TRAIL A: CITY-WIDE CIRCULAR TRAIL
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The Barge Inn
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Furzton Lake
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Dovecote Church Farm
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Trail leaflets are available throughtout Milton Keynes and its libraries.
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Start Point: Lakeside, Willen South Lake
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| Length: |
Approximately 10 miles |
Duration: |
5 hours |
Section 1: Willen Lake South to Great Linford (1hr)
1. Head past the sports club and Willen Halt Station for the minitrain. Follow the redway to the right under the underpass to its crossroads. Here make a right turn into Newlands.
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2. Continue straight on the redway past Gulliver’s new Eco Park, Gullivers Land, and the Cathedral of Trees.
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Gullivers Land
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The arching branches of woodland trees evoke the image and character of medieval gothic architecture, so this cathedral is based on the Norwich medieval cathedral plan. Different tree species are used to create the characters for its component parts, with Californian Redwoods making the main tower, Cedars at the western entrance, Limes forming the columns of the nave and an avenue of Fastigiate Hornbeam defining the aisles.
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Cathedral of trees
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3. Follow the underpass into Willen Park and then back into Willen. Here take a left past the Peace Pagoda car park (The Peace Pagoda is up the stairs on the right).
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Peace Pagoda
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| 4. Follow the redway through Willen Local Centre. Before the pub take the redway left to Tongwell. Continue straight alongside the V10. Past the Daimler Chrysler building take a bridge on your left over the V10 into Gifford Park, passing Gifford Park Combined School on your right. Take the redway to the left of the pub up the winding hill and over the canal. |
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5. Continue straight toward Great Linford Village (option of turning left to the Brick Kilns) passing the Sports Pavilion on the left. Continue over the roads and eventually turn right onto the High Street. At the top of the road the Nags Head pub is on the left and the Great Linford Manor is further forward on the right. |
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Nags Head
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Refreshment Spot: The Nags Head Picnic Spot: Linford Manor Park
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6. Passing through Great Linford you can visit the Manor, the Fishponds, Almshouses, Church, Courtyards, Standing Stones and Artworks MK.
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Almshouses
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Great Linford Church, Courtyard & Almshouses provide a fine backdrop to the manor. The C13th church overlooks what were once the manor and farm buildings, now a C17th courtyard of stables and a barn. This and the nearby almshouses were all created by Lord Mayor of London Sir William Pritchard. Today the courtyard forms the Artworks: mk arts and crafts centre with the almshouses as its artists studios. See main HODs leaflet for more details about Artworks: mk Open Arts Studio Event.
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Medieval fishponds
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Great Linford Manor is the second manor; the first located nearby was knocked down when Sir William Pritchard made Great Linford his home in 1678 creating a new manor and parkland. The Uthwatt family extended it further in the C18th. Today the manor is owned by celebrity Pete Winkleman and houses a recording studio.
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Linford Manor
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Section 2: Great Linford to Bradwell Abbey (1hr)
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1. Re-join the redway by the old railway bridge and Grand Union Canal. Turn left past a Bank of Scotland milepost; continue straight past the abandoned platform of the New Bradwell Station.
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Old railway bridge
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Abandoned platform
New Bradwell Station
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2. Reaching the end of the stretch of redway you can see the New Bradwell Windmill to your left, and new aqueduct to your right.
Bradwell Windmill was erected in 1817 by Samuel Holman from local quarried limestone and cost approx £500 to build. It is unusual both in the early use of the universal joint and that it has a ground floor fireplace in spite of flour dust being explosive. Bought by Robert Adam in 1857 its use was short lived and it was closed by 1876.
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New Bradwell Windmill
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3. Cross straight over the bridge in front of you into Blue Bridge. Follow the redway through Blue Bridge into Bancroft Park. (At the road you have the option of turning right to MK Museum).
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4. Continue straight, where the Roman Villa Site will be on your left.
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Roman Villa Site
Bancroft Park
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Initially constructed in around 100AD as a modest farmhouse with a range of outbuildings, the site was abandoned after a fire in 170AD. The house was rebuilt to a similar size in around 280AD. In 350AD the house and its bath suite were extended and redecorated with colourful wall paintings and mosaics. In addition a formal walled garden with a large ornamental fishpond were constructed. It is this later phase of the villa that can be seen today.
