Walking
What better way to enjoy the parks than on foot? Whether you’re walking for fun or fitness, walking the dog or pushing a pram, we’ve got a programme for you. Find out about the options available below, then click through to the events calendar to see when the next one takes place.
As we had to cancel this year's MK Walking Festival, we have decided to share a series of 8 walking routes for you to enjoy. Why not try our 25 mile challenge? Take a tour across Milton Keynes and experience our fantastic parks! Wildlife walks, history walks, night walks, dawn walks... or walks that simply help you discover more about your local parks and meet new friends. Walks take place throughout the week and at the weekend year-round, guided by The Parks Trust. We make a small charge for these guided walks and booking is essential. Download or print one of our self-guided walks and explore new areas of Milton Keynes and its environs. These walks are designed for all abilities. Each walk will be in a different park in Milton Keynes. Come along, explore, chat and get some fresh air. The walks are fairly short and flexible to suit the needs and wants of the group each week. There will be facilities at each walk – toilets, indoor area/café/pub etc. Come and join The Parks Trust volunteers at our monthly Women's Walking Network walks! They meet on the first Thursday every month! Bring your dog and join The Parks Trust rangers on our new Woof Walks in 2019. These walks will be suitable for you and your dog to be led through various parks across Milton Keynes. The duration for each walk will be no more than an hour and a half. Not suitable for dogs under six months. £1.00 per dog - Booking is essential. The Walking Festival consists of a variety of walks, held across two days, for all ages and abilities to come together and explore somewhere different. Our annual Walking Festival takes place in May each year, the 2020 festival will be over the weekend of 8th to 10th May 2020. The Walking for Health Walks are part of the Everyday Activity Programme and are led by qualified experts. While all walks are open to anyone, organisers have coded the walks for suitability for both beginners and intermediate walkers. To enable the widest possible audience to take part, start times, locations and days of the week vary from walk to walk. Hike MK is a walking group for younger adults in the Milton Keynes & North Buckinghamshire area. Group walks are organised on a regular basis, varying between 4 and 12 miles on average, as well as social events and trips away. The group is aimed at adults in their 20s, 30s, and 40s; sorry no children. Walks are usually more like social events than expeditions, and well-behaved dogs may be allowed- but please check with the walk organiser beforehand. Meet each Saturday all year round to walk for an hour. We meet at different places each week so the walks allow you to see many aspects of MK through the seasons Nordic Walking was originally used by cross country skiers as a way of staying fit over the summer. It has since become a popular activity for all with benefits including an improvement in mobility and fitness. The Milton Keynes Ramblers describe themselves as ‘a group of people who enjoy walking in the countryside’. They welcome everyone on their walks, whatever their age or level of fitness. For further information on the Ramblers association in Milton Keynes and details on joining fees, see their website www.mkramblers.org.ukVirtual Walking Festival
25 Mile Challenge
Guided Walks
Self-guided Walks
Discovery Strolls
Women's Walking Network
Woof Walks
Walking Festival
Health Walks
Hike MK
MK Nordic Striders
MK Nordic Walking
MK Ramblers
- The Parks Trust hosted over 525 events and activities in their parks in 2019
- Fitness Groups & Clubs make up 72% of events & activities held in our parks
- The most popular places to host an event in 2019 included Campbell Park, Willen Lake South, Linford Wood and Caldecotte Lake
- 91% of event attendees said they had a Excellent, Very Good or Good experience at our events in 2018!
- Most of our attendees heard about our events through Social Media in 2018
Discover our parks
- Caldecotte Lake
Facilities:
Planning an outdoor adventure in Milton Keynes? Explore the beautiful location of Caldecotte Lake. Whether its watersports, birdwatching or children’s activities, you’re sure to have a great family day out, with lots of space for little ones to run around, plus some tranquil corners to relax as well.
Refreshments
The Caldecotte Pub & Grill is open for meals, snacks and hot and cold drinks. - Campbell Park
Facilities:
Located at the heart of Milton Keynes, Campbell Park hosts many of Milton Keynes’ major festivals and events. Its imaginative mix of formal gardens, water features, woodland and open pasture mean it’s an ideal spot to enjoy the changing seasons.
Refreshments
There are no refreshment facilities in Campbell Park other than during special events. However, there are a wealth of cafes, bars and restaurants in the nearby city centre, theatre district and Xscape centre. - Canal Broadwalk
Facilities:
The Grand Union Canal enters Milton Keynes at the Ouse Valley Park at Old Wolverton and snakes in a dramatic arc right through the east of the city until it leaves Milton Keynes at Water Eaton in Bletchley.
Refreshments
- Furzton Lake
Facilities:
Furzton Lake’s open views make it a popular choice for joggers, cyclists and walkers. Created to act as a basin for floodwaters during rainy spells, the lake has matured into an easily accessible and peaceful oasis for local residents, office workers and wildlife.
Refreshments
The Furzton Lake Hotel is open for meals, snacks and hot and cold drinks. - Howe Park Wood
Facilities:
Howe Park is probably the woodland mentioned in the Domesday Survey of 1086. Parts of it may be rare surviving fragments of the 'wildwood' that covered the whole of lowland Britain after the last Ice Age, 6-11,000 years ago.
Refreshments
There is a Café at Howe Park Wood ran by Grounds. The café is operating a takeaway only service until further notice. - Great Linford Manor Park
Facilities:
Great Linford Manor Park is a special, heritage-rich park set within the old village of Great Linford. It contains features that were first laid out centuries ago, including ponds and a Wilderness Garden which represent the English Landscape style of garden design that became popular for country estates during the 18th Century.
Refreshments
Refreshments and food can be found nearby at The Black Horse and the Nag’s Head which are open for lunch and supper. Milton Keynes Arts Centre has a small café where drinks can be purchased.
- For information and routes for walking, cycling, bus and train trips in MK use the transport planner
