Things to do in Berkshire

Berkshire is where you find the Royal Windsor Castle home to Kings and Queens. The towns of Windsor and Eton are set along the winding river Thames in the most beautiful countryside. Windsor Castle is hard
to miss as you drive west from London on the M4 motorway. Needless to say, Windsor is a very picturesque and magnificent tourist attraction.

Besides from the Royalty aspect, the other interesting feature of the county is the old world look around the towns of Newbury and Thatcham with the picturesque villages hidden deep in the undulating hills of the very scenic Berkshire Downs.

As you approach Windsor from the motorway look out for the silhouetted spiky spires of the most perfect of royal churches, St. George's Chapel. The interior is an impressive design of delicate fan vaulting in unique English Gothic style. Inside the castle walls are courts, gardens, closes, nice houses and wide terraces that look over the trees and river Thames towards Eton and its college in the distance.

Berkshire and parts of Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Surrey serve as a commuter dormitory, but the area is still picturesque, with historic restaurant's, hotels, B&B's, lovely houses, parks and gardens. The river Thames winds eastwards in broad graceful curves, cutting through the beechwood clad Chilturn Hills. To the south is the Surrey heathlands and grass covered heights of the North Downs.

To the west of Reading is Pangbourne, and riverside Streatley has an interesting and very old cheese shop. Newbury which is close by is connected with the wool and cloth trades. Turn north to Abingdon, the county's old capital with a fine county hall and has a few arched bridge over the river Thames, and the remains of a fifteenth century abby gateway.

The edge of the county is very high and has a grassy downland dedicated to horses and ridingschools including breeding centres around the area of Lambourne.

The county borders Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Wiltshire and Hampshire. Under border changes in 1995, it also acquired a border with Greater London.

Incidentally, the county town of Berkshire was originally Abingdon but is now Reading.

The river Thames sweeps east and west in broad graceful curves, winding through the beechwood clad Chiltern Hills. To the south, you'll see the Surrey heathlands and grass covered heights of the North Downs.

Abingdon: Attractive and historic, a Thameside gem. Monday market under the old County Hall arches.

Didcot: Good for GWR steam enthusiasts. The power station dominates and it has open days in summer.

Harwell: Also dominated by the Atomic Energy Research stack but retaining an olde-worlde charm with 14th to 18th century buildings.

Hungerford: By the river, with its clustering boats and ducks, is pleasant with a clutter of antique shops.

Lambourn: Fine Georgian cottages and almshouses.

Maidenhead: Riverside town with pub-lined towpath.

Newbury: Notorious by-pass. Fine almshouses, a cloth museum and horse-drawn barge trips.

Wantage: Has a set of almshouses and paving stones made of sheep bones. King Alfred, he of the burnt cakes, was born here.

Windsor: Glorious gardens - particularly in spring. Savill and Valley Gardens are both open to the public.

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