6 beautiful Berkshire villages

Sonning-on-Thames

Sonning-on-Thames epitomises England’s rural riverscape. Grass-lined banks are punctuated by cascading willows and stalwart oaks, while, on the water, fanciful canal boats chug calmly along the quiet waterways. The Thameside Walk, on the opposite bank of the river, provides unparalleled panoramas of the brick arch Sonning Bridge and the quaint village beyond.

In town, St Andrew’s Church is an exemplar of rustic English churches, combining Anglo-Saxon features with a Victorian-era restoration par excellence. The Mill at Sonning is an intimate, in the semi-round theatre set in a listed 18^th century flour mill, that delights guest with both theatrical sensations and fabulous English fare.

Hurley

Halfway between London and Oxford, the serene village of Hurley is a glorious combination of Thames-side nature trails and traditional cottage-lined lanes. Yet for a quiet setting, the town is deceptively filled with all manner of attractions. The Church of St Mary the Virgin dates to 1086, and is one of the earliest examples of Norman architecture in the country. Meanwhile, the Thames Path, Ashley Hill Forest, and Marlow Trenches feature wonderful forays into the poetic English wilderness. No trip to Hurley is complete without a trip to one of the oldest inns in the country, the fairytale Olde Bell, which this year celebrates its 885^th birthday.

Littlewick Green

Few scenes capture Berkshire’s country spirit as idyllically as Littlewick Green. Here, cricketers clad in gleaming white put willow to leather against the wisteria-clad Village Hall (complete with vintage cricket scoreboard). The scene is best enjoyed from The Cricketers pub, whose craft ales are perfectly paired with a view over the cricket green. Littlewick Green is also well known as the residence of famed composer Ivor Novello. His home, ‘Redroofs’, witnessed the composition of his most famous works and is now a renowned theatre.