The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 11 miles (17.7km)
Time to walk: Roughly 4.5 hours, but you may wish to take longer with stops etc
Difficulty: Mostly flat & all on hard surfaces. This is an excellent winter walk as there’s no mud. There’s just one hill in Campbell Park
Parking: At Bradwell Abbey
Public toilets: Pubs, cafes etc. The route also goes past the MK Shopping Centre
Map of the route:
Milton Keynes has really gone to town (city) with its ‘cultural’ walking routes with the introduction of five trails, all of which are around ten miles long with shorter options. These are as follows (click this link):
The Cultural Blue route (which we look at here). You can branch off this main route onto the other four to explore even more. Be aware the other routes take you further out to such places as Newport Pagnell & Stony Stratford
The Yellow Route – Cars, Boats & Trains
The Green Route – Rivers, Lakes & Dinosaurs
The Iron Route – Romans, Rivers, Trams & Trains
The Cornflower Route – Woods, Frogs & a Toot
The routes encompass points of interest, heritage, public art & cultural venues around Milton Keynes
I set 003.5 Richard Parkes (once native of Milton Keynes) the task of exploring the Cultural route for us. Shall we see what he thought…
Let’s Walk!
1. This walk starts in the Bradwell Abbey area of the city, sandwiched between the West Coast Main Line to the east, the A5 to the west, H3 Monks Way (A422) to the north & H4 Dansteed Way to the south
The site was once location of Bradwell Abbey or Priory which was established around 1154. It grew during the Middle Ages to become an important local centre, but declined during the Black Death
The Priory was closed in 1524 & the site of the monastery & its scanty revenues were granted to Cardinal Wolsey for the endowment of his new college. All that remains today is a small chapel, a farmhouse that has become a centre for cultural activities & an Urban Studies centre. Many of the medieval trackways converging on the abbey became rights of way & bridleways
2. Walk to the corner of the car park to find the start of the route into Loughton Valley Park…
North Loughton Valley Park is a large park that goes through a number of areas of Milton Keynes starting from Blue Bridge, through Bancroft, & on to Wymbush. It’s also home to some of the city’s most famous residents
3. Walk through the gap in the picture below & turn left onto the famous Milton Keynes pathway known as the ‘Redway’…
The Milton Keynes Redway system is over 200 miles network of shared use paths for cyclists & pedestrians. It’s generally surfaced with red tarmac, & criss-crosses most of the city. Some of these Redways run next to the grid roads & local roads, with underpasses or bridges where they intersect major roads. Others run through parkland & along the floodplain of the Great Ouse & its tributaries
The Redway system is restricted to cyclists, pedestrians, & powered wheelchairs. It may not be used by horses, motorcycles, mopeds or motor-scooters (“e-scooters”), though electric delivery robots are permitted!
4. Follow the path passing underneath the railway bridge…
…& turn left into the park that circles the sports ground of the village of old Bradwell. At the cross paths go straight over & under the road…
5. Now continue ahead as in the picture below…
Before re-joining the gravel path look to your left to see some of the city’s most famous residents…
Don’t tell anyone but these aren’t the originals. The originals were created in 1978 by the American artist Liz Leyh. There are three cows & three calves, approximately half life size.
