The Royal County of Berkshire contains a range of attractions and great days out for all the family – explore the history of Windsor Castle or enjoy the excitement of Legoland or attend one of the sporting venues on offer.
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Berkshire OverviewThe home county of Berkshire, or the Royal County of Berkshire is a landlocked county surrounded by Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Surrey, Buckinghamshire and Greater London.
Berkshire has a population of around 900,000 people. The county town is Reading with other large towns at Slough, Bracknell, Maidenhead and Wokingham.
The landscape of Berkshire benefits from the River Thames which forms part of the northern boundary, the Berkshire Downs part of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the heavily wooded areas of Bracknell and Windsor Great Park.
Berkshire’s location close to London has resulted in it seeing it’s fair share of conflict down the years as the battles for power were waged – numerous castles, some ruins, are scattered across the landscape. Berkshire’s traditional economy has been agricultural based with sheep farming leading to a well developed woollen and clothing industry. The timber trade and malting industries were also significant generators of wealth in the county, the Vale of White Horse and Camden producing great barley crops.
The famous Uffington White Horse landmark passed to Oxfordshire when county boundaries were redrawn in 1974.
The M4 runs through Berkshire linking the county to the M25 and also delivers visitors from the west. The M3, linked via the A33 and M40 are also in close proximity.
The county is well served by train with locations including Newbury and Reading on the South West mainline.
Visitors from further afield can use the Heathrow airport and other major airports given the road network.
Popular Trails in Berkshire
