Ascot is a town in East Berkshire, England, 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Windsor, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Bracknell and 25 miles (40 km) west of London. It is most notable as the location of Ascot Racecourse, home of the Royal Ascot meeting, and is reportedly the 13th most expensive town in England when taking into account the average house price. It is also among the ten most expensive towns in Britain to rent a property. The town comprises three areas: Ascot itself, North Ascot and South Ascot. It is in the civil parish of Sunninghill and Ascot.

Facilities tend to be geared towards the racecourse, but there is a small range of shops in the wide High Street. Most of the expected facilities one would expect to find in a small town are here, including a supermarket, petrol station and many cafes (including a Starbucks and a Costa, a Subway, Tesco Express and Sainsbury Local). Most buildings are post-war with flats above the ground floor retail space. Heatherwood Hospital (filming location for Carry on Matron) was at the western edge of the town. Ascot has a station on a bisection of the railway line from London Waterloo to Reading, Bagshot, Aldershot and Guildford, originally built by the London & South Western Railway and now operated by South Western Railway. As a consequence of the frequent service on this line, Ascot is now a commuter centre with its residents in both directions (westwards to Reading and eastwards to London).

The centrepiece of Ascot's year is held in June: Royal Ascot is arguably the world's most famous race meeting, steeped in history dating back to 1711. The royal family attend the meeting, arriving each day in a procession of horse-drawn carriages from Windsor Castle through the great park and the village of Cheapside. It is a major event in the British social calendar. Although this has placed Ascot onto the British social map, it has many direct effects on the local community, not least of which are the associated traffic problems. The course is still owned by the Crown.