Reading has more footpath per square kilometre than nearly 9 in 10 UK towns
Footpaths add up to 415 km in the city and the kilometre around it, 4.6 for every square kilometre. The North Wessex Downs National Landscape and the Chilterns National Landscape both begin about a mile from the city’s edge. 73% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. Reading grades B+ for the outdoors: #17 of 30 in Berkshire. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Reading’s strongest suit is dense footpaths, followed by protected countryside on the doorstep. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Outdoors grade
Reading grades B+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Reading, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
B+
Better than 66% of UK towns#17 of 30 in Berkshire · 24th of 42 UK cities its size
Public green space1.7 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
34out of 100
A park within a walk73%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
35out of 100
National Park or National Landscape26%of the land within 5 km
82out of 100
Footpaths4.6 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
89out of 100
The sea0%of the area within 5 km · Inland
42out of 100
Graded, never part of the overall grade (like History and Civic life). It measures what is mapped: OS Open Greenspace leaves out woodland and open-access land that isn’t a park, and OpenStreetMap’s rural paths are more complete in some places than others.
Cities its size
Reading is 24th of 42 UK cities its size for the outdoors
The 42 UK towns and cities of 143,000 to 275,000 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Outdoors score: the share of UK towns each one beats
Footpath, km per km²
Reading4.6
Cities its size4.4
Berkshire towns3.1
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Reading1.7
Cities its size2.3
Berkshire towns2.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Reading73%
Cities its size85%
Berkshire towns81%
All UK towns83%
Reading falls furthest behind on park space per resident, where 31 of the 41 others do better.
The biggest is Dinton Pastures Country Park, 145 ha (359 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 30 named parks by size: 376 ha (928 acres) and 55 km of path
Parks & gardens 310 haPlaying fields 65 ha
The two biggest, Dinton Pastures Country Park and Prospect Park, are 51% of the named green space and carry 18 km of path between them. 7 of the 30 are under 2 ha: small gardens, play spaces and pitches.
7 in 10 Reading residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Each square is 1 in 100 residents: green lives within 400 m of a public park, garden or playing field (Census 2021 output areas against OS Open Greenspace).
Within 400 m (73%)Further (27%)
Reading73%
Cities its size85%
Berkshire towns81%
All UK towns83%
About 55,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 175 playgrounds are mapped in and around the city, about one for every 1,165 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
North Wessex Downs and Chilterns both start about a mile from Reading
Protected landscapes within 30 km, by direction and distance from the edge of the built-up area; circle size shows each one’s area. National Landscapes were called Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty until 2023.
National ParkNational LandscapeThe 5 km the grade counts
National Landscape
North Wessex Downs
At the edge west1,731 km²since 197213% of the land within 5 km
26% of the land within 5 km of Reading is National Park or National Landscape, more than 81% of UK towns. South Downs National Park covers 1,653 km² and has been a National Park since 2010.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
7 waymarked walks pass through or near Reading
415 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Reading and the kilometre around it, 4.6 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the city.
NationalRegional
Thames Path17.9 km
European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England17.9 km
Kennet and Avon Canal Trail12.9 km
St Frideswide’s Way12.5 km
St James' Way12.1 km
The Wokingham Way9.9 km
The Chiltern Way Southern Extension4.4 km
The Thames Path, a national route, passes Reading. 5 regional routes pass through, including the Kennet and Avon Canal Trail, St Frideswide’s Way, St James' Way and The Wokingham Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
3 historic parks, and what stands in them
Historic England’s register of parks and gardens, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Reading’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade II
Forbury Gardens
1.8 ha. Part of The Forbury Garden, a registered historic park (Grade II). 10 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge, including Reading Abbey: a Cluniac and Benedictine monastery and Civil War earthwork. (a scheduled monument).
SMReading Abbey: a Cluniac and Benedictine monastery and Civil War earthwork.II*Archway Connecting Forbury Gardens to Abbey Ruins. Including Retaining Walls Flanking Path to Abbey RuinsIIAnglian CrossIIMaiwand MemorialIIShelter at north-east corner of Forbury GardensIIThe Plummery WallIIWall and gate piers of the Church of St Laurence’s graveyardIIWall between Forbury Road and Abbott's Walk to west of St James's Church
Registered · Grade IIProspect Park48 haInside: Mansion House and 1 more
Registered · Grade IIReading Cemetery4.6 ha
Heritage walks
Kennet and Avon Canal Trail 12.9 km
A listed building or monument counts when it sits inside the park’s OS Open Greenspace outline (to about 15 m), so a few at the boundary are included. Historic England, National Heritage List for England.
When to get out
The best walking months in Reading: May to September
The city’s 1991–2020 averages (Met Office HadUK-Grid) and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have 12½+ hours of daylight, highs of 15 °C or more and little rain for the town.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Daylight (h)
8.3
9.9
11.7
13.8
15.6
16.6
16.2
14.6
12.5
10.6
8.8
7.9
High (°C)
8
9
11
15
18
21
23
23
20
15
11
8
Rain (mm)
67
47
42
49
45
46
48
55
50
72
74
66
March is the driest month (42 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 74 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 40 nights a year. The climate in Reading →
Things to do
8 viewpoints, 175 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the city in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK city its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
Theale, 4.3 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park. Sonning, Woodley and Theale have at least twice Reading’s green space per resident.
Questions about the outdoors in Reading
What is the biggest park in Reading?
Dinton Pastures Country Park, 145 ha (359 acres), with 14 km of path, just outside the built-up area. Prospect Park (48 ha) is second. 30 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the city or within 400 m of it.
Is Reading near a National Park?
Yes. South Downs National Park begins 16 mi south of the city’s edge. It covers 1,653 km² and has been a National Park since 2010. The nearest protected landscape of any kind is the North Wessex Downs National Landscape, at the edge of the city.
What are the best walks near Reading?
7 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the city, including the Thames Path, European walking route E2 west, UK, South East England and Kennet and Avon Canal Trail. Dinton Pastures Country Park alone has 14 km of path.
What is the nearest beach to Reading?
Penguin Beach, 17 mi from the edge of the city, then Amity Beach (17 mi). Reading itself is inland.
How many people in Reading live near a park?
73% of residents live within 400 m, about a 5-minute walk, of a public park, garden or playing field (Census 2021 output areas against OS Open Greenspace). The typical UK town is 83%.
When is the best time of year for walking in Reading?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Which parks in Reading are historic?
Prospect Park (Grade II), Reading Cemetery (Grade II) and The Forbury Garden (Grade II) are on Historic England’s register of parks and gardens.
Is Reading good for walking?
For paths, yes: 4.6 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 89% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 34% (1.7 ha per 1,000 residents).
How is the Outdoors Grade worked out?
From five measures, each placed among UK towns of 1,000 or more: public green space per resident, the share living near a park, National Park or National Landscape within 5 km, footpaths per square kilometre, and the sea within 5 km. It is a character grade and isn’t part of Reading’s overall grade.
National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Photo: Mr Ignavy · CC BY-SA 2.0