Places You Don't Have on Your Holiday List

Reading, Berkshire, England.

Reading is a large English town that lights up once every year for the Reading Festival – a combination of music, comedy, 87,000 people, and any kind of entertainment you can think of compressed into one medium-to-large muddy field.

Outside of the festival season however, Reading’s major attraction becomes its’ train station. It’s not a particularly special train station. Just a train station. Now, before Reading’s population takes up arms and calls my comment unfair, I must clarify – reading is also home to Reading University, the Museum of Reading, and the rather impressively named Minister Church of Saint Mary the Virgin. But let’s face it; the majority of you would be apt in describing it as… well… dull.

Reading's Train Station... Nothing special really....

Oh! Almost forgot, for any Oscar Wilde fans out there – Reading is also home to the unsurprisingly named ‘Reading Gaol’, where Mr Wilde served out his prison sentence for homosexuality. Want to go have a look at that? Sure, you have two options: 1) drive by it at high speeds on the motorway, or 2) commit a major crime. Reading Gaol is still an active prison, and it's more than likely that if you decide to go ‘touristing’ there, it’s friendly residents will detach your scalp from your skull and eat your fingernails. Might be best to give that one a miss then.

So would I recommend Reading as the place of choice for your next holiday? Sure, if you are the person at the dinner party who talks about 13^th century long swords or the failings of the Norman’s conquest of Europe strategy, specifically including the troop tactics at the 1166 Battle of Hastings. If that’s not you, I’d suggest you give the area a wide birth – and if you’re just traveling past on the motorway or the train; bring a good book. It’s even boring just to go past.

Is this you? If so Reading is your kinda town!