Newbury and Thatcham

Newbury is 17 miles west of Reading on the A4, 18 miles north-west of Basingstoke on the A339, 26 miles south of Oxford on the A34, 27 miles east of Swindon on the M4 and 25 miles north of Winchester on the A34. Thatcham is 3 miles east of Newbury on the A4.

The M4 motorway also runs just to the north of Newbury, for which the junction is number 13.

If arriving by plane, see the 'Get In By Plane' section of the Reading article, and then travel on from Reading as described above.

The towns are on National Cycle Route 4 running London and Fishguard.

National Cycle Route 246 starts 8 miles W of Newbury (in Kintbury) running to Timsbury (Hants) via Andover.

The towns are on the Kennet & Avon Canal (running 87 miles from Bristol & Bath to Reading).

The central area of Newbury is easily walkable.

There are several town routes within Newbury and Thatcham, with hourly (or better) services during the day, and infrequent service in the evenings and on Sundays. Beyond that distance, bus routes are much less frequent, with often only a handful of buses per day and no evening or Sunday service.

Traveline, ☏ 0871 200 22 33 (domestic)Country code missing, provide an impartial online travel planner and telephone query service for local bus services. Calls incur a 12 pence per minute service charge plus your phone provider's per-minute access charge.

1 Newbury Bus Station, Market St, Newbury RG14 5DP. Newbury Buses run services throughout the Newbury, Thatcham and surrounding rural areas. A regular service to Reading is also operated. There is one National Express bus a day from here to London. All buses leave or terminate from the Market Street Bus Station which can be found on the south side of the canal, adjacent to the Kennet Shopping Centre. (updated May 2017)

Newbury's roads can be congested at peak periods, but in general are less congested than London or even Reading. A car is one (possibly along with cycling) of the only really practical ways of seeing a lot of the local countryside and villages.

If you are planning to do any visiting or exploring beyond central Newbury, you will probably want to obtain a decent map of the area. You should ensure that any map you buy clearly shows the national grid reference lines, and explains how to use them, as grid references are frequently used to indicate out of town locations. The best maps for this purpose are those published by the Ordnance Survey (Britain's national mapping agency) and both the following maps cover all the locations mentioned below:

Ordnance Survey Explorer 158. This map covers the area around Newbury and Thatcham at a scale of 1:25000 and is best for walking or local touring by car or cycle.

Ordnance Survey Landranger 174. This map covers the area around and between Newbury and Thatcham at a scale of 1:50000 and is best for longer range exploration by car or cycle.

These maps can be found in any good bookshop, or can be bought online from the Ordnance Survey's web site.

1 West Berkshire Museum, The Wharf, Newbury RG14 5AS, ☏ +44 1635 519562, museum@westberks.gov.uk. W-Sa 10AM-4PM. Housed in historic half-timbered buildings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, the museum houses exhibits on local history and archeology Free. (updated May 2017)

2 Donnington Castle, Donnington, RG14 2LE (1 mile north of Newbury off B4494; grid reference SU461691). Daily daylight hours. This ruined castle was reduced (i.e. torn down) after the second battle of Newbury in 1644 during the English Civil War. Much of the striking, twin-towered gatehouse of this castle survives amid impressive earthworks, but access is only to the exterior. Free. (updated May 2017)

3 Highclere Castle (5 miles south of Newbury on the A34; follow the brown sign for Highclere Castle; grid reference SU445587), Highclere Park, Highclere RG20 9RN, ☏ +44 1635 253210, theoffice@highclerecastle.co.uk. Jul-Aug: Tu-F Su 11AM-4PM. Highclere Castle is more a stately home than a castle, and is the ancestral, and current, home of Lord and Lady Carnarvon. Tours of the castle are available. The castle also hosts exhibitions on Egyptian archeology (the fifth earl funded the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun) and horseracing (the seventh earl was the Queen's Racing Manager). 21st-century visitors are likely to recognised Highclere as Downton Abbey. £7 adults; £5.50 students and seniors; £3.50 children.

4 Sandham Memorial Chapel, Harts Lane, Burghclere, near Newbury, RG20 9JT (5 miles south of Newbury on the A34; grid reference SU463608), ☏ +44 1635 278394, sandham@nationaltrust.org.uk. Apr-Oct: W-Su 11AM-5PM; Mar Nov: Sa Su 10AM-4PM. It was built in the 1920s to house wall paintings by the artist Stanley Spencer, inspired by his experiences in the First World War, and regarded by many as his finest achievement. As there is no lighting in the chapel, it is best to view the paintings on a bright day. The chapel is set amidst lawns and orchards with views across Watership Down. £3 adult; £1.50 child; free to National Trust members.

5 Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre, Muddy Lane, Lower Way, Thatcham, RG19 3FU, ☏ +44 1635 874381, ndc@bbowt.org.uk. Mar-Oct Term Time: Tu-F noon-3PM; school holidays & weekends Tu-Su 11AM-5PM; Nov-Feb: Tu-Su noon-3pm. The Lower Way, Thatcham. The centre provides an exciting base from which to explore the nearby lake and reed bed habitats. A variety of events including exhibitions, workshops, walks and talks are provided throughout the year. The surrounding area is of outstanding importance for nature conservation, with the reed beds representing one of the largest stands of inland reeds remaining in the country. Free. (updated May 2017)

6 The Living Rainforest (Trust for Sustainable Living), Hampstead Norreys, RG18 0TN, ☏ +44 1635 202444, enquiries@livingrainforest.org. Daily 10AM-5PM. Adult £10.45, child (2-14) £8.45. (updated May 2017)

3 Corn Exchange, Market Place, Newbury RG14 5BD, ☏ +44 845 5218 218 (premium). This venue in central Newbury presents drama, comedy, music, dance, exhibitions, films and the resident orchestra Southern Sinfonia. For performance information, times and prices see their website or telephone the number above. (updated May 2017)

4 Watermill (Theatre), Bagnor, RG20 8AE (2 miles north west of Newbury; grid reference SU452694), ☏ +44 1635 46044. The Watermill is the home of a repertory company and has earned a reputation nationally and internationally for presenting quality work. Every year the company mounts eight or nine new productions each showing for an average of seven weeks, and is considered to be in "the premier league of British regional theatres" (Daily Telegraph). Normally open M-Sa with performances at 7:30PM, and matinee performances at 2:30PM on Th and Sa. For performance information and prices see their website or telephone the number above. (updated May 2017)

5 Banjo Cycles (Sales, Parts, Accessories & Workshop), Unit 4 & 5, Norman House, Hambridge Rd, Newbury, RG14 5XA, ☏ +44 1635 43186, newbury@banjocycles.com. M-F 8:30AM-6PM, Sa 8:30AM-5:30PM, Su 10AM-4PM. (updated May 2017)

6 BikeLux (Sales, Accessories, Parts & Workshop), Ampere Rd, London Road Ind Estate, Newbury RG14 2AE, ☏ +44 1635 48113, sales@bikelux.co.uk. Tu-F 9AM-5:30PM, Sa 9AM-5PM. (updated May 2017)

The area code for Newbury and Thatcham is 01635 when dialed from within the UK or +44 1635 from outside the UK.