Bracknell

Designated a new town in 1948, Bracknell has developed quickly from a small village in poor sandy heathland, with some 3000 inhabitants, into a large modern town of around 60,000 residents. It boasts one of the first purpose-built shopping centres in the country – opened in the 1960s. The centrally located Bill Hill is a very prominent landmark, seen from many parts of the town. At the top of the hill., a circular mound of earth is visible, hollowed out at the centre, which is all that remains of a Bronze Age round barrow. Used throughout that period, these burial mounds, which may cover either individuals or groups, are the most common prehistoric monuments in the country.

What remains of the great royal hunting ground, Windsor Forest (also called Bracknell Forest) lies to the south of the town and has more than 30 parks and nature reserves and some 45 miles of footpaths and bridleways. Of particular interest in the area is the Look Out Discovery Centre, an interactive science centre that brings to life the mysteries of both science and nature. In the surrounding 1600 hectares of Crown Estate woodland there are nature trails and walks to points of interest, as well as the inappropriately named Caesar’s Camp. Not a Roman fort, this camp is an Iron Age hill fort built more than 2000 years ago although, close by, runs the Roman link road between London and Silchester. Known locally as the Devil’s Highway, it is said to have acquired the name because the local inhabitants thought that only the Devil could have undertaken such a prodigious feat of engineering.