50 years on in Berkshire

Monday 31st August 2026

Welcome to a Bank Holiday Blog Special which, thanks to blog reader Paul, commemorates the 50th anniversary of the publication of a one-off experiment from the erstwhile Berkshire County Council in the form of a fully integrated public transport guide for the Reading area.

Paul contacted me about this last month explaining “I grew up in Berkshire, in and around the Wokingham area, so this timetable was the first such publication I remember buying as a (relatively young) public transport user. As far as I am aware, nothing so inventive was ever repeated until long after deregulation, so it served as a bit of a unicorn in terms of timetables in the Berkshire area. And, at 30p in 1976, it was surprisingly expensive!! (£3.40 in today’s money)”.

Paul added “I’m thinking it would make an interesting comparison of the routes that existed in 1976, compared with what operates now. Many of the services have disappeared completely (e.g. Reading to Baughurst, Reading to Camberley and Reading to Aldershot) whereas others have expanded considerably (e.g. Reading to Oxford via a different route).”

The timetable book itself is available on the wonderful Timetable World website and is well worth a look for details of the timetables for each bus route as well as rail services operating at that time and also included are two network maps as shown above and below.

I spent three years living in Reading (at the University) in the early part of the 1970s so Paul’s detailed look at what was on offer in 1976 compared to today, analysing the changes route by route, has made for a fascinating read and I hope others will find it interesting too.

If you’ve got a spare 20 minutes on this Bank Holiday marking the end of a long hot summer 50 years on from the long hot summer of 1976 then read on for Paul’s amazing detailed comparison of the historic routes with their modern day equivalents…..

And we begin numerically and logically with route 1.

Alder Valley routes 1/1A between Reading and Maidenhead, in 1976 was an hourly weekday (i.e. Mondays to Saturdays) service along the whole route length plus an additional hourly weekday service just between Maidenhead and Knowl Hill. This provided a half hourly combined service from Maidenhead to Knowl Hill and a 2 buses per hour (20/40 interval) service from Knowl Hill back to Maidenhead. Sunday service was at reduced frequency (each service 2 hourly and long gaps in the evening). Readers of the timetable are advised of the delights of Sonning Village, and also of the existence of a limited stop additional service between Reading and Maidenhead described as B (300/305) – more of which is described later.

The current service has recently been upgraded. For years, there was only a Saturday service on route 127 between Reading and Maidenhead but this is now rectified with an hourly Carousel “Country” provided Mondays to Saturdays (the equivalent of Alder Valley route 1), and an additional Saturdays only Thames Valley buses route 127 every 2 hours, which sort of mixes the former route 1A (i.e. via Sonning Village) and also operates via Woodley and also Upper Wargrave (once served in 1976 by Alder Valley routes 46/46A – see below). 

Alder Valley route 2 between Reading and Newbury in 1976 offered a half-hourly service on Weekdays (hourly evenings and Sundays) with odd works extras to Colthrop Mills. 

The current service is operated by Reading Buses as Jetblack 1, offering essentially the same level of service (half hourly Mondays to Saturdays and hourly Sundays), but without the works extras.

Alder Valley route 3 between Reading, Wokingham and Camberley in 1976 offered a half hourly service on Weekdays (hourly evenings and Sundays), plus some schoolday extras including route 3A which operated along part of Alder Valley route 49 between Wokingham and Finchampstead, then extending to Farley Hill.

The current service does not operate in the same way as in 1976. The Reading to Wokingham corridor is now in the hands of Reading Buses’ lion 4/4a (described more fully later), but the service between Wokingham and Camberley has been decimated, with a roughly 2 hourly daytime service between Wokingham and Crowthorne on Thames Valley routes 125/125A Mondays to Fridays plus two journeys on Saturday, extending beyond Crowthorne to the Meadows shopping centre, near (but not as far as) Camberley. No through bus service exists between Reading/Wokingham and Camberley.

