Do you want to learn more about the history of Reading? Then this is the app for you. All our walking tours are 100% self-guided so you can complete them in your own time, at your own pace.  

All our History Treks are 1-2 hours long. They are all designed as walking tours, able to be completed by the average Trekker. 

Currently, we only have 1 available to app users, but more are coming soon! 

Reading Medieval Tour 

Cost: £0.99

Reading has a fascinating medieval history hidden right under your feet – you just need to know where to find it! From Viking raids and defiant monks down to everyday merchants and farmers, our Old Reading Tour tells the tale of the earliest people of Reading, from its founding in the Anglo-Saxon Dark Ages to the Civil War, after which the whole character of the town changed. Whether you’re a local or a tourist, this tour is the ideal introduction to Reading, giving you an idea of where to go and what to do in what has been the centre of the town’s life for over a thousand years.

Old Reading is a fascinating hub, a town that affected and was affected by the great events of English history. Graced with visits from almost every monarch from Alfred the Great to Elizabeth I, Reading was a truly royal town, using its proximity to Windsor and strategic position on the confluence of the Thames and Kennet to secure for itself special funding and a unique position in English rural life. In this tour, you’ll learn about what this unique position was, and what made Reading so special.

You’ll also learn about how people lived and what made the town move. Who set the standards of business, how to bake medieval bread, and where the men practiced their archery. Learn how the grand abbey formed the centre of Reading’s medieval life – and how the town adapted to life after its collapse, all the while being directed around the actual ruins by a trained archaeologist. There is so much left to see of Old Reading, hidden around every corner and right under your nose, and we’ve got a tour that will show it all! All this and more is available on our self-guided walking tour!

Who Made Reading? 

Cost: £1.99

Did you know Jane Austin attended school here in Reading? Or that Charles Dickens almost became the major of the town? Lots of interesting historical figures were born and lived in Reading. This tour tells you the story of some of our favourites, and the effects they had on the town. 

In "Who Built Reading", you'll learn exactly what it says! Quite apart from kings, abbots, giants of industry and world-renowned products, there was a whole town that was built up underneath it. Everyday people devoted their lives to this town and its people, and while the Three Bs industries and royals put Reading on the map, it was the everyday people who made it a town worth visiting! But who were these people? Where did they come from? How did they live? And where did the everyday things we see around Reading come from? That is the subject of this tour, as we explore local pubs, public parks, and the main streets - how they were built, who built them, and what makes them an intricate part of the community today. Whether you're a local discovering their history or a tourist interested in finding out what to do in Reading, this tour is for you, and will show you the town you see every day, in a way you've never seen it before! 

All our tours are completely walkable and self-guided and this one will be no exception.