Berkshire is conveniently placed on London's doorstep, and yet it offers country living. It has great town centres in Reading, Newbury and Slough as well as boasting it's royal connections, homing Windsor Castle.

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Transport links & getting around

There are around 13 trains an hour between Reading and London Paddington, with over half of them taking 30 minutes. London Paddington can be reached from Maidenhead, Hungerford, Kintbury and Newbury stations. The new Crossrail service will run two direct trains to London and beyond every hour.

By car, the M4 makes for easy connection to the south of Reading and the M25 surrounds London. By air is also easy: Heathrow Airport is just a 30-minute drive from Reading, and Gatwick is just an hour train journey.

Cost of living here

The average cost of renting a one-bedroom property in Berkshire is £877pcm, compared to a two-bedroom property that will cost an average of £1,281pcm. The average cost of renting a house in the county is £2,240pcm.

Nightlife

Reading is a university town that offers a variety of clubs and pubs to visit and dance the night away in. For something with a hint of culture, you can visit the Bell and the Dragon in Cookham, which dates back to 1417 as one of England's coaching inns.

Notable Attractions

Windsor Castle is one of the oldest castles in the world and has been home to the British monarchy for nearly 1,000 years. If you are a music lover, then the annual Reading Festival is a great experience and one of the most sought-after tickets in the musical calendar. If you are a countryside lover then you can enjoy The Royal County of Berkshire Show.

Ascot racecourse is a brilliant attraction that pulls in more than half a million visitors every year. There are also racecourses at Newbury and Windsor.

Education Institutions in Berkshire

There are a lot of higher education institutions in the region, including the University of Reading, Windsor Forest College, Imperial College and University of West London.