Berkshire Towns
Berkshire in the heart of Southern England (often referred to as 'Royal Berkshire' as it is so closely linked with the British Royal Family) is veined with country roads and leafy lanes; pretty villages lie throughout the county. The name Berkshire derives from the great forest of birch trees called Bearroc - the Celtic word for hilly - and the traditional home of the ancient British god/spirit Herne the Hunter... More recently, Berkshire's links with the computer industry have led to the county becoming known as England's Silicon Valley.Berkshire is as scenic as many other parts of England with the River Thames flowing by magnificent Windsor Castle and the acres of rolling hills which make up the Chiltern Hills. It has a range of chalk hills south of the Thames as its northern border extending to the Vale of the White Horse and the county runs from the flat fields of the Thames Valley to the Chiltern Hills, then beyond Reading to the Berkshire Downs. The ancient track known as the Ridgeway runs through it while the restored Kennet and Avon Canal runs from Reading through West Berkshire. Chalk hills and the edge of the Cotswolds lie in the west.