Sep 12: A return to Reading…

Unforeseen circumstances took me back to Reading University, the place where I had my first lecturing job back in the mists of time over a decade ago. With a sunny day and plenty of time to spare, I set off in search of old haunts.

The University is set in a particularly attractive campus out in Whiteknights. In the old days, the park always seemed full of students enjoying the sun, and dozens of hares or wild rabbits (I never learned to tell them apart). As this was still the summer break, the campus was almost empty for a change.

The walk back to the town centre encountered the usual heavy traffic, and I noticed many new buildings had appeared in the meantime, and most were fairly forgettable.

There is nothing forgettable about the ruins of Reading Abbey. This powerful Benedictine (originally Cluniac) house was the burial place of Henry I and possessed a valuable library. Only a small part of the Abbey has survived, though the ruins are still impressive.

Nearby is Reading Prison, immortalised by Oscar Wilde, who spent two years as an inmate here. Also nearby are Forbury Gardens, once open ground belonging to the Abbey but now an impressive Victorian public park sympathetically restored in recent times.

One of my favourite ways of relaxing after finishing lectures at Reading was to walk along the Kennet to its confluence with the Thames.

Much new development has taken place along the Kennet, but a rest alongside the Thames was as satisfying as ever. I took a pleasant walk along the river as far as the railway station, and resolved not to leave things for another twelve years before coming back.

Today: 5 miles
Overall total: 97 miles