The Knowhere Guide

Skateboarding Stuff in Reading, Berkshire*

Reading, Berkshire Skateboard Shops, Skateparks, Skate Ramps, Waxed Curbs, Rails, Where to Buy Decks, Parts, Shoes

Skateboarding Spots

• Sol Joel Skate Park
• Steps by train station, 8 maybe? long run up good landing and a rail which could be done I reckon....Near kings road college theres a 14 set you can dsee from the road, loads of run up, landing onto wide pavement then busy road so be careful. ALso at same place there's a double set, dooable? I don't know....late night this would havce to vbe done the steps are part of a business so you'd get booted if you skated em during the day...and the roads are a bit busy too.... As for the skate park? 20minutes from town....and shite! crappy quarters to crappy volcano next to crappy box to crappy quarter. And an okay manual block. But who's gonna go to reading for a manual or 2? Never again!
• theres some videos of dudes skating the readings spots at: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3044790885885309433&q=skateboarding+in+reading the part with the steps is filmed just near forbury gardens-jsut go through an arch from the main statue,go left through a covered bit next to a carpark, and go right down ramp over the river.skate the ramp if your brave but you can easily lose your board to the river. most of the other parts can be reached by jsut walking through forbury to the main road-youl pass them on the way
• some good sopts are underneath the hexagon ,theres some killer ramps right into the road but iv your okay you wont go into it.Its also right next to a carpark and the oracal loading bay so whatever you do ,dont go into the underground part-its full of cameras Forbury garden itselfs kinda hard to skate since they gravelled it but there are some nice spots to skate around it locals are alright(considering I am one) and iv never had anything but fun with the dudes who hang aroud there.
• think down near CAversham where the fair goes near ther iver
• Round the side of the oracle there is a kool 6 set, the ledges on the oracle riverside. you get chucked within minutes though. round back of riverside carpark there is the IDR. brilliant place to skate, ledges bout 1 1/2 ft high. top of station car park nice 8 set. o forbury is no longer a skatespot as they turned the paths to gravel.... but opposite forbury theres sum black ledges, the security chuck u afyter about 15 mins so some good skating in that time. alos go through the arch there and theres loadza steps unfortunately wiv skate protection onm them, but go down them and theres some smooth ground to do some flatland, go up round the corner and youll find a 5 6 or 7 set im not sure but not very good run up but worth a try. 2 set 3 set at prudential, caversham skatepark, not too good anymore as loadza chavs hang there now. at the other prudential by huntley and palmers theres a sic 9 set. and ontop of broad street roof theres a big sic ledge and sum very smmoth surfaced ground. skatepark to be opened at 'xmas 05'. underneath the reading magistrate court and council and hexagon there is sum big slope and sum small flatbanks under sum stairs. thats about it quite alot though. go skate..
• there is s sic 9 set opposite queens rd car park, decent enough!
• up by the woodley precinct there is a car-park next to waitrose. it has the best floor and curbs for cheap tricks and speed
• forbury gardens, now having a 'lottery make over' so down to caversham
• The graveyard is a good spot for skaters, but the IDR is brilliant. If ANYONE can noseslide the yellow bit by the oracle drive in car park and not get hit in the bollocks by a bike bar, i will buy them a pint.
• seen sum ppl by the riverside by the oracle for skateboardin, they got escorted off the premises tho!