The originals have subsequently resided at the National Hockey Stadium & INTU Milton Keynes, beside the Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre. In spring 2016 they were moved to MK Museum, which is where they originally started out as a temporary exhibit
In a programme, The Sculpture 100, made for Sky Television in December 2005, the Concrete Cows were included in a list of the 100 most influential works of 20th century open-air sculpture in England
6. Mooooving on…
Now follow the gravel path as it winds its way through the park. This area of the city is known as Bancroft & you’re now walking in North Loughton Valley Park…
7. Shortly, ahead of you, you’ll see a footbridge. Our route continues under it, but it’s worth taking a diversion & crossing it to see the Roman Villa…Picture @wikipedia
Originally a winged-corridor house, the villa eventually became a grand building with mosaics & a formal garden. The principal rooms have been marked out & the fish pond has been reconstructed. One of the mosaics is on display in Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre
The villa was partially excavated in the 1970s, & then more fully between 1983-7, becoming one of the most extensively excavated Roman villas in Britain. The villa has since been reburied to ensure its preservation
8. After exploring return to the bridge & continue in the direction you were heading. On reaching the fingerpost below, go straight across…
…& then shortly after pass under the road bridge
9. It’s along here you get your first sighting of the blue way marker, which is the Cultural Route you’re following, which for now stays on the gravel path…
Remember you’re following the Blue Route. Follow the Redway left over the bridge & continue on the it…
10. There’s lots of opportunities to veer off to the left or right but keep going straight…
…passing under the bridge which carries the old Wolverton to Newport railway line …as you can see the platforms are still here. Richard tells me that, locally, Newport is known as ‘Nobby Newport’
11. Pass ‘The Point Sparrow Colony’ sculpture. This was constructed in 2022 &, for anyone that knows Milton Keynes, is modelled on ‘The Point’ which, when it first opened in 1985, was the first ‘multiplex’ cinema…
Continue along the old railway line, known as ‘The Railway Walk’, ignoring all the paths going off it. This is a long, straight stretch of this walk
12. Keep going under the bridge…
…passing the impressive ‘Bug Hotel’
14. On reaching the junction in the picture below, bear right down the hill. Don’t cross the bridge…we are now in the Great Linford area of the city
At the bottom of the slope, if you fancy some refreshments then just under the bridge on the left’s the Black Horse pub (highly recommended by 003.5) a canal-side pub. Our route though continues ahead alongside the canal
15. Pass the stones on your right & you’re now walking through the grounds of Great Linford Manor Park has a history stretching back to Saxon times. Most of the area was originally the gardens of the Manor House, including the Water Gardens & Wilderness Garden which date from the 17th & 18th centuries
The complex also includes the Milton Keynes Art Centre which occupies a group of buildings around a main courtyard. There are various programmes to explore new crafts & several artist studios
16. The first thing you see though as you come into this area is St Andrew’s Church on your right…
Dating back to the 13th century it underwent a large restoration in 1980. Apparently there’s a hidden medieval Green Man in the Belfry, together with a portrait of Charles II
Next on the left’s the imposing Manor House, which was originally built in 1678. It was originally the manor of Little Linford as well as of Great Linford
In 1984/85 the manor was converted into a residential recording studio. The main studio was one of the first UK studios to invest in digital recording. Several well known music artists have recorded here
17. Continue out of the park through the white gates & into the village of Little Linford. What most people aren’t aware of is today it’s one of the best habitats in the UK for dormice, which were transferred to Little Linford Wood from Kent when the Channel Tunnel rail link was being constructed
Pass the Nags Head on the right which dates back to the 15th century…
Continue straight through the heart of this little village & at the top carry on straight ahead
18. On reaching the green in the picture below bear left…
…& then left again passing some impressive houses
19. The path narrows again slightly as we leave the park behind & continue under the bridge…
At the junction below bear slightly right & then left to carry on in the same direction. The way is marked on the lamp post if you’re unsure…
20. Cross the canal bridge…
…& then turn right along the gravel path, passing the marina on your right. Again, ignore any paths going off left & right for a while as we head towards Central Milton Keynes along the path known as the ‘Boardwalk’
21. This also is the start of our Gyosei Arts Trail which commemorates the legacy of the Gyosei International School UK, a Japanese co-educational boarding school which closed in 2002
Pass ‘Autumn splendour’, a mosaic in glass by Melanie Watts…
…& the magnificent ‘Three Post Bench’ by Jeremy Turner. Look closely & see how many creatures you can spot, all of which can be found in or around the canal in front of it
22. Cross over the bridge…
& then bear left, continuing to follow the path. Next walk down the steps & go straight ahead…
23. At the next junction keep going past the tall poplars…
What’s not to like…the canal, the peace & quiet… this walk has literally everything that makes a walk perfect…
24. Walk under the bridge, partially hidden by the willow below. You can clearly still see the dark blue marker of your route on the post…
Now we’re in the Campbell Park area of the city, the park where most local events are held. Until recently Northamptonshire cricket would play here also once a year. The original vision for Campbell Park was for it to be the cultural heart of the city
25. Pass the private moorings…
…&, at the marker, bear right over the little bridge
26. Now head left & start the only climb of this walk to the highest point in Milton Keynes…
The statue ahead of you now is called ‘The Head’ by Alan Jones. As the viewer walks around the human form reveals itself….
