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Madejski Stadium Directions

Please note that these directions apply for football matches only. In the unlikely event that you wish to visit the stadium for an event with a funny-shaped ball, please click here instead.

1. By train - nearest station is Reading, which is just over three miles away from Madejski Stadium. If arriving in Reading by train, the easiest way to complete the journey is by the number 79 shuttle bus. For the bus stop, leave the station by the main exit, cross by the pelican crossing and turn right. The bus stop (labelled SQ) is about 50 yards down the road.
   
   There is also a taxi rank immediately outside the rail station.
   
   There are long-term plans for a station at Green Park closer to the ground, perhaps as a halt on the Basingstoke - Reading line. At its nearest point, this line passes less than a mile from the ground. I wouldn't hold your breath for this one, though.
   
   
2. By bus - the best bus service is the number 79 shuttle bus which runs from near the rail station (as described above) to a point just west of the stadium. There are return fares only at a cost of £2 (£1 for concessions). Buses leave the town centre at roughly 5 minute intervals starting two hours before kick-off.
   
   There are also buses that run from different parts of Reading and park immediately outside the North-West corner of the stadium. The buses are numbers 71 from Emmer Green, 72 from Woodley, 73 from Lower Earley, 74 from Caversham Park, 75 from Purley, 76 from Tilehurst and 78 from Newbury.
   
   Fares for all of the above bus services, except the 78, will operate on a "cash vault" basis. This means that passengers place their money in a receptacle and there will be no change. So if you use the bus services, plan ahead to have the exact fare on you before boarding.
   
   The stadium car park is also used by Park and Ride buses serving the town centre. In theory you can use these buses to get to the stadium on match days, but no-one seems to have told the drivers that. There is a frequent service and the Park and Ride buses themselves are high-quality, low-pollution modern vehicles.
   
   For Saturday games, there is also a free car park at Shinfield Park, which is served by half-hourly buses to the junction of Bennet Road and Basingstoke Road.
   
   
3. By bicycle - the stadium is well served with cycle stands, and it is the only way to leave the car park on wheels without a long wait. There are cycle paths along the Reading Relief Road that link up to the town's small cycle network.
   
   
4. By foot - there are a couple of fairly pleasant walks that will lead you close to the ground. Both the River Kennet from the north and the Kennet & Avon Canal from the west have a towpath, which will bring you out onto the Relief Road footway just south of the Rose Kiln Lane roundabout. You can get onto the Kennet towpath from Berkeley Avenue just south of the town centre or join it from Fobney Street (which is due west of The Oracle across Bridge Street).
   
   If you're starting in Calcot or Southcote, you can head south to the Kennet & Avon Canal, and then turn left until you reach the Relief Road bridge.
   
   For the really keen, the ancient path of The Ridgeway passes a few miles north of Reading.
   
   
5. By air - the only person I know who has made the trip to the stadium this way for a game is the chairman of Wigan Athletic. He landed his helicopter in the car park to the South-West of the stadium. I would recommend making prior arrangements with the club before copying this.
   
   Alternatively there is a rail link from Gatwick Airport to Reading, and a coach link from Heathrow Airport that also runs to Reading station.
   
   
6. By water - Reading is well served with navigable waterways, with the River Thames, the river Kennet, and the Kennet & Avon Canal all running through the town. From the Thames take the south turning into the River Kennet. Follow this for about three miles until you are running alongside the Relief Road. There are mooring points there less than a mile from the stadium. If you start on the Kennet & Avon Canal, continue eastward until you reach the same point. Use the "by foot" section for directions on completing the journey.
   
   
7. By car - well, if you really feel that you have the right to spread pollution in the town, increase the levels of asthma and other diseases, and shorten the lifespan of everyone that you drive past, then it is possible to reach the stadium by car.
   
   From the North, West or East, get onto the M4 and leave at Junction 11. From the South, get onto the A33 which crosses the M4 at Junction 11. From Junction 11, head north on the A33 signposted Reading Town Centre. The link roads to Madejski stadium are on your left, although to be brutally honest if you haven't spotted the stadium by this point, then you shouldn't be allowed behind the wheel anyway.
   
   The stadium has a large car park, costing £5 for one match (with season tickets also available). There is also parking in the 600-space Compaq car park just off Junction 11 of the M4 for £4 (this is generally open for weekend games only). Furthermore, there is parking in the speedway stadium car park just north of Madejski Stadium for £4. It is possible to avoid charges by parking in certain nearby streets, but I'm not going to make it any easier for you to annoy the local residents by telling you where.
   

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