• The skatepark is OK but about to get torn down (apparently). New one going up by Rivermead (ears open). Blocks outside forbury (get camera on before entering...ten mins max). Chatham street lump (those were the days). Long stairs at Rusts in Tilehurst (RIP Toms knee). Church End Lane Midi (dodgy area). Southcote mini (worse). Some spots in Office areas of south Reading.
• the best is in the pipeline as far as i know wait n c, but a few ppl hang under the old bus depot...(station Road)
• Don't go to cav park sk8 park, it sux!
• The oracle, Hexagon, Broad st. mall Carpark (roof) sick little roof gap over a wall, waxed curbs, Forbury Gardens (across the road on the way to the station 4 set with a well low handrail, run-up bit gnarly though), The other side of the roundabout the police stations on there are some small metal rails, a four set and a flatbank. Top of the station carpark - big eight set, flat banks-downstairs - a four set and some waxed curbs. Old prudential-2set then three set, round the corner of the same building 2set gap to waxed ledge, new prudential-funny metal sculpture, fun to wallie off of!!!! oh yeah...wendys curb (sacred spot so you gotta find it yourselves).
• Forbury seems to be about the only place to skate in Reading. The town center gets too croweded and there are a lot of busy roads. It can get pretty difficalt for begginers. Besides that it's genrally a pieceful atmousphere. It's must stop by for anyone who's stoping in Reading. Except for of course after 6. I userally stay in a group of people. Good for guy skaters, a little more difficalt for girl skaters since we always seem to get yelled at by the 16 year old kids that seem to have started hanging round there. Good place to go and skate in the day though :)
• cav skate par, forbury just as long as the forbury faires aren't around
• By the bingo hall there are some sick steps there are the littlens by cash converters and then the ones leading down n up from the bingo place. There are 8 going down and i think 11-12 going up. Look after your ankles when attempting these steps.
• Hey there some new indoor park opening or already opened in the south reading leisure park! Dont know if it's any good, only thing on the web I found is to do with kids sessions there! Has quite a range of stuff I gather.
• Round the back of the Broad Street Mall next to the toilets and the long steps is a curb behind which is a lovely 3ft drop to a very slight slope
• caversham skatepark is the best place for moshers and skaters...
• cavasham park. not great until you get pretty good on ramps up to 6 foot. underneath boiler room. 2 foot kickers, manual box grind box. below the hexagon. back of mecca bingo, mothercare care park for high ledges, broad street mall car park for ledges up to 5 ft. forbury for benches. prudential, 2 set and 3 set. (beware the river!) forbury 4 set + band stand 4 or 5 (can't remember.) hexagon ( big 6) flatbanks little 2ft ledges. creates.
• Prospect park hill, by the mansion house is where I first bust my head, get down there on a saturday morning!
• forbury gardens for skating or little ramp behind iceland nice two-step there if ur a maniac try NCP car park nice bocks of stairs for extreme people!
• the forbury gardens gets and behind the library, if ur wanting a proper sk8 park the one in kings meadows is pretty good!
• Caversham skate park its near the station and not as bad as it repped to be theres a cool group of skaters there on saturday who dont mind beginners and theres no trouble with trevs townies or whatever and a cool street sweeper comes to busk for a go on your skateboard.
• IDR
• Soel Joel skate park near the three tuns in early, 2 half pipes with a spine transfer and a 1/4 pipe funbox setup, brilliant place to sk8 or just chill with mates, and theres allways likely 2 be someone there.