27. Head right here & continue in the same direction as the hill gets steeper. As the path bears right, cross the bridge, ignoring the two boulevard signs…
Pass the cricket ground on your right…
…& continue straight past the ‘Onwards & Upwards’ by Robert Koenig which was commissioned in 2010 to celebrate the retirement of the Trust’s then chairman John Duggan & was created as a representation of the growth & development of both the park & the city
28. Go through the gate to keep climbing, passing ‘The Light Pyramid’ by Lilane Lin on your right
The Light Pyramid was first lit for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee on 4th June 2012 & is still lit to commemorate special local & national events
29. Keep heading up…
…& once at the top, take a moment to visit the beacon. Your path is through the gate to the left in the direction of the modern shopping centre…
30. Pass through the art piece known as ‘The Rose’. Created by internationally renowned artist Gordon Young in 2014, the Milton Keynes Rose is an open-air circle with markings based on the mathematical beauty of a flower…
Upon installation 106 granite pillars of varying height were mounted in positions to create the art piece. 68 pillars have been engraved with dedications, leaving 38 for future inscriptions
31. At the bridge bear left. DO NOT cross it, unless you fancy a bit of shopping…
At the junction below, bear right down the hill & go under the bridge…
32. After going under the next bridge…
…turn immediately right towards the train station. You’re going to stay on this long path for quite a while now. As an indication, once you pass under the road tunnel in the picture below, you’re about halfway
33. After this tunnel you’re on the final bit…this isn’t the most glamorous stretch of this walk…
Finally there’s one more bridge & after that turn right…
34. And then it’s right again under another road bridge…
Now turn right and follow the ‘Redway’ as it passes Toys R Us & Argos…
35. At the junction below keep straight ahead through the underpass & past the old bus station…
Look at the picture below. You need to turn left at the lamp post & go under another bridge
36. Welcome to Station Square, the main square in front of the train station AND it was used in the Superman movies!
Our path continues almost straight opposite to the left of the main building….. cross the bridge…
37. At the bottom turn left…
…& then right to follow the path as we start to head home
38. At the junction, cross over the road & follow the path down through the bollards…
…& at the next ones take the right fork
39. As the path opens up continue to the left…
At the junction at the end turn left & cross over the bridge to continue to follow the road…
40. The path now arrives at another road. Carefully cross over this & go straight ahead as in the picture below…
Next bear right towards the large house
41. Look for the stone with an information plaque on it. Turn right here…
There’s paths going off all over the place here, but just aim straight ahead…
42. Eventually the path arrives at another road, but just cross & continue into the park. The blue signs are still there…
At the next junction bear right
43. Go through the gate posts & under the road bridge…
At the next junction turn right & cross over the bridge…
This is Lodge Lake area, which is very popular with local fishermen, & is one of the city’s ‘on-line’ balancing lakes. It was created in 1981 by building a dam across the Loughton Brook. This holds back water as flow rates in the brook increase, helping to prevent flooding in downstream areas. A gentle walk around the lake edge takes about 30 minutes
Before the advent of the new city of Milton Keynes, Loughton Village was a thriving rural community. Originally there were two villages: Little & Great Loughton, separated by the brook. Each had its own church, manor house & farms. They were joined together to form Loughton Village in 1408
44. Lodge Lake is also know for its ‘Trim Trail’. The path winds round passing some exercise equipment which is literally the last thing 003.5 wanted to be seeing after walking 10 miles!!
On reaching the car park (below) turn left
45. Continue up the ‘Redway’ with the lake on your left & the main road on your right, until you reach the sign for Bradwell Abbey. Follow that direction….
…& then take the right path & enjoy the walk with the steam beside you
46. This is a nice ending to the walk as we get closer to the finish line…
There’s one last bridge to pass under…
47. Continue forward, ignoring the lefts & rights. Keep following the gravel path with the stream on your right…
At the junction cross over & go through the wooden gate opposite
48. Now bear left up the path…
…& walk straight through the middle of the buildings
49. And finally turn left at the road to arrive at the car park & the start of this walk
And that’s it…all done. So what was 003.5’s reaction to this long walk?
“Wow what a walk…it’s perfect at any time of the year”
So there we go…it might not be in Northamptonshire, but it’s literally on our doorstep & is a great one to do when the mud comes as it’s all on hard surfaces
Go Walk!