Reading Stag Do

Reading doesn’t get the headlines that Brighton or Manchester do, but a Reading stag do makes a lot of sense when your group is spread around the South. It’s one of the best-connected towns in the country, the centre is compact and there’s countryside on the doorstep for the daytime stuff. Nobody’s flying anywhere, nobody’s losing a passport, and the stag will still get thoroughly embarrassed.

It’s also a smart pick for a Reading stag weekend when the stag wants something more low key than a big city blowout. You get a lively Saturday night without needing a sat nav to find your hotel afterwards.

The centre has a few clusters worth knowing. The Oracle Riverside is a run of bars and restaurants along the River Kennet, handy for food and a few early drinks by the water. Friar Street and Gun Street are where the louder bars and clubs are, and Market Place has a few good bars of its own. Everything is close enough to walk between, which is good news for whoever is in charge of herding.

My route for a Saturday would be an early dinner by the river, a few rounds in the town centre, then the clubs on Friar Street once the stag has been suitably refreshed. Reading has a big student population and plenty of young professionals, so it’s busy at weekends. It doesn’t have the endless options of a big city, so pick a plan and stick to it rather than wandering about.

The countryside around Reading is where the daytime fun lives. Go karting gives you a podium, a villain and a stag to blame for the pile-up, while clay pigeon shooting is easy to pick up and suits a mixed group. If the lads have a few old scores to settle, paintball never lets you down.

Berkshire is also racing country. Newbury, Ascot and Windsor all have racecourses, and a day at the races is a smart way to warm up for the evening (literally smart, so check the dress code before anyone turns up in shorts). If the stag is a football fan, check whether Reading FC are at home that weekend.

Reading station is a major rail hub, with fast trains from London Paddington, the Elizabeth line running straight in from London, and direct services from Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham and beyond. The M4 passes just south of town if you’re driving, but I’d leave the cars at home and let the train do the work. Once you’re in the centre, you walk.

If the group wants a bigger night with the same easy travel, London is right down the line, and Oxford is close by for a stag weekend with a bit more history to it.

• Mind the festival weekend. Reading Festival takes over the town every August bank holiday weekend. Brilliant if the stag loves his music and you’ve got tickets, chaos if you’re trying to find a hotel room.
• Bring ID. Town centre bars and clubs often ask, so everyone carries photo ID.
• Check the dress code. Some clubs turn away sportswear or big groups in full fancy dress. Keep the costume for the stag and give the rest of the lads something simple, like matching stag do hats.
• Book tables for bigger groups. Restaurants and bars fill up on a Saturday, and a big group turning up without a booking means a long wait.
• Leave the cans at the hotel. Plenty of town centres restrict drinking in public, so don’t carry drinks between bars.

I’d base the group right in the town centre. It’s compact, everything is close enough to walk between, and you won’t need a sat nav to find the hotel afterwards. The Oracle Riverside, with its bars and restaurants on the River Kennet, Market Place and the clubs on Friar Street and Gun Street are all a short stagger from each other.

If the plan is to go big on Saturday night, sleep as close to Friar Street and Gun Street as you can, because that’s where the louder bars and clubs are and the walk home is shortest. Staying near the station works well too, since Reading is a major rail hub and half the group will be coming in on fast trains from Paddington or the Elizabeth line. Leave the cars at home and walk once you’re in.

Practical tip: check your dates against Reading Festival. It takes over the town every August bank holiday weekend, and finding a hotel room then is chaos, so pick another weekend or book beds first.

Friday Train in, check in and ease into it at the Oracle Riverside with food and a few drinks by the water. A couple in Market Place after, then call it. Saturday is the main event, and Reading rewards a plan more than a wander.

Saturday Daytime is out in the countryside. I’d book go karting for a podium, a villain and a stag to blame for the pile-up, or bubble football if you just want to see him bounced across a pitch. If he’s a racing man, go to Newbury, Ascot or Windsor instead, and check the dress code before anyone turns up in shorts. Football fans should check whether Reading FC are at home. Evening starts with an early dinner by the river, so book a table if you’re a big group, because places fill up on a Saturday. Then a few rounds in the town centre and on to the clubs on Friar Street and Gun Street. Bring photo ID, keep the full fancy dress for the stag only, and don’t carry drinks between bars.

Sunday No big plans. A slow lunch back at the Oracle Riverside and a quiet pint by the Kennet while the group compares injuries. If you need one last activity before the trains home, comedy is the gentlest option on the list.