The North Wessex Downs are an area of chalk downland landscapes located in the English counties of Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire.

[1][2] The North Wessex Downs has been designated as a National Landscape (formerly known as Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or AONB) since 1972.

It takes the form of a horseshoe, with the open end facing east, surrounding the town of Newbury and the River Kennet catchment area.

The area is a site of scientific interest in numerous fields and has an internationally important habitat for early gentian.

Significant parts of Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy are set on and in the villages connected to the Berkshire Downs.