A Walk Around

North Willen Lake is the home of one of Milton Keynes best known landmarks, the Peace Pagoda, and of an amazingly rich and varied bird population. The tranquility which attracted them makes North Willen an inspiring place to visit throughout the year.


A walk around the lake is about one and a half miles and takes anything from half an hour to an hour and a half, depending on how often you allow yourself to be distracted. Below we've outlined some of the park's main features, on a lakeside route starting from the Peace Pagoda car park which lies off Brickhill Street (V10), between Portway(H5) and Dansteed Way (H4)

Milton Keynes Peace Pagoda was the first to be built in Europe. Inside are sacred relics of the Lord Buddha, while the outside tells a story through a series of spectacular carvings. The first pagoda was built at Hiroshima after the second World War as a symbol of peace and world brotherhood. This Pagoda was built and is still maintained by a group of Monks and Nuns from the Nipponzan Myohoji Sect living in the nearby Buddhist temple with its ornate japanese garden. They hold daily ceremonials and every June celebrate its anniversary with an open air festival of world music, song and prayer.


This corner of the park is home to another symbol of people's faith and hope for a better world: the One World Cedar Tree was planted on a hillcrest above the temple in the year of the first 'Earth Summit' in 1992. The same spot is an excellent viewpoint(with seating) from which to see Cranfield, Brickhill Woods and the distinctive skyline of Milton Keynes City Centre.

the newest peace symbol at North Willen, is the medicine wheel, situated close to the Temple.

There's a choice of routes along the south side of the lake: up onto the redway; under the road bridge to join the leisure route which runs along beside South Willen Lake; or leave the footpath and join the horsetrail, which takes you past the bird scrapes and to the bird hide for a closer look at North Willen's birdlife and the nesting island.

On the east bank the footpath runs between the lake and the river Ouzel. It was partly to take up floodwater from the river that Willen Lake was built annd you can see the flood control structure, together with a descriptive panel along this stretch. North Willen lies at one end of the Ouzel Valley Park: you can follow it for five miles south on foot, by bike or on horseback through some of Milton Keynes loveliest countryside.

Just across the road (V11) and accessible from North Willen is a BMX Track. Open to all with suitable safety gear, it is the home of Milton Keynes BMX Club and has hosted a number of regional competitions.

At the north east corner a path leads off into Willen Village and to two historic buildings. The 17th Century Church of St Mary Magdalene was designed by Robert Hooke, a school fellow of Sir Christopher Wren, in a style more often seen in London than in a country village. Close by, the Priory is home to a modern Anglican monastic order, the society of the Sacred Mission.

Willen Hospice overlooks the lake on its north side and with the help of local fund raisers, has recently been extended.

The best view of the Labyrinth on the north west corner of the lake, is from the steep ridge above. It features a maze of pathways leading to a tree of life in the centre. The banks of the ridge are popular with sledgers in the winter.





Willen for the Birds
North Willen Lake is on the map for serious birdwatchers across Britain. You don't have to be an expert to enjoy the huge variety of species, some rare, which live in or visit the park. There are identification panels around the lake edge and one in the bird hide together with a blackboard where visitors can record what they've seen.

Since the lake was created in 1973 it has been adapted and improved to provide the best possible habitat for birdlife. In front of the hide a series of bird scrapes give the shallow wading waters which wading birds love. Just across the water the island's inaccessibility makes it an ideal sanctuary for nesting birds, including ducks,geese and other water birds not usually seen in towns such as redshank and common tern. Look out for the series of newly-created 'sandmartin barrels', designed to emulate the favoured nesting spots of this threatened species. the barrels have been constructed by volunteers from BSI.

Willen's bird population swells in winter when immigrant waterfowl arrive to feed on the grass around the lake. Spring and autumn migrations are the time to see rare species, like the osprey which visited Milton Keynes on its way south.

Click here to view route map of North Willen

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