuff for the rest of the day. Divergent interests and massively varying capacity for physical activity are the challenges.
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You could rent a boat on the river for the day. Then you could go somewhere that isn't Reading.
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>> You could rent a boat on the river for the day. Then you could go
>> somewhere that isn't Reading.
>>
Neat idea. But trust me it could well end up in tears, or at the least in court.
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>>We're all now mid-50'
Which would make you about 35yrs too old for Reading town centre's night life.
Reading? Really?
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>> Which would make you about 35yrs too old for Reading town centre's night life.
>>
>> Reading? Really?
>>
That was my thought too, and I'm a long way from being an old fart where socialising's concerned. The problem is that many of my colleagues haven't been back to Reading since their days as young soldiers, and I suspect fancy a night reliving their "yoof". Gawd 'elp us! We met at Burton-on-Trent last year for our first re-union, that was good.
For myself, being a country lad by birth I always preferred Wokingham anyway not least cos my then girlfriend lived there, and being the daughter of the local Barclay's bank manager she didn't do city night clubs any more than I did. Plus there was (and I'm sure still is) a good choice of decent real ales around Wokingham. The Ship was my favourite, where I discovered Fullers for the first time.
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Yeah the Ship is one of the better boozers in Wokingham but can get very busy. My local is the Three Frogs, much larger than it was a few years back but not really a particularly charming pub. I now play crib again for the Metropolitan so get round a fair few of the town's pubs.
Travelodge not far away if required.
You could do a pub crawl in Wokingham followed by an hour or so at one of the local dancing emporiums. If interested let me know, I have daughters (who are half you age but a bit old for those places) who can give advice. :-)
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I would have thought that either Wokingham or Henley was a better bet than Reading.
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I used to frequent the Christopher (pub) in Eton many moons ago. Lovely time was had there. Very smart Women too.
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>> You could do a pub crawl in Wokingham followed by an hour or so at
>> one of the local dancing emporiums. If interested let me know, I have daughters (who
>> are half you age but a bit old for those places) who can give advice.
>> :-)
>>
Thanks smokie. I shall present this evidence to committee, minus the mention of your lovely daughters; the latter lest there be an insistence that they accompany us as tour guides. ;-)
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Right then. Avoiding the usual chain pub/restaurant crap:
Pubs, assuming real ale is required: Nag's Head, Russell Street. Fox and Hounds, Caversham. The Ale House, Broad Street. The Greyfriar, Greyfriars Rd. Zero Degrees Brewpub, Gun Street. Three Guineas pub at the railway station is a great place to start if you're arriving by train. Allied Arms, St Marys Butts.
Indian restaurants: House of Flavours, Kings Road. Royal Tandoori, Duke Street. Bina Tandoori, Caversham.
Kebabs/Middle Eastern grub: Bakery House, London Street (open till midnight). Kings Grill, Kings Road for takeaway 'babs - this place is truly magnificent, as is Bakery House as it goes.
Burgers, BBQ, Yankee stuff: RYND, Castle Street.
Pizzas/Italian: Dolce Vita, Kings Walk. Papa Gee, Caversham Rd. Quattro, Caversham.
Late night shenanigans: Purple Turtle bar, Gun Street. After Dark Club, London Street.
I'll post up anything else which springs to mind. Are you after anything other than pubs/restaurant/late night boozing? Daytime places of interest not involving alcohol, for example?
Don't listen to the Henley/Wokingham/Windsor fashion victims and naysayers. Reading's a lively, quality place these days, they're all living in the 70s still. It's got far more, far better places to eat and drink than many of the other smaller towns around it.
Last edited by: Alanović on Mon 30 Nov 15 at 10:25
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Another couple of ale boozers have sprung to mind:
The Retreat, St Johns Street
The Lyndhurst, Queen's Road
The Eldon Arms, Eldon Terrace
The Castle Tap, Castle Street.
There is no castle in Reading any more.
;-)
Thinking about it, there's quite a good ale pub crawl to be had around town the days.
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>> There is no castle in Reading any more.
>>
>> ;-)
Them damn royals knocked it down for you. The Gaol looks castle-ish
Edit AHA all is clear, now I see why you are so dismissive of Windsor, its jealousy, they have a castle and you dont.
Last edited by: Zero on Tue 1 Dec 15 at 11:26
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It does and it's set to be turned into apartments now. I don't get it, who the hell would want to live in a former prison? I feel the same way about churches too.
Reading Gaol should become a museum and its grounds could be used to build a new theatre or concert venue. But no, Tories in Government, so sell historic cultural site for property speculation. There's even a King buried there, Henry I, but nobody knows where exactly. That'll put a spanner in development works I expect. Cue Baldrick turning up with his teaspoons.
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>> It does and it's set to be turned into apartments now. I don't get it,
>> who the hell would want to live in a former prison? I feel the same
>> way about churches too.
Very difficult to convert churches, those high windows make it difficult to split the space into two floors.
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Like this one near me:
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-37352946.html
I couldn't live with a graveyard in the garden either.
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>> Edit AHA all is clear, now I see why you are so dismissive of Windsor,
>> its jealousy, they have a castle and you dont.
>>
I grew up in the shadow of the thing, could see it from our top floor window. It holds no fascination for me. Could move back to Windsor tomorrow if I wanted, couldn't put up with the aircraft noise now though, I have grown unaccustomed to it.
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Another tip for Harleyman: for eats, it's a good idea to check out this local blog:
www.ediblereading.com
The chap's usually spot on in my experience.
And the Roast Dinners around Reading blog:
rdrdg.co.uk/
This chap's a norvern munkey from 'Ull, sez wot 'e means and means wot 'e sez.
Last edited by: Alanović on Tue 1 Dec 15 at 12:12
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>> This chap's a norvern munkey from 'Ull, sez wot 'e means and means wot 'e
>> sez.
>>
Less of the monkey thank you, they're from 'Artlepool not 'Ull. ;-)
My maternal grandmother came from Hull actually, family were trawlermen. I have photos somewhere of my grandfather on a fishing boat around 1920.
Cheers for the info, much appreciated; I was asked by one of the lads if the Coopers' was still flourishing but it appears to have closed. Apparently this was a popular squaddy bar in its day.
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No worries, HM, I'm sure you and the boys will have a great night wherever you go, it's the company which counts most.
On the whole though try to avoid Friar Street, it's where the big gangs of feral youth hang out to drink blue WKD and fight in the street. Loads of booze warehouse type places with ear-bleeding music of questionable quality. Avoid it like the plague, which it closely resembles.
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One for Alanovic - Bromptonaut
