Don’t let the name fool you. Reading is actually quite loud. It has a music festival that attracts 100,000 people. But its train station is a superhub. You can be at Paddington in 25 minutes.
Funny detail: The town is home to the UK’s oldest prison (now a luxury hotel). You can literally sleep where criminals once rattled chains. Your commute? Easy. Your neighbors? Historically questionable. Also, the local river has a resident swan named Morticia who attacks kayaks.
