Campsites in Berkshire

Superb architecture, beautiful greenspaces, famous racecourses and great family attractions are just some of the reasons to choose Berkshire for your next holiday. Discover some of the highlights that really put Berkshire on the map...

Don’t Miss

• Windsor Castle
• Highclere Castle
• The Look Out Discovery Centre
• UK Wolf Conservation Trust

Fit for royalty

Get ready to be truly wowed by majestic Windsor Castle, which is the world’s oldest and biggest occupied castle, is sure to captivate visitors with its grand exterior and sumptuous interiors. Mix your visit with exploring St. George's Chapel, a stunning example of Gothic architecture that houses the tombs of King Henry VIII, his third wife Jane Seymour, as well as King Charles I.

Glued to Downton Abbey? Beautiful Highclere Castle lets you discover first-hand the location where the series was filmed. Stroll the elegant corridors and picture the cast at work! After that, a trip to Basildon Park will have you well and truly feeling fancy, as you explore a recreated 18^th century Georgian mansion and its lovely garden and parkland. Dorney Court has been scarcely touched by the past 600 years, and will tempt you to its Grade 1 listed Tudor mansion house and tranquil gardens.

Keen to experience the thrills of horseracing? Berkshire has a selection of racecourses that are famous across the country, including Ascot Racecourse, Newbury Racecourse and Royal Windsor Racecourse.

Nature's never far from you in Berkshire. Windsor Great Park is a magnificent and extensive park covering around 5000 acres, mixing luscious woodland, formal gardens and grassland. Savill Garden is an enclosed section of Windsor Great Park. Get lost in its ornamental garden, smelling the sweet aroma of its native and exotic plant species.

When all that's said and done, spoil yourself even more with Berkshire’s fantastic country parks - your choice for superb outdoor settings. Black Park Country Park stretches over 500 acres and contains woodland, heathland and a pretty lake, while Dinton Pastures Country Park not only call to you with enticing landscapes but offers boats for hire, disc golf, a mobile climbing tower and open water swimming.

Museums in Berkshire have some real treasures - the kind you won't find anywhere else. The REME Museum of Technology will intrigue anyone with an interest in the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Reading Museum is packed with art and archaeology collections along with a full-size copy of the Bayeux Tapestry - what really happened to King Harold? Find out here. The Eton College Natural History Museum will fascinate visitors who are keen to learn more about natural history and contains excellent collections covering birds, fossils, plants, insects and more. 

Proudly declare yourself a culture vulture at the Watermill Theatre which hosts dramas, musicals and children’s theatre. Or, treat your ears to the South Hill Park Arts Centre for operas, music events and comedy shows. The Theatre Royal will also tempt visitors with its sprakling selection, including ballet, musical and comedy events.

For anyone who’s ever wondered what exactly the beer brewing process involves, a tour of Windsor & Eton Brewery lifts the lid on the brewing process, and then treats you to a tasting session. On the other hand, those who prefer wine are sure to enjoy the Stanlake Park Vineyard & Winery tasting tour which provides fascinating insight into how wine is made, along with the chance to sample a variety of wines. However, for sightseers with a sweet tooth a trip to the Fudge Kitchen should definitely be on the itinerary. Here visitors can participate in a fun fudge-making experience which is pure temptation for anyone with a taste for delicious treats.

Step straight back in time at Runnymede, where the Magna Carta was sealed eight centuries ago. Top that off with some of Berkshire's enticing selection of towns and villages. Sonning-on-Thames is straight out of a postcard - George Clooney owns a house there! - Cookham is stuffed with old world inns that are immensely popular and the quaint village of Bisham is sweet as honey. There are many, many more to choose from.

Lazy waterways and high energy watersports

If water-based activities float your boat, there’s plenty to dive into within Berkshire. The Kennet & Avon Canal is a great spot for enjoying a laidback boat ride, as well as walking and cycling along the edge of the canal. For something a bit different, canal visitors can also trot over to the Kennet Horse Boat Company for an unforgettable trip on a horse-drawn barge or hire a boat for an exciting self-drive excursion.

Alternatively, hop on board one of the range of French Brothers cruises for a fun trip down the River Thames and the chance to see Windsor Castle and Eton College glide by from the water. Those who fancy putting their paddling skills to the test can hire kayaks and canoes from Thames Canoe Hire, with options for four-hour, day, weekend and week hire. Plenty of boating fun is also available from CKT Canoe and Kayak Tours who offer a choice of kayaking and canoeing tours that are a great way to take in the sights from a different perspective. Canoes can also be hired for boaters who are keen to explore by themselves.   

Unique Outdoors offers a great range of activities to suit younger and older visitors alike, including archery, high ropes courses, a Powerfan jump, Segway rides, survival skills courses, laser combat sessions and zorbing to name a few.

Fascinated by birds of prey? Then the Feathers and Fur Falconry Centre is the place to go. The centre houses a variety of spectacular birds of prey. It's not a case of look but don't touch, you can get hands-on with the birds in experience sessions. Walk a hawk, dabble in owl handling or fly a hawk!

Feet itching? Berkshire's the spot for a laidback ramble or one of those challenging routes that'll really get the blood pumping. If that's not enough, flex your bike wheels at Swinley Forest on 24 km of forest paths or along the beautiful Jubilee River. Plus, the canal we mentioned earlier is an ideal place to whizz past horse drawn barges.

Animal encounters

Exhilaration, sky high heights and the feeling of flying - Go Ape at Bracknell is not a tough sell for youngsters. There's thrilling tree top adventures with zip wires, a Tarzan swing and exciting obstacles to overcome, all while surrounded by the beautiful Swinley Forest.

A visit to the UK Wolf Conservation Trust is one that won’t soon be forgotten, with the opportunity to get up close to these incredible creatures on a wolf walk, help feed them and watch them stalk in their natural habitat. Wednesdays are visit days at the trust and it's a great way to show kids that wolves are more than just howling at the moon!

The Look Out Discovery Centre is a great combination of fun and learning, providing more than 90 science and nature exhibits which will fascinate toddlers and young children as well as older kids and adults. But if it's the outdoors that's calling you, Beale Park Wildlife Park and Gardens is buzzing with animal residents, beautiful gardens to explore and the retro fun of a narrow gauge diesel railway.

Bucklebury Farm Park provides a wonderful opportunity for animal fun in a picturesque countryside setting. Kids can get active in the indoor and outdoor play areas, while animal lovers of all ages will enjoy the antics of Bucklebury’s llamas, pigs, goats, donkeys and cows as well as seeing the various species of deer in the deer park.