--- title: "Is Reading, Berkshire walkable? Walkability score 70/100" description: "Reading, Berkshire scores 70/100 for walkability (Very Walkable) across its central 5 km: how far it reaches and what's near the centre." url: https://howwalkable.com/cities/united-kingdom/reading updated: 2026-10-22 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ --- 1. [Cities](https://howwalkable.com/cities) 2. [United Kingdom](https://howwalkable.com/cities/united-kingdom) 3. Reading, Berkshire # How walkable is Reading, Berkshire? By [Oscar Higson-Spence](https://howwalkable.com/about#author). Updated 22 October 2026 Reading, Berkshire has a walkability score of 70 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. It is the 18th most walkable of the 20 cities ranked in the United Kingdom. 70 out of 100: Very Walkable Most errands can be accomplished on foot. * #18 of 20 in the United Kingdom * #285 of 690 tied, worldwide * 100 at the centre [Open on the map](https://howwalkable.com/?lat=51.45236&lon=-0.97473&q=Reading%2C%20Berkshire%2C%20United%20Kingdom) ## What's within walking distance of the centre 1,561 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Reading, Berkshire. The nearest grocery is about 5 minutes away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points. ### Groceries 3.0 of 3 points * Grape Tree Reading, 5 min * Delikatesy Smaczek, 5 min * Iceland, 6 min ### Restaurants & bars 3.0 of 3 points * Loch Fyne Seafood & Grill Restaurant, 2 min * Simonds Brewery, 2 min * The Sun Inn, 2 min ### Shopping 2.0 of 2 points * IT Talent., 2 min * AG Caravela, 3 min * Jigsaw, 3 min ### Coffee 2.0 of 2 points * Mac’s Coffee - Reading, 1 min * The Coffee Van, 2 min * Bakers and Baristas, 3 min ### Banks 1.0 of 1 point * The Co-operative Bank, 3 min * Citifinancial, 3 min * NatWest Reading Oracle, 5 min ### Parks 1.0 of 1 point * Holy Brook Nook, 4 min * Coley Recreation Ground, 10 min * Forbury Gardens, 11 min ### Schools 1.0 of 1 point * Coley Primary School and Nursery, 3 min * Katesgrove Primary School, 6 min * Kendrick School, 10 min ### Books & libraries 1.0 of 1 point * Waterstones, 6 min * St Andrews Bookshop, 7 min * Blackwell's, 8 min ### Culture & entertainment 1.0 of 1 point * BTS Berkshire Theatre School, 4 min * Mates Rates Comedy Club, 4 min * The Hexagon, 4 min Measured from the centre at 51.4524, -0.9747, the point near Reading, Berkshire's middle with the most places in walking range. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route. ## Street layout Within 800 m of the centre there are about 159 street intersections per km², and blocks average 72 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced. ## How far walkability reaches Reading, Berkshire's score of 70 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 94 within 1 km of the centre, 76 from 1 to 3 km out and 60 from 3 to 5 km out. 30 of the 91 points within 5 km fall on water or on land without streets, such as hillsides, forest or farmland, and are left out, so the score describes only the built-up part. 62% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot. Walkability falls off steeply away from the centre, so check a specific address on the map. ![Walkability scores across the 5 km around central Reading, Berkshire, one hexagon per square kilometre. 62% of points score 70 or more; the lowest, 5, is 5 km to the south.](https://howwalkable.com/maps/united-kingdom/reading.svg?v=c0da7a5f3216) Each hexagon is the score at a point, 1 km from its neighbours, across the 5 km around central Reading, Berkshire. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets. | Area | Score | Scoring 70+ | Points sampled | | ------------- | ----- | ----------- | -------------- | | Centre | 100 | 100% | 1 | | Within 1 km | 94 | 100% | 7 | | 1 to 3 km out | 76 | 77% | 22 | | 3 to 5 km out | 60 | 44% | 32 | ## Nearby cities | City | Distance | Score | | --------------------------------------------------------------- | -------- | ----- | | [London](https://howwalkable.com/cities/united-kingdom/london), United Kingdom | 59 km | 98 | | [Coventry](https://howwalkable.com/cities/united-kingdom/coventry), United Kingdom | 112 km | 73 | | [Bristol](https://howwalkable.com/cities/united-kingdom/bristol), United Kingdom | 113 km | 78 | | [Birmingham](https://howwalkable.com/cities/united-kingdom/birmingham), United Kingdom | 131 km | 82 | | [Leicester](https://howwalkable.com/cities/united-kingdom/leicester), United Kingdom | 132 km | 75 | ## Questions about walking in Reading, Berkshire ### Is Reading, Berkshire a walkable city? Around its centre, yes. Reading, Berkshire has a walkability score of 70 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. Its centre scores 100. The score covers about 80 km² around the busiest point rather than the whole city, and suburbs further out are usually less walkable, so check a specific address on the map. It ranks 18th of 20 cities in the United Kingdom and joint 285th of 690 worldwide on How Walkable. ### What is the most walkable city in the United Kingdom? London is the most walkable of the 20 cities ranked in the United Kingdom, with a score of 98. Reading, Berkshire ranks 18th with 70. ### How does Reading, Berkshire compare with nearby cities? Reading, Berkshire is less walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 70, against London (98, 59 km away), Coventry (73, 112 km away) and Bristol (78, 113 km away). ### Which part of Reading, Berkshire is most walkable? Reading's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 100. Walkability averages 94 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the east (averaging 77) and falls most to the south-west (21). ### How is Reading, Berkshire's walkability score calculated? For Reading, Berkshire it is the average of 61 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 38 of them score 70 or more. Each point counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and loses up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long, using open map data from Overture Maps (release 2026-09-23.1) and OpenStreetMap. It measures what is within a walk, not what the walk is like: pavements, traffic, safety, hills and heat are not part of the score. This page is generated from open map data with a published walkability method, explained in the [methodology](https://howwalkable.com/methodology). Places from Overture Maps release 2026-09-23.1. City position and population from GeoNames. Ask about walking anywhere in ChatGPT with the [How Walkable app](https://chatgpt.com/plugins/plugin_asdk_app_6accc634bcf8819189c1bcaf0e227f0f), for example "How walkable is Reading, Berkshire?" Scores, rankings and text by How Walkable (https://howwalkable.com), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); credit How Walkable and link to this page when reusing them.