Alder Valley route 3B between Reading and Sindlesham provided shopping service Mondays to Fridays consisting of 2 journeys in each direction, but times to offer a morning service to Reading, a lunchtime service in each direction, and an afternoon service back to Sindlesham – clearly interworked with school journeys (described in more detail in the Alder Valley route 47 timetable)

The only bus that operates to Sindlesham today is the Tuesday only Horseman Coaches route 145, although this is of very limited use, offering a weekly journey to and from the Sainsbury store at Winnersh (only), otherwise a 15 minute walk to the Reading Road in Winnersh where the Reading Buses Lion 4/4a service can be accessed.

Alder Valley routes 4 and 4C offered a broadly hourly weekday (with schooldays extras) service between Reading, Arborfield, Yateley, Camberley and Farnborough. The 4C variant was a schoolday and Sunday variant via a different route between Yateley and Camberley. The Sunday service was a 2-hourly frequency between Reading and Camberley (mornings) / Frimley (afternoons) with a solitary Sunday evening round-trip service to Farnborough. The weekday service also interworked with Alder Valley routes 49 and 240 to provide a combined timetable between Farnborough, Camberley and Yateley. Additional buses between Reading and Arborfield are advertised on route 140.

The current service between Reading and Arborfield is Reading Buses’s Leopard service 3 (more of which later), but the service between Arborfield and Yateley is non-existent. Between Yateley and Camberley, Stagecoach provide a 4 buses per hour Mondays to Saturdays daytimes (hourly evening and every 90 minutes Sundays) on their route 3, with 2 buses per hour Mondays to Saturdays daytimes plus all evening and Sunday buses extending to Farnborough and Aldershot.

Alder Valley and City of Oxford route 5 between Reading, Pangbourne, Wallingford and Oxford offered an hourly weekday service (evenings only half the trips extended beyond Wallingford to/from Oxford) with Sundays hourly between Reading and Wallingford with alternate journeys (2 hourly) extended to/from Oxford. Passengers are advised of additional journeys between Reading and Pangbourne on routes 11A and 130-133, as well as being told about the Child-Beale Wildfowl Trust between Pangbourne and Basildon which is admission free for bus passengers!

The current service between Reading and Pangbourne is operated by Reading Buses, with their azure 43, with 5 journeys every day Mondays to Saturdays plus a school extra route 93 bus. No service on Sundays. There is also another route 145 (this time operated by Oxfordshire County Council fleet services) on Tuesdays only, which links Goring and Streatley with Pangbourne, then diverting the other side of the River Thames via Whitchurch-on-Thames and Caversham to Reading. There are also two journeys on Mondays to Fridays between Goring, Cholsey and Wallingford on Going Forward Buses route 133, and on the other side of the Thames, there is Thames Travel route 134 providing an hourly (approx) service on Mondays to Fridays between Goring and Wallingford.

However, the big upgrade is between Reading, Wallingford and Oxford, which is provided by Thames Travel route X40.

This service operates via Woodcote (not Pangbourne) between Reading and Wallingford, but then follows the former route 5 between Wallingford and Oxford. Frequency is significantly enhanced compared with 1976, with 3 buses per hour Mondays to Fridays daytimes, reducing to hourly evening (and even night buses being provided on Friday and Saturday nights). Saturdays and Sundays is 2 buses per hour daytimes. 

Alder Valley route 6 (and Summer Sundays 6A) operated between Reading, Riseley and Basingstoke, with 7-8 journeys Mondays to Saturdays between Reading and Wellington Monument, 4 of which were extended to/from Basingstoke. 3 journeys in each direction were provided on Sundays between Reading and Basingstoke, and the Summer service was diverted via Stratfield Saye House (route 6A).

The current service between Reading and Riseley is provided as part of Reading Buses’ Mereoak 600 Park & Ride route, providing an hourly Mondays to Saturdays (2 hourly evenings) service. No service is offered between Reading to Basingstoke (and as far as I know has never been offered since the MAP reorganisation of routes in 1980, when Hants & Dorset provided a limited service 306 as part of their VentureBus network in Basingstoke, which from (vague) memory maybe only lasted a year or possibly less. However, the existence of a fairly high frequency (2-3 per hour) and fast rail service between Reading and Basingstoke explains the lack of demand for such a bus service!

