Bishops Green

Bishops Green itself has no hotels, so visitors typically stay in nearby Newbury, which offers everything from budget chain hotels to comfortable coaching inns and a handful of boutique options within its historic town centre. Newbury’s hotels put you within easy reach of the racecourse, the Kennet and Avon Canal, and the wider North Wessex Downs, as well as being a convenient stop for travellers using the A34 or the London to West Country rail line. Alternatively, the villages around Kingsclere and Ecchinswell have a small number of pubs with rooms and bed and breakfasts, offering a quieter, more rural alternative with easy access to Watership Down and the surrounding walking country. Wherever you choose to stay, the area works best as a base for gentle countryside days rather than as a destination with attractions of its own, so proximity to the A339 and A34 is worth prioritising for getting around. Booking ahead is sensible around Newbury Racecourse fixture dates, when demand for nearby rooms rises noticeably.

Bishops Green itself has little beyond a village hall and shop, but the surrounding area offers plenty for a day or two of gentle exploring.

• Greenham Common — the former Cold War airbase, now open heathland and a nature reserve with the runway, control tower and Second World War history still visible alongside skylarks and grazing ponies.
• Watership Down and the North Wessex Downs — the chalk ridge made famous by Richard Adams’ novel, with waymarked walking routes and wide views over Hampshire and Berkshire.
• Newbury Racecourse — a major National Hunt and Flat racing venue a short drive north, hosting race days throughout the year.
• Kingsclere village — a handsome Hampshire village with a shop, pub and church, and the famous racehorse training gallops on the downs above it.
• Highclere Castle — the real-life setting for Downton Abbey, with its gardens and Egyptian exhibition, is a short drive to the south.

There is no pub or restaurant in Bishops Green itself. The nearest options are in Kingsclere and Ecchinswell, both a short drive away, or in Newbury, which has a wide choice of pubs, cafes and restaurants around its historic town centre and wharf.

Camping near Bishops Green means making the most of the quiet chalk downland that surrounds this small Berkshire hamlet, rather than looking for facilities on the doorstep. Remember that wild camping is illegal in England without the landowner’s permission, so any stay needs to be at a recognised site or with an owner’s consent. The good news is that the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which laps right up to Bishops Green, has a scattering of small campsites and farm-based sites on its rolling, well-drained chalk terrain, many aimed at walkers tackling the ridgeway routes near Watership Down or families visiting Greenham Common.

The terrain here is gentle rather than dramatic: rounded hills, beech clumps, hedged lanes and big skies rather than rugged wilderness, which makes it comfortable, easy-going camping country. Ground tends to drain well thanks to the underlying chalk, which is an advantage after wet weather compared with heavier clay soils found elsewhere in the region. Late spring to early autumn is the most reliable camping season, when evenings are long and the downland tracks are firm underfoot; midsummer weekends can get busy near the more popular spots such as Greenham Common, so booking ahead is worth doing in peak months.

For those who prefer a bit more comfort, glamping options in the wider Berkshire and Hampshire countryside range from simple furnished bell tents to shepherd’s huts and safari tents with proper beds and wood burners, letting you enjoy the downland scenery without full camping kit. Given how few sites sit within Bishops Green itself, it is worth casting the net a little wider across the North Wessex Downs and into neighbouring Hampshire, where the choice of pitches and glamping stays is greater, while still keeping the hamlet’s quiet lanes and downland views within easy reach for day trips.