West Berkshire

West Berkshire is a unitary authority in South East England centred on the market town of Newbury. The district covers stretches of the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal and contains sections of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Towns and large villages include Thatcham, Hungerford, Lambourn, Aldermaston and Pangbourne. Newbury and Thatcham are served by stations on the Great Western line; Newbury Racecourse lies on the town's western edge.

Land use ranges from chalk downland and the Lambourn valley, long used for grazing and horse training, to arable fields along the river corridors. Aldermaston is home to the Atomic Weapons Establishment, which shapes local employment patterns. The transport network and open country support small manufacturing, service firms and leisure businesses; towpaths, public footpaths and downland routes are used by walkers and riders. Market towns host weekly markets, local shops and community services for surrounding rural parishes.