Alder Valley route 6B was a limited (2-3 journeys per day) Mondays to Saturdays shopping service between Reading, Spencers Wood and Shinfield.

The current service is another variant of Reading Buses’ Mereoak 600 Park & Ride route, providing an hourly Mondays to Saturdays service linking Reading, Mereoak Park & Ride, Spencers Wood, Shinfield and Thames Valley Park.

Alder Valley routes 7 and 7B were a 2 buses per hour Mondays to Saturdays (3 buses per hour at peak times, and hourly evenings and Sundays) between Reading and Sonning Common, with alternate journeys linking either Stoke Row or Borocourt Hospital. 6 journeys per day Mondays to Saturdays were extended to Nettlebed.

The current service is mainly provided Reading Buses’ pink 25 and 25a routes, providing an hourly service every day including evenings and Sundays between Reading and Peppard Common, plus an additional Mondays to Saturdays daytime service between Reading and Sonning Common (so providing two buses per hour Mondays to Saturdays daytime between Reading and Sonning Common). 

Additionally, Carousel provide routes 112 and 113 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (only), linking Reading with Stoke Row, Nettlebed and onwards to/from Watlington, proving 2-3 trips per day, 3 times per week.

Alder Valley route 8 linked Reading, Shiplake and Henley, proving an hourly weekdays (2 hourly Sundays) service.

The current service is now provided by Reading Buses’ aqua 28/28a service, providing an upgraded half hourly Mondays to Saturdays daytime service, with an hourly evening and Sunday service. Some journeys (4-5 in each direction Mondays to Saturdays) operate via Binfield Heath (route 28a) whereas all journeys on former Alder Valley route 8 operated via Binfield Heath.

Alver Valley routes 9 and 9B operated between Reading, Burghfield, Mortimer, Mortimer Common, Silchester, Tadley and Baughurst. The basic service pattern was weekday daytime half hourly between Reading and Mortimer Common (alternating between routes 9 and 9B which operated on different routes through Burghfield Common), one of which was extended to Baughurst, with only one service per hour provided evenings and Sundays between Reading and Baughurst. There were also school and workday extra journeys serving Mortimer Rail Station, and even services diverting via the Royal Ordnance Factory in Burghfield and work times. Additionally, very occasional journeys were numbered 9C and operated directly between Burghfield Common and Tadley.

The current service is Reading Buses’ lime 2/2a route, providing a half hourly service on Mondays to Saturdays daytimes between Reading and Mortimer Common (replicating the former 9/9B with 2/2a variants for the different Burghfield routes). Evenings and Sundays is an hourly service. 6 journeys each direction on Mondays to Fridays are then extended via the former Alder Valley 9C route to/from Tadley to serve the AWRE facility. No service operates via Silchester.

Alder Valley routes 11,11A and 11B provided a  complicated network of routes linking Reading, Theale, Bradfield, Bucklebury, Thatcham and Newbury, providing an approximately 1-2 hourly service between Reading and Newbury, with additional diversions via Tidmarsh, Beenham and Aldermaston and Bucklebury Slade on certain days (e.g. Newbury market day on Thursdays).

The current service is the extremely limited West Berkshire Council community connect services B and C, which are a mixture of timetabled services and DRT. The main scheduled departure which seems to most resemble the former Alder Valley 11/11B service operates between Thatcham and Calcot Sainsburys via a range of villages including Beenham and Bradfield once each direction on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Alder Valley route 12 was operated between Reading, Riseley, Fleet and Aldershot, providing a daily hourly (evenings every 2 hours) service. This route provided the main service between Reading, Spencers Wood, Swallowfield and Riseley, supplemented by Alder Valley route 6/6A (see above).

The current service between Reading and Riseley is described above in reference to Alder Valley route 6/6A. Between Aldershot, Fleet and Elvetham Heath, Stagecoach route 7 provides 6 journeys Mondays to Saturdays daytimes (about every 2 hours), three of which are extended to serve Hartley Wintney and Phoenix Green. No service on Sundays is provided on this route, and no service is provided between Riseley and Hartley Wintney, severing the through link between Reading Aldershot.

