Shiplake College benefits from an enchanting rural setting, which is highly accessible to many urban areas.
Located in beautiful countryside close to the Berkshire-Oxfordshire border, the College is only three miles from Henley-on-Thames and five miles from Reading. Furthermore, the M40 and M4 motorways are just a short drive away, providing easy access to London, Oxford, the Midlands and the South West.
Pupils travel from far and wide to attend Shiplake College. For many, boarding is the most viable option, but for day boys and girls there are a range of convenient day-to-day travel options to make the College accessible for all.
School Transport Service
Shiplake uses specialist transport management company Vectare to run our School Transport Service. This service includes nine bus routes run by four coach companies; eight run every weekday and on Saturday mornings (for pupils playing in fixtures or attending College events) and there is a route to and from West London on Fridays, Sundays and Monday used by weekly boarders. The routes currently available are as follows:
- Gerrards Cross, Beaconsfield, Wooburn Green, Bourne End
- Knotty Green, High Wycombe, Marlow
- Ascot, Windsor, Maidenhead, Charvil and Sonning
- Burnham, Boulters Lock, Cookham, Pinkneys Green and Hurley
- Crowthorne, Finchampstead, Woosehill, Hurst, Twyford and Sonning
- Watlington, Nettlebed, Henley and Shiplake
- Dorchester, Wallingford, Goring, Sonning Common and Binfield Heath
- Shinfield, Reading Station, Caversham and Emmer Green
- West London (Fridays, Sundays and Mondays only)
Full details of our bus routes and how to book can be found at shiplake.vectare.co.uk. To contact the School Transport Service please email [email protected].
Public Bus
There is a public bus service that stops outside the College. This is the 800 route run by Arriva, which travels between High Wycombe, Marlow, Henley-on-Thames, Shiplake and Reading. Currently there is a bus that travels from Reading and stops at Shiplake College at approximately 7.40am. Please click here for the most up-to-date timetable.
Train
The College is situated within easy reach of Reading, Henley and Shiplake stations. Whilst Shiplake is closest to the College, trains stop at this station less frequently and it may be more convenient and time efficient to organise a taxi from Reading Station. A daily bus route to and from Reading Station for pupils will only run if there is sufficient demand.