• The underground space by the bus depot near the bingo hall. Massive Curbs. Kendrick School Kurbs. The Red Banks opposite Huntly and Palmer Building next to river. The Skate Park is over the bridge from the train station towards caversham. It's on the right hand side after the bridge. The NCP car Park. I recommend going to London for a decent sk8
• skate park in kings meadow and stairs outside cash converters. quality.
• nxt 2 prudential building near forbury's there a 2 set 3 set with some waxed ledges and on the top off broad street car park !!!!!
• hill at the end of elgar road is nice for downhill stuff...
• the forbury,
• forbury is ok but therez no half pipes or nethin like that its a nice atmosphere down there tho
• skate park in caversham. outside cash converters. forbury.
• get the train to martins heron get off walk up the hill next to you and you will find the baddest skate park that no one uses. hope is a slag.
• not quite a sk8 spot as i am a bmxer but the police station has some gr8 slopes up to windows and ledges and walls varying from about a foot high to about 4 foot!!PERFECT!!
• B-line NOT, that place stinks basicly wherever we stop and skate could be defined as a spot so wherever except Prudential the rivers a board swallowing machine.
• Cav Skate Park - there are always loads of ppl there to give u tips and stuff. Quite a few ppl are down the dirt jumps on the hill.
• in the police station carpark, underneath the hexagon. pretty much guaranteed to get busted, but worth it for the amusement!
• Forbury gardens is a top sk8 place!
• well there are a couple of decent skate parks which are ok, like the one behind boiler room nr forbury gardens
• A few sk8ers hang down at forbury now but there's no rails or decent jumps- hardly a good place 2 display ur tricks! But it's good 2 just chill out down there.
• Forbury Park and Sol Joel park (Earley Crossroads)
• forbury or by the prudential buliding
• Forbury Gardens and Abbey Ruins. Bear in mind, however, that nobody can *actually* skate.
• Theres two skateparks; one in Early-Go UP Wokingham Road, straight on at the cross roads by the BP garage and its in the park on the left. A bit dilapidated though. The other is; down the road from the station to the big roundabout, head under the rail-bridge and straight on at the next roundabout, over the bridge (Thames) and its at the far end of the carpark on the right, its small but fairly popular, and theres some dirt jumps (in fluctuation progress) behind it for all your BMX and BSX needs (use the kicker on the big table on the first run in- you'll clear the downslope!)
• Old bus depot is ok. forbury is where most people hang when they arent in the station!
• Cash Converters steps. Ranging from 1 to 5.
• See Bracknell entry. Much better facilities there.
• Forbury gardens.
• Well, there is the bandstand at the Forbury on Sunday afternoons, just ask for John Swain and you'll be well in. And the park on George street, has a skate ramp and BMX track.
• Next to the car park under the civic centre at the base of the old ornamental waterfall. Mostly on saturdays after 4pm and all day Sundays. Very close to the police station, but no known busts.
• Bingo Steps from 1-5 then 9. Forbury Gardens: manual rolls, steps, flat Ñ nice'n'open. Tesco car park: nice slidy curbs, smooth concrete, loads of space to cruise around. Never a bust. Car-park at back of Friar Street: well painted curbs both downhill and flat. Roundabout under flyover near bus depot: usually quarterpipe, bank and railslide. Steep banks across the road. Caversham Hotel: tiny handrails (2-3' high!). Could be a bust. Snake run banks across the road are usually a bust, but worth it. Station car-park: watch out for hassle from casuals. Long thin manual roll curb, bin lids rad for nose bump stuff. Railslides, waxed, downhill. Children's World: six 10' long manual rolls in a row. Wicks (Sunday only): rad walls about 2' high. Slidy.