Alder Valley route 13 was an extremely limited peak and shopping service linking Reading, Grazeley, Burghfield, Ufton Nervet, Padworth and Aldermaston, with one journey towards Reading in the morning starting from Tadley. The overall frequency was 3-4 journeys per day weekday daytime, with no evening or Sunday service.

No equivalent current service is provided, with the nearest option being a once a week (Thursday) shopping service route 154 operated by Horseman Coaches linking Beech Hill and Grazeley with Reading.

Alder Valley routes 28, 29 and 29B provided the link between Reading, Wargrave, Henley, Marlow and High Wycombe, providing a daily hourly service between Reading and High Wycombe, and weekday day and evening additional services (1-2 extra per hour) between Marlow and High Wycombe. The 29, 29 and 29B operated via different routes between Marlow and High Wycombe.  One quirk of the service was a Saturdays only trip extending to Hambledon Village, although only in the early morning, with no corresponding return journey in the afternoon.

The current service is the Carousel 850 service, providing an enhanced half hourly 7 days a week on the route during daytimes, and an hourly Mondays to Saturdays service. On Mondays to Fridays daytimes there are an additional 2 buses an hour between High Wycombe and Marlow (providing an overall 15-minute internal service). The service is different from the Alder Valley 28/29/29B service in that route 850 operates via Twyford, providing a slower journey, but providing Twyford with much better travel opportunities. The route is currently being upgraded with new Riverside branding.

Alder Valley route 38 was interworked with route 8, providing an urban service between Reading and Caversham Park, on an hourly basis on weekdays.

The current service is now provided by Reading Buses’ berry 23/24 circular services which also serve Emmer Green as well as Caversham Park. These routes each run every 30 minutes Mondays to Saturdays daytime (hourly evenings and Sundays) 

Alder Valley route 43 was a curious solitary journey on what was otherwise a frequent Reading Buses service between Reading, Woodley and Twyford.

The current Reading – Woodley service is now Reading Buses routes 13/14 and 19a/19c, and the current Reading – Twyford service is made up from Carousel’s 850 plus Thames Valley 127 and 128/129 services (noting that Reading Buses pointless competitive route 12 is now withdrawn).

Alder Valley route 46/46A was an approximately hourly weekdays only route linking Reading, Twyford and Wargrave. 

The current service is made up from Thames Valley’s Saturdays only route 127 (see Alder Valley 1/1A for details) which serves Wargrave, plus Horseman Coaches Wednesdays only shopping route 153.

Alder Valley route 47 was a 2-hourly weekdays only service linking Reading, Winnersh, Hurst and Twyford. 

The current equivalent service is Thames Valley route 128/129, linking Reading, Sonning, Twyford, Hurst, Winnersh and Wokingham on an hourly basis Mondays to Fridays, and every 2 hours on Saturdays (as on Saturdays the service works with the Saturday only 127). This provides a much enhanced service, providing links with Wokingham and well as much more frequent service for Hurst.

Alder Valley 49 was a service which did not operate to Reading, but served the market town of Wokingham on its indirect route between Camberley, Yateley, Finchampstead, Wokingham and Bracknell. The service operated weekdays only, providing a 2-hourly service between Bracknell and Finchampstead, with peak hour journeys extended to/from Camberley.

The current service between Bracknell and Wokingham is operated by Reading Buses’ lion 4/4a (see later). Between Wokingham, Barkham and California, Reading Buses leopard 3 provides the service (again, see later).

Between Yateley and Camberley, service is provided by Stagecoach route 3 (see Alder Valley 4/4C above for details). However, the only link to Finchampstead is the once a week shopping trip on the Tuesday only Horseman Coaches 145 route (previously mentioned under Alder Valley 3B), which provides a “catch-all” type service linking otherwise unserved villages between Three Mile Cross, Spencers Wood, Riseley, Swallowfield, Farley Hill, Eversley, Finchampstead, Wokingham, Arborfield, Sindlesham and Winnersh.

