The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 4 miles (6.44km)
Time to walk: If you fancy a really quick stroll then this will take you about an hour. However, it offers a really good easy meander, taking time out for coffee, bird-watching etc so it’s possible to take a good 2/3 hours
Difficulty: Very easy, all on flat, purpose made hard paths. We walked this just after Xmas &, even though it had been raining heavily, didn’t need walking boots just sensible footwear
Parking: There’s several car parks around the lakes. We parked in the Pay & Display Car Park A. Postcode is MK 15 9HQ. For parking charges see below (correct as at Jan 2024)
Public toilets: Pubs & cafes towards the start & end of the walk
Map of the route:
With over 1 million visitors each year, Willen Lake is Milton Keynes’ most popular park. As well as a great place to walk, it’s also home to several watersports activities, including cycling, a high ropes course &, if you’re feeling really energetic, a wake boarding centre
Together with the River Ousel, it forms part of a complicated drainage system which prevents flooding in much of eastern England & reaches the sea just outside King’s Lynn
So as it’s a glorious sunny winter’s afternoon come on…
Let’s Walk!
1. Our walk starts in front of the Lakeside Pub & Restaurant
Willen Lake is actually split in two – the South & North Lakes & this is the South one
What’s immediately plain is that this place is teeming with birdlife, & there’s also still plenty of colour around…
2. We’re going to turn left & head clockwise around the Lakes & immediately come to a designated bird feeding area…
3. Heading further on towards the childrens’ play area there’s an interesting statue on the left…
4. Ahead of you now, just past the playground, on the peninsula is the Watersports Centre…
5. Turn left along the path in from of the ferris wheel…
Carry on to underpass & pass under it. Then take the hard path to right until you reach the road. Turn left at road & you can see the cathedral car park sign
6. Go through car park into the tree cathedral…
The Tree Cathedral is based on the outline of Norwich Cathedral & was designed in 1986 by landscape architect Neil Higson.
Different species of trees were chosen to represent the different sections of the Cathedral. Hornbeam & tall-growing lime for the nave, evergreens to represent the central tower & spires & flowering cherry & apple as a focus in the chapels. In springtime colourful bulbs represent the sun shining through stained glass windows onto the ground
7. Our route out is the opposite end of the nave in the picture below, back onto the hard v10 path
After exploring the Tree Cathedral exit back onto V10 hard path & turn left passing under underpass & then turning right
8. At the split in the path take right hand one sign posted ‘Peace Pergola’ & follow it round. You can see the stone circle, but our route is left to visit the Buddist Temple
9. The Buddist Temple is a well kept secret although you’re more than welcome to walk down the drive, have a look in & also wander round the back to see the gardens
On the left’s a beautiful water garden which looks better in the spring & summer…
Head straight up the steps to peer through the window into the Temple…
Isn’t that fantastic & such a hidden secret…
10. Head back out of the drive & turn left, where on the right we see the stone circle…
The Circle of Hearts Medicine Wheel takes the form of a North American ‘medicine wheel’, a universal symbol of peace. It was created by local volunteers in conjunction with Landscape Town & Country as a meeting place for Milton Keynes residents to celebrate the New Millennium with wishes for global peace in the 21st century
The medicine wheel consists of two concentric circles of stones, with longer stones at the north, south, east & west points. The grass space between the circles is divided into four sectors & a depression for occasional fires is located in a smaller circle covered in gravel & planted with wild flowers
The design was inspired by the legends of the Hopi Nation in North America whose prophesies foretell an age of peace when all nations from the four corners of the earth join a common effort to live in peace & harmony. The Hopi are now a small tribe based in the ‘four corners’ region of the USA of Utah, Colorado, Arizona & New Mexico
They believe we are living in the fifth world of man when the human race assembled at ‘four corners’ & were instructed to spread out in the four directions – north, south, east & west. Four also represents the elements – fire, water, air, earth
11. Back on the path we soon get a glimpse on the left of another treasure – the Peace Pagoda…
This Peace Pagoda was the first to be built in the Western World. Climb the steps to get a closer look…
Milton Keynes Peace Pagoda was built by the monks & nuns of the Nippon Myohoji & enshrines sacred relics of Lord Buddha presented from Nepal, Sri Lanka & Berlin
The Inauguration Ceremony on 21st September 1980 was presided over by the late Most Venerable Nichidatsu Fujii, founder of the Order of Nipponzan Myohoji. Religious leaders & peace loving people from all over the world attended the ceremony
Saplings from the Sacred Bohdi-Tree under which the Buddha attended Enlightenment were also presented. A thousand cherry trees & cedars were planted on the hill around the Pagoda in remembrance of the victims of all wars. They were donated by the ancient Japanese town of Yoshino, famous for the beauty of it’s cherry blossoms
The engravings around the Pagoda tell the story of Budha’s life…
12. Facing the Pagoda look up the hill to the left to see the decorated ‘One World Tree’ with its messages & prayers – it’s worth a climb…
13. Now it’s time to head back down towards the lake…
…where we turn left & continue towards the woods…
14. On the left’s another individual area known as The Labyrinth…
The labyrinth was created in 1985 in a design similar to the ancient turf maze at Saffron Waldon in Essex. Here’s an aerial view…
15. The path forks here & we need to take the right hand one, still following the shore of the lake…
…the village of Willen lies ahead of us on the left…
The name Willen is probably from Anglo-Saxon or Old English meaning (at the) ‘willows’. The River Ouzel meanders through here making it ideal for willow trees
On the left’s Willen Hospice which has great views over the lake – pop a few coins in the brick donation collection point as you pass…
16. If you fancy a look at Willen take the left fork in the path. Our route ontinues to head around the lake…
There’s a view back across the lake towards the Peace Pagoda…
17. We’ve already mentioned that this area’s a major contributor to the East of England’s flood defences. The path crosses these now…
18. Across the lake’s an island which is normally populated by a colony of cormorants, but there weren’t many around today. There’s also another story that there used to be a herd of goats on the island too, but we’ve never seen any!
19. The main part of the flood defences are just along here & it looks quite elaborate…
20. The path now descends off the defences & bears right towards the next junction which is with the South Lake…
21. At the junction below turn left & head through the underpass…
…to emerge by the side of the South Lake again…
There’s obviously some big pike in this lake as these two chaps were doing their best with spinners & lures…
22. The path continues & on the left’s some local industry…
…plus we can now see our finish point again across to the right…
23. At the next junction turn right following the south end of the lake now…
24. Pass the activity area…Aerial Extreme, the largest high rope adventure course in the south of England
Now bear right to head back to our starting point. On the left’s the station for the narrow gauge railway which wasn’t running today…
25. And here we are, back at the start of our walk
So that’s the end of our little stroll around the Lakes, both of which are very different from each another
This is either a quick or leisurely walk & ideal for a pre or post Sunday lunch stroll. When we walked it today the winter light was amazing &, at the end, we also managed to get a great photo of the moon…
Go Walk!!