The Kennet and Avon Canal gives Reading a quieter waterside route than the town centre first suggests. Towpaths, locks, narrowboats, and back-of-town greenery run through and beyond the urban area, linking Reading with a much longer historic navigation toward Bath and Bristol.
For visitors, the canal works best as a flexible walk: short central stretches if time is tight, or longer outings east and west if you want to escape the shopping streets. Expect mud after rain and the occasional industrial edge; that mixture is part of the canal’s character.