Skateboard Shops

• Hard Edge
• Legends in the broad street mall Is totaly awsome they fix your boards for free if you dont need new parts they even gave me an old deck they were gonna throw out(my old old deck was even worse then that)and fitted it for freee
• theres hard edge forgotton the street name!!
• hardedge, all great guys in there, good selection of decks n wheels , not too many trucks but still sum and o bearing syea lots. good range of shoes clothing. legends for trucks and wheels id say. just add water deserves to close down , run halfpipe out of business the best shop in berks id say. Though they mite hav a shop at the new park, lets hope. schuh u can get sum shoes but nowhere else ummmmmm u can go to guildford for a good skatepark , not much there except the park. theres about 3 shops in guildford , route one, ollies and free spirit or summin ..... go skate
• Sadly, Half Pipe Sports has been closed down which is a shame, they had the best guys n gals in there and loved to chat bout bmxing and skating. TMS has recently shut down also but they are apparantly trying to get a new shop to open somewhere else in Reading. i wouldnt recommend Just Add Water, not entirely up to scratch on the jizz, most of them don't have a clue. if you have the money, some of the girl clothes are alright if youre into mainstream. And Flick has closed down too. Brilliant recently shut up shop, those guys were the classiest. (6th March 2005)
• Have been buying my boards etc from Legends since 1997 (when they had the smaller shop which is now a jewellers in Broad St Mall) Although the depth of range has varied in the past they do seem to have it spot on now. I think all the staff in there (including the girls) all ride Longbooards (have seen them all out at some quality longboard spots!) and they all love to chat endlessly 'bout stuff and answer questions without making you feel like an absolute twat! Music is usually Ska based,bit of Jack Johnson,pearl jam, bit of everything really. Absolutely no lame arse attitude and fully amped,knowledgable and freindly bunch.
• legends inthe broadst mall, hard edge just add water down the alley to oracle opposite the side entrance to j.lewis
• Hard Edge rocks.
• Hard Edge
• TMS broad street, ledgends Broad street mail, theres a few others, keep ya eyes on the guys n lasses with boards, (there be heading to the best shops )
• Hard Edge is pretty kwl, Legends is alright but its too near Footlocker, townie heaven!
• Got my board from 'Just add water' it's not very good in there for pro boards, or I wouldn't say so. They have a fairly decent selection of wheels. There wrist gaurds are fairly okay considering they come in a pack that costs £10 but the knee pads and elbow pads are pretty useless. Got my first board from there for £42. 7 ply, no plastic. But the metal parts look pretty crap and the rubbers squeak when you do tricks. I would recomend going further a feild to surry or somewhere like that.
• Legends is class!
• Hard edge and legends are good ish half pip sports was a genius invention!!
• Half Pipe Sports in merchants place.
• legends, hardedge, flick, half pipe sports, t.m.s. and quicksilver do sk8 stuff but no decks or anything.
• Hard edge is small and expensive, but half pipe sports, just off friar street ids best for skate and bmx stuff.
• ok quiksilver,hard edge,shops down the harris arcade its all good!! legends too
• half pipe sports which is next to the friar street car park why did u move from winnersh!
• Half pipe sports is a great shop really friendly service and helpful and good prices
• Hardedge, usualy cheaper than other shops in reading, provide skateboards and clothes
• Legends mate
• i hear a new skate shop is opening up in Newbury, should be cool. they really need somthing there!!!
• half pipe sports just opened off friar street, if you walk down smelly alley its just down a lil road next to "bistro je t'aime". also theres another new skate shop called Flick in the Market Way, opposite the bag shop! eeey.
• no independents, so expensive shite, really...
• Hard Edge, TMS, Legends, Quiksilver.... hard edge has the most skate stuff tho
• TMS and quiksilver for skate clothes. there's a good-ish skatepark just down the road from the station. but on your return don't please god end up in lower caversham. pikey central.
• Brilliant is my favouriot place to be, steve, the manager is cool, and ben is nice to have a cigarette with and a chat.
• ledgends probably
• Hard Edge or Legends. The dudes upstairs in Legends are top and are up for a chat anytime.
• ummmm.. sound machine, quicksilver, and loads of other shops
• Go to legends if you like that sort of thing. "That sort of thing" in this case means going into a shop with no products, annoying music, and then paying obscenely huge prices for the honour. I don't like that sort of thing myself.
• What was Pimps (can't remember what its called now) near to Kik Sport in Merchants Place, Hard Edge, Graffiti, Legends (altho it has also gone down hill - e.g. that guy out of big brother was wearing a Legends hoody, that guy isnt exactly a generation x contender now is he?)
• Pimps has closed leaving only Legends and alleycats (?!?), hugely overpriced - poor selection. No thanks
• Hard Edge-(downstairs, trukks 'n' stuff)-Upstairs, your Lambretta type stuff!
• Legends, Alleycats - all far over priced
• Try north Reading - Caversham Park Village is fab !!
• Theres pimps down Merchants place off friar street-really small but what it has is good,butvery pricey.The basement of Herd Edge is really good-cheep, great selection and the staff are friendly. Legends is miles away and aint worth the hastle as its crap.Plus legends wouldn't give me a job.
• There is now a Legends on the ground floor of the Broad Street Mall which is very cool.
• Boards and clothes from Alleycats, Victoria Street, but have to go to Basingstoke or Surrey Skates for anything else.

The Knowhere Guide started out as a list of places to skateboard in the UK. It is a compilation of (unedited) information and views supplied by users like yourself. It is not a conventional tourist guide!

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Last updated: 2007-09-29