Any question answered...

My sister lives there too. I grew up in Theale, make of that what you will. Whitley and Oxford road are shitty. If you want somewhere nice then there are lots of little villages around Reading that are nice but Tory, my mum lives in Riseley which is nice and she grew up around Shinfield and Arborfield, also nice but a bit further to commute as transport links are pretty poor.

Thanks - I think the nicer villagy areas are a bit too far out for me; I want my daily commute into London to be manageable & a 30 minute train journey with maybe 20 mins either side would be ideal.

Whilst the villages/Theale/Aldermaston are nice looking it's just the trains that are the problem. The reason I like the look of Reading is that I can live a similar life to what I did when living in London (ie stay out late in central drinking or seeing friends or rehearsing) & not worry about getting home afterwards (the last train to where I live now is at 10.20 & then a 7 mile drive)...