The jet black 1 Service - Newbury to Reading

End to end journey time is around one and a half hours. 

Shortly after departing from Newbury town centre, the jet black bus comes into Shaw Road where a walk of around five minutes will get you to the grade 1 listed Shaw House. This is famous for being King Charles 1's headquarters during the second battle of Newbury. It is now West Berkshire Council's historic and unique conference, meeting and event venue and is one of the best-preserved Elizabethan mansions in England. The house and grounds are open at weekends and school holidays between February and September. Standard admission is free. There is also a year-round programme of events and activities. Click here for further information about the historic Shaw House.

After leaving the West Berkshire Community Hospital the jet black continues pretty much constantly on the A4 Bath Road to get to Reading. Alight at the first bus stop after the hospital, in Benham Hill, for Thatcham Garden Centre. This has a variety of shops to meet all your gardening needs and a restaurant. Alternatively, cross the Bath Road and take a walk along Lower Way to get to Thatcham Discovery Centre run by the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust, which offers a great day out for all the family. The centre is packed full of interactive wildlife and natural history displays. There are lovely walks to be had of various lengths around lakes and other habitats. Picnic facilities and adventure playgrounds are also available. Opening times are Tuesday - Sunday, 10am - 4pm and this includes the café and shop. Click here for further information about the Thatcham Discovery Centre.

The market town of Thatcham is listed in the Guiness Book of Records as the strongest claimant to being the oldest continuously inhabited place in Britain. Thatcham Broadway has a nice range of shops, pubs and cafes. Not far from Thatcham Broadway, on the A4, is the small Grade 1 listed Chapel of St. Thomas the Martyr, now known as the Old Bluecoat School, which was constructed around 1304.

As the bus makes its way along the A4 look out for the Kennet and Avon Canal, best seen from the upper deck of the bus. Alight from the bus at Woolhampton for walks along the nearby canal. The bus stop is outside the Angel, a lovely country pub. Walk down Station Road for a few minutes to reach the river / canal. You will see right on the banks of the River Kennet the historic Rowbarge pub. Alternatively, you could get off the bus at Aldermaston Station for a short walk to the river / canal. Canal boats are available for daily hire or longer holidays from Aldermaston Wharf Canal Boat Hire.  Click here to view the Aldermaston Wharf Canal Boat Hire website for more information. Based at Aldermaston Wharf is the Kennet & Avon Canal Visitor Centre.  This has information on the history of the canal and has a tearoom and sells canal souvenirs. 

The village of Theale offers some nice pubs and shops. The bus passes the impressive Grade 1 listed Holy Trinity Church, modelled on Salisbury Cathedral, in Church Street. A wide range of Water sports and sailing activities are available at the Andrew Simpson Centre in Theale. Find out more about the Andrew Simpson Centre here.

Alight from the bus at Calcot Sainsbury's for the Calcot Superstore. A few minutes' walk from the bus stop are Dunelm and IKEA.  Alternatively, you could catch the Reading Buses 26 bus to these stores, both of which are on Pincents Lane.    

The jet black continues past Prospect Park, Reading's largest open space. Spectacular views are available from Mansion House, a regency white stuccoed grade 2 listed mansion, which is situated on a hill at the highest point of the park. Mansion House is a pub and restaurant. The park has broad sweeps of short cut grass which make walks very pleasant and has a large pond and a mature oak woodland and wildlife heritage site.

Reading featured in the Sunday Times Best Places to live 2022 edition. This is not surprising when you consider how much there is to do in the town.  Shoppers will be happy given the pedestrianised town centre boasting the Oracle shopping centre and Broad Street Mall.

The River Kennet passes through the Oracle development and you will sometimes see canal barges making their leisurely way through. The town has two cinemas, the Vue Cinema and the Reading Biscuit Factory Cinema. The latter shows many independent and art movies. Reading Arts and Venues aims to provide the most extensive listings guide for the town's arts, culture and heritage events. Venues include the Hexagon, South Street Arts Centre, and the Concert Hall at the Town Hall all of which are close or within the town centre. 

Reading Museum is in Blagrave Street.  Lots of exhibitions, family events, talks & tours happen at the museum. There is also a Riverside Museum in Reading, at Blake's Lock. This tells the story of Reading's two rivers, the Kennet and the Thames. Reading Abbey Ruins are close to the town centre and are always interesting to walk around. The Abbey, which had been the burial place of King Henry I, was sacked as part of Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538. The Abbey Ruins are open dawn to dusk every day, but occasionally are closed for ticketed events and private hire.