Directions to Central Pool:

(picture courtesy RSL)

From the west: Leave the M4 at J12 and follow the A4 Bath Road into Reading for about three miles. Pass the wide open spaces of Prospect Park on your left about half-way. Eventually you come to a long straight stretch with a bus lane on the left. (And beware, all Reading bus lanes are 24-hour.) Just after passing the BUPA hospital, get into the lane that was the bus lane as it ends and turn sharp left at the lights into Tilehurst Road, then immediately right down Russell Street (large church straight ahead). This brings you to Oxford Road. Turn left and then straight away at the first set of lights, by a pub called the Battle Inn, turn right and you will see the pool on your left.

From the south: Take the A33 from Basingstoke and follow it to cross the M4 at J11. This becomes a dual carriageway right into the centre of Reading, passing the Madejski Stadium. After passing under a bridge about a mile and a half past the stadium, join the inner distribution road (IDR) downhill briefly and leave at the next exit. Turn left at the top of the slip road and the pool comes into view straight ahead.

From the east: Leave the M4 at J10 and follow the A329M for about three miles, following signposts for the A4/town centre and leaving as you pass Palmer Park athletics stadium on your left. After about half a mile you come to Cemetery Junction where the road into town forks. Take the left fork, get into the middle lane and follow this past the Royal Berks Hospital on your left. Turn right at the third set of traffic lights after the hospital and down Southampton Street (beware at the previous set of lights at London Street the right turn is buses only). At the bottom of Southampton Street turn left up the slip road and join the IDR for a short stretch, then as for traffic from the south.

From the north: Either a) bypass Oxford on the A34, follow it until it joins the M4 at J13, leave at J12 and follow directions for traffic from the west, or b) leave the A34 and join the A4074, which initially is signposted for Henley and not Reading. Follow this road into Reading (just over 20 miles), eventually downhill into Caversham (i.e. the part of Reading north of the Thames). Turn right at the traffic lights at the foot of the hill and over Caversham Bridge into Caversham Road. Cross the next roundabout, keeping TGI Friday on your left. Under the railway bridge and left up the sliproad. Right around the roundabout into Chatham St and the pool is straight ahead.

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