Alder Valley routes 130/131/133 linked Reading with Pangbourne, Upper Basildon, Yattendon, Hampstead Norreys, Ashampstead, Compton and Newbury, providing an approximate 2-hourly service on weekdays. 

The current service between Reading, Pangbourne and Upper Basildon is the azure 43 (described under Alder Valley 5). No service operates to Yattendon and Hampstead Norreys.

Alder Valley route 132 was a curious service operating weekdays only, proving a morning journey in each direction on Mondays to Fridays between Reading , Pangbourne, Blewbury and Rowstock Corner, providing a connection with City of Oxford routes 301/302 to / from Wantage, and an evening journey in each direction on Mondays to Saturdays all the way between Reading and Wantage (no connection required in the afternoon with City of Oxford). One wonders how many people would have endured the 20+ minute connection at Rowstock Corner (including an inconvenient road crossing, presumably) in the morning, or indeed how many people used the route on a Saturday, when only the evening round trip from Reading was operating…

There is no equivalent current service. See Alder Valley 5 above for details of services between Reading, Pangbourne and Goring & Streatley. There are routes serving Upton, Harwell and Blewbury, mainly linking Didcot, as well as Thames Travel’s X35 route linking Didcot, Harwell, Rowstock Corner and Wantage. No service links Reading and Wantage directly.

Alder Valley route 140 linked Reading, Arborfield, Barkham and Wokingham, also providing a local service in Wokingham with service to Norreyes Estate. The basic service was an hourly weekdays frequency, with a late evening journey, and a 2-hourly Sunday service. Many schoolday variations existed, as well as service to Farley Hill.

The current service is Reading Buses’ leopard 3, which provides a significantly upgraded frequency compared with 50 years ago…. the basic service is half hourly Mondays to Saturdays and hourly sundays and evenings between Reading and Wokingham, plus peak hour extra services between Arborfield and Reading Mondays to Saturdays, and an additional two buses per hour Mondays to Saturdays daytimes between Reading and Shinfield (Mondays to Fridays) and between Reading, Shinfield and Arborfield (Saturdays). There is an additional bus per hour on Sundays between Reading and Arborfield.

The section of route in Wokingham serving Norreys Estate is now provided by Thames Travel’s route 121, providing a half hourly service Mondays to Fridays daytimes, and every 2 hours on Saturdays.

The section of route serving Farley Hill is now only served by Horseman’s Coaches route 145, described in more detail above under Alder Valley 49.

Alder Valley routes 190/191/192 providing the trunk route corridor between Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell, Ascot and Windsor. The basic service was half hourly routes 191/192 (route 191 serving Emmbrook Village between Winnersh and Wokingham and route 192 serving Binfield Village) seven days per week, with only some evening journeys operating between Bracknell / Wokingham and Reading, plus various peak hour and school extra journeys. Some journeys extended to South Ascot and one morning trip started from Sunningdale.

The current service between Reading, Wokingham and Bracknell is Reading Buses’ lion 4/4a, with route 4a providing the nearest equivalent to the 1976 service (route 4 also serving Great Hollands in the south of Bracknell). The overall frequency between Reading, Wokingham and Bracknell is every 15 minutes Mondays to Saturdays daytime, every 30 minutes Sundays and every hour Mondays to Saturdays evenings.

The service east of Bracknell is now divided into two main routes – the London Line 701/702 operated by Reading Buses / Thames Valley, with some trips operating to/from Reading but most journeys operating between Bracknell, Ascot, Windsor, Slough and London (daily hourly service with peak extras), and the Flightline 703 (also operated by Reading Buses / Thames Valley) operating between Bracknell (alternate daytime trips via Winkfield or Ascot High Street), Windsor, Slough and Heathrow (daily twice per hour, hourly evenings). 

Arguably a much better service than historically provided, although Winnersh and Wokingham miss out on through services to Windsor, compared to 1976.

