We have been to Willen Lake, Milton Keynes a ridiculous amount of times over the years! It’s perfect for summer strolls, winter wanders and everything in between. It can get busy at times, particularly when the weather is nice. If you want to avoid the crowds there are several walks that start from here that are less popular. There has been a lot of investment in Willen Lake and I’ve updated this review as new facilities have opened.
Willen Lake isn’t one lake, it’s actually two. People tend to just walk around the larger lake though. The car park is next to the main facilities; there is a pub, a hotel, watersports, football pitches, high ropes course and splash park. There is a brand new playground area designed for a different age range. Plus it’s next to the toilets and you can get a coffee which makes life a lot easier.
The playground at Willen Lake
I went along to Willen Lake to update my review now the new playground has opened. I was a bit surprised to see a large area fenced off. Turns out the built a playground on the shore of a lake and didn’t really think through the whole draining thing! It’s hella muddy and some bits are unusable. They’re trying to fix it but, in the mean time, dress for playing in mud!
I’d say this playground is probably better for older kids than younger ones. Smallest Child is 4 and she’s probably at the lower age end. There’s not a lot for very young kids. The tower slide is VERY fast and she shot right out the end of it like something from a cartoon. Also, visibility is rubbish here if you’ve got multiple children. There’s hills and bumps, and the playground is spread out. It’s very easy to lose kids. In that respect, the previous playground was much better.
Family walks at Willen Lake
The larger lake is a decent size and it takes a reasonable amount of time to get round but isn’t so long that complaints of legs hurting kick in. There’s lots of wildlife to spot, mainly ducks, geese and swans and there is a dedicated feeding platform for them.
There is a fitness trail that runs alongside the main route around the lake so you can intermittently prove how fit you are to the kids by doing two push-ups before they decide they want a turn. There’s also a few smaller play areas for kids along this footpath.
The footpaths around the lake are good and easy for everyone to get around on. Dogs are allowed everywhere as well. I really like a wander around Willen Lake with the kids. It’s popular and in the middle of a city, but once you’re away from the main facilities it feels really peaceful. The footpaths are flat all the way round so it’s an easy walk for even the smallest legs. Willen Lake is actually a fairly sheltered spot as well so autumn and winter walks are just as good a summer ones.
Willen Lake – The North Lake
You can also easily access the Tree Cathedral and Peace Pagoda from Willen Lake. These are less popular than the lake itself, but fascinating and worth the short walk. There’s also a Japanese garden which is beautiful and a Native American Medicine Wheel. No idea what that is? Kind of like a small Stonehenge.
Additional Facilities at Willen Lake
The splash park is relatively new and the general consensus is that it is a bit expensive, particularly when it’s compared to the free park at Leighton Buzzard but it is better maintained. Sessions are 45 minutes each (which includes a 5 minute change-over) and cost £6 per session. They do have a lot of equipment and the kids love it. When it gets warmer again I’ll go and check it out for myself.
We haven’t tried to watersports or high ropes course yet and there is an additional charge for these but they do look good. There’s been a lot of investment recently in the activities that you can do here so you can now also book segway tours, zorbing and a massive aquapark. A lot of these activities are seasonal and may require pre-booking so please make sure you check the website.
They regularly hold events and activities, particularly in the spring and summer so it’s always worth keeping an eye on their website to see what’s on.
Admission Cost
Entry – Free. There are a lot of additional activities that you can take part in as well, but these are chargeable. There’s a full list, including prices, on their website.
Parking / How to get there
Parking – On-site but chargeable. Since I first wrote this review of Willen Lake the parking charges have gone up a LOT. Up to 2 hours is £1.50, up to 5 is £4.00, up to 8 hours is £8. Parking used to be a bit rubbish but they’ve significantly improved the number of spaces in recent years.
Adress – V10 Brickhill St, Milton Keynes MK15 0DS
Toilets
On-site near the playground and the pub. There is refurbishment working taking place on these. I can honestly say the new ones are significantly better than the old ones! There’s also a changing places room here.
Food
Pub and cafe on-site. Picnics welcome. There is quite often an ice cream van as well. We tried the cafe. Kids boxes £5.50 for a cheese roll, crisps, drink and apple!!!
We have eaten in the pub a couple of times. It’s not haute cuisine but it’s decent enough, reasonably priced pub food. Because Willen Lake is so popular it can get very busy during peak times so there can be a long wait to be seated and served if it’s really busy.
Review update – Willen Lake used to allow BBQs but due to repeated fires they’ve stopped allowing this now.
Our Willen Lake Review
We’re regular visitors to Willen Lake throughout the year. For most of the year it’s popularity doesn’t really detract from a lovely walk. It’s only in the summer time that it can feel crowded. It’s a good length walk for little legs. The new playground is good, but there have been some much better new ones put in recently, particularly for younger kids. I’m not saying it’s rubbish, but I do think Stanwick Lakes is better!
Hi, I’m Vicky. My husband and I live in Aylesbury with our three children; a 14 year old son, an 12 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I (mostly) love spending time together as a family. We visit all kinds of places and we’re quite happy to drive a fair distance for a decent day out. A few years ago I decided to set up Free Time with the Kids as a way to share our experiences of these family days out.
You’ll find the essential information you need to know before your visit that can be surprisingly hard to find out. Where do I park? How much will it cost me to get in? Are there any discounts available? Are there loos? Can I take a picnic or get food? My aim is to be your go-to guide for all your free and cheap family days out across Bucks, Beds, Oxon, Herts & slightly beyond. I really hope you find the reviews helpful. If there’s anywhere that you’d recommend please get in touch contact@freetimewiththekids.com or get in touch via Facebook
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