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| 5. Walk bike over the bridge and turn right down to the brook, following the leisure path along the brook. The Concrete Cows will be ahead. |
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Constructed in 1978 by artist Liz Leyh, the concrete cows are only one of the 200+ artworks that can be found in MK but have become its best-known symbol. There have been many repaints in their history including pink. |
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Concrete Cows
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| 6. Take the underpass into Bradwell Village; turn right over the bridge (under the modern rail bridge) to Bradwell Abbey. Here there is the Pilgrim Chapel and buildings. Keep buildings to your left and cycle through the courtyard around the cottages and back onto the leisure route. Turn right following the brook on your left toward Lodge Lake.
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Pilgrim's Chapel
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Bradwell Abbey – Site of C12th Benedictine Priory with buildings including the C14th Cruck Barn and Pilgrim’s Chapel. C17th farm buildings were added and the site is today managed by and is the home of the City Discovery Centre. CDC’s education and information services promote understanding, appreciation and care of the historic and natural/built environments of the new city.
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Bradwell Abbey
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Section 3: Lodge Lake to Loughton (1hr)
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| 1. Take the path underneath the A5 following signs to Lodge Lake. Take a left over a red bridge and left again toward Lodge Lake. Travel round the lake past National Badminton Centre. Turn right along the Millennium Route and follow the brook until signposted left to Loughton Village. |
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Lodge Lake
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2. Turn right over the bridge into Loughton Green, here you will see Manor Farm. (Optional - Follow Mill Route left down The Green and Leys Road until you reach the site of the medieval fishponds, turn right down Whitworth Lane and back up Snaith Crescent retracing your steps back to The Green).
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Manor Farm
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Manor Farm and The Green. The Green was the centre of Little Loughton, once a separate parish from Loughton. Manor Farm is one of the oldest non-church buildings in MK. Dating from the early 1500s with later additions and alterations the house was originally surrounded by a moat and is said to be haunted. Manor Farm Cottages to the left were once a single large house of a similar age to Manor Farm itself.
Fishponds and Moated Site these well-preserved earthworks contain several house sites in addition to the moat and fishponds which may have been laid out by the Piggott family who held the Manor and Manor Farm in the 1500s.
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3. Back at The Green head toward the Sports Ground taking the path to the left of the sports field gate and continue round until half way turning left on the leisure route joining the redway again at the top.
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| 4. Turn right onto Bradwell Road, continue straight, Loughton Middle School will be on your right, and then the Talbot Pub. In this area you will also see the Memorial Cottages from 1897 and a restoration of a 1924 building.
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Memorial Cottages
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Refreshment Stop: The Talbot Pub
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| 5. Turn left onto London Road, continue straight, The Harvester (Fountain) will be on your left. Continue to the end of London Road and re-join the redway and following it round to the right under the underpass to Shenley Church End, and the 2nd underpass into Shenley Lodge. |
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Refreshment Stop: The Harvester (Fountain)
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| The Talbot and The Fountain. These two Inns date from the 17th and 18th centuries and once served the passing coaching trade on the main London to Holyhead turnpike. The land behind The Fountain was used as a landing strip by early aviators in the 1900s.
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6. Take the redway on your immediate right (signposted to Westcroft) up the hill in line with the H6, cross the road and turn left (signposted to Furzton) down Livesy Hill.
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| 7. At the bottom of the hill follow the redway right and then take a left turn just before Caroline Haslett School, continue on the redway under the underpass into Furzton. Furzton Lake will be on your left handside. |
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Furzton Lake
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Furzton Lake was constructed in the mid eighties as one of a series of "balancing lakes" - designed to hold floodwater during heavy rain, Furzton Lake is now a valuable environment for wildlife, home to a large population of geese and waterfowl. Archaeological excavations on the site of the lake revealed a late Iron Age settlement (around 100BC). |
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Section 4: Furzton Lake to Willen Lake (2hr)
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1. Turn right following the leisure path round the edge of the lake. Continue past the hotel, and the offices on your right.
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| Refreshment Spot: The Furