Crowthorne

Crowthorne is not a big hotel destination in its own right, being a small Berkshire village, but its location makes it a sensible base for exploring the forests and heathland of eastern Berkshire and northern Surrey. The village sits within easy striking distance of Bracknell, Wokingham, Camberley and Ascot, all of which offer a broader choice of hotels, from budget chain options to more characterful country house stays, and all within a 15-20 minute drive of Crowthorne itself. Because Crowthorne lies just off the A3095 and close to both the M3 and M4, hotels in the surrounding towns also work well as a stopover for travellers heading between London and the South West, or as a quieter alternative to staying directly in Reading or Camberley. Wellington College's presence means the village occasionally sees visitors staying locally for school open days, sports fixtures or events, and nearby accommodation gets booked up at those times, so it is worth planning ahead. For visitors prioritising the outdoors, the appeal of basing yourself near Crowthorne is straightforward: Swinley Forest, Nine Mile Ride and Crowthorne Wood are all within walking or short cycling distance, making it easy to fit in a morning or evening walk before heading further afield to Windsor, Ascot or the Surrey Hills. Whether you are after a simple overnight stop or a few nights exploring the Berkshire heathland belt, the towns ringing Crowthorne give you a practical range of options while keeping the forest on your doorstep.

Crowthorne rewards anyone who likes their days out unhurried and outdoors. Here are some of the best things to see and do in and around the village.

• Swinley Forest — a huge expanse of Crown Estate pine forest and heathland south of the village, criss-crossed with waymarked walking and mountain biking trails and home to rare heathland birds such as the Dartford warbler and nightjar.
• Crowthorne Wood — the belt of woodland on the edge of the village where Sir Joshua Jebb sited the original Broadmoor asylum; today it's a peaceful spot for a short walk, with the old hospital buildings visible through the trees.
• Nine Mile Ride — the long historic riding and cycling track that runs from Bracknell through the forest towards Wokingham, popular with cyclists, horse riders and dog walkers looking to cover some ground under tree cover.
• Wellington College — the grand Victorian independent school, built as a national memorial to the Duke of Wellington and opened in 1859; its imposing chapel and grounds are well worth a look from the surrounding lanes.
• Broadmoor Hospital and its history — you can't visit Crowthorne without being aware of Broadmoor, opened in 1863 and one of England's most famous high-security psychiatric hospitals; the Bracknell area's museums occasionally cover its curious social history, including the Victorian asylum architecture still visible from Crowthorne Wood.
• East Berkshire Golf Club — a heathland course laid out among pine and birch on the edge of the forest, typical of the Surrey/Berkshire heathland golfing belt.
• Heath Lake — a quiet stretch of water near the village that makes for an easy, level walk and a good spot for birdwatching.
• Crowthorne High Street — a proper village high street of independent cafes, a bakery and small shops, good for browsing after a forest walk.

The high street has a good spread of independent spots, including the Two Sisters Cafe for coffee, cakes and toasties, and the well-known Golden Fry for a classic fish and chip supper. For something more substantial, Triple Bs Smokehouse serves barbecue-style food in the village, while several traditional pubs sit just outside the centre: the Crooked Billet, tucked away near Wellington College, is well regarded for solid pub food in a quiet countryside setting, and the Crowthorne Inn, dating back to 1868, keeps a traditional, characterful feel. The Bird in Hand offers a choice between a more formal wood-panelled dining room and a relaxed bar side, giving visitors a bit of range depending on the occasion.

Crowthorne's setting on the edge of Swinley Forest and Crowthorne Wood makes it an appealing base for campers who enjoy pine woodland and open heath rather than dramatic coastline, but it is worth being clear from the outset that wild camping is illegal in England without the landowner's explicit permission, and that includes the Crown Estate land that makes up much of Swinley Forest. Anyone wanting to sleep out under the trees here needs to use a licensed campsite or arrange permission directly with a landowner in advance; turning up and pitching a tent in the forest itself is not permitted and rangers do patrol the area.

That said, the wider Berkshire and Surrey heathland belt around Crowthorne has a good scattering of certificated sites and small family-run campsites, many aimed at walkers, cyclists and horse riders making use of Nine Mile Ride and the Swinley Forest trail network. The sandy, well-drained heathland soil in this part of Berkshire means pitches tend to cope better with wet weather than the clay ground found elsewhere in the county, though open heath can still get boggy after heavy rain, so pine woodland sites tend to be the more comfortable choice outside summer. The terrain is gently undulating rather than hilly, made up of birch and pine forest interspersed with open heather heathland, home to species like Dartford warbler and nightjar that benefit from a bit of quiet after dark.

The best time to camp here runs from late spring through early autumn, when the forest floor is driest and evenings are long enough to make the most of a fire pit or a walk out to watch the sunset over the heath. Midsummer weekends can get busy at the more established sites, particularly given how easily Crowthorne is reached from London and the M3/M4 corridor, so booking ahead is sensible. For anyone who would rather skip the tent pegs altogether, glamping options in the surrounding villages - shepherd's huts, pods and the odd yurt - offer a comfortable way to enjoy the forest setting without needing your own kit, and tend to have a longer season than traditional camping thanks to their better insulation against the Berkshire autumn chill.