Alder Valley 193 was peak hour limited stop service linking Reading, Wokingham and Bracknell, also serving Bracknell’s Southern Industrial Area. 

The current Reading Buses Lion 4 provides the nearest equivalent, offering direct connections between Reading, Wokingham, Southern Industrial Area and Bracknell, every hour, daily – albeit not on a limited stop basis. 

Limited stop journeys are provided at certain times on Reading Buses / Thames Valley route 701.

Alder Valley 275 was a through trunk route operating weekdays every 2 hours between Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell, Bagshot and Guildford.

No service provides a direct link between Reading / Wokingham / Bracknell with Guildford, although the very regular Reading – Wokingham – Guildford GWR rail service provides a very adequate and much faster and frequent alternative.

Alder Valley routes 300, 305 and 310 provided the Reading – London direct service. The 300 was the renumbered historic B service via Maidenhead and Slough, and the 310 was the renumbered historic A service via Wokingham and Bracknell. Both services operated via Heathrow. The 305 was a curious early morning journey from Reading at 05:25 which operated firstly like a 310 via Wokingham and Bracknell, and then like a 300 serving Maidenhead and Slough, before terminating at Heathrow Airport. The basic service was a daily hourly route 300 service (but only every 2 hours beyond Heathrow to London service and a daily 2-hourly 310 service, providing an overall hourly Reading to London daily service.

The current equivalent service is the London Line 701/702 described above (see Alder Valley 190/191/192), but no current service provides a similar service to either the 300 or the 310. However, Thames Valley route 704 does provide an extract of the 300, operating between Maidenhead, Slough and Heathrow daily hourly.

Alder Valley provided the Reading to Heathrow non-stop rail-air service every 30 minutes daily (hourly evenings and Winter Sundays), a service operated now by First as RA1, with generally 2-3 buses per hour (hourly evenings) every day.

I don’t know anything about current National Express journeys, and I didn’t live in urban Reading at any point, so my knowledge of Reading Buses network is poor.

The independent operator services were quite limited back in 1976:

Chiltern Queens operated routes from Reading to Woodcote, Didcot and Checkenden, all of which are covered in detail above with the current Thames Travel route X40 (shown under Alder Valley route 5) and House’s operated 2-4 trips a day between Reading, Nettlebed and Watlington, again which is covered above under Alder Valley 7/7B with Carousels’ current 112/113 routes.

Finally, the Burghfield Taxi service linking Beech Hill, Grazeley and Reading is almost unchanged over 50 years, mirroring Horseman Coaches 154 service. Both routes are once a week on a Thursday, the only difference is the modern-day service operates about 1 hour earlier in each direction than in 1976!

A huge thanks to Paul for his fascinating commentary showing how today’s bus network has evolved over the past five decades with improvements as well as withdrawals and cutbacks. Living in Reading in the early 1970s I have fond memories of travelling around the area by bus. particularly the local town network operated by Reading Transport which was as impressive an operator in those days as it is today not least, in 1976, in comparison with Alder Valley which was going through considerable turmoil following the merger between Thames Valley and Aldershot & District.

Looking at the Reading Transport timetables in the book one can see how much of today’s extensive network is based on the core routes that operated 50 years ago, not least route 17 running every six minutes between Tilehurst and Wokingham Road.

It’s also interesting to see the routes to Woodley (43/44/45) included as Reading Transport routes as these were handed over by Alder Valley to the municipally owned operator in October 1975 as part of the strategy to turn around the finances and operational problems facing the NBC subsidiary.

The timetable book also contains timetables for both British Rail’s Western and Southern Regions.

The former was busy introducing its revolutionary High Speed Trains which began making such a difference to the quality of service on the main line from Paddington to South Wales and the South West.

While the Southern Region ran its third rail electric trains to Waterloo from what originally was a completely separately managed station – hence why Reading Transport buses famously had ‘Stations’ (in the plural) on its destination blinds – as there were two stations. Thankfully, by 1976, these had become one.

I hope this has been of interested and my thanks again to Paul for his efforts.

Roger French

Blogging timetable: 06:00 TThS