The Thames Path east from Reading is one of the town’s easiest escapes: a flat riverside walk past locks, meadows, rowing stretches, and quieter banks before reaching Sonning. It shows a gentler side of Reading than the station, shopping streets, and ring roads suggest.
You can do it as an out-and-back stroll or continue to Sonning for a pub stop and return by bus or taxi. The route is straightforward, but wear shoes that can handle mud after rain and keep an eye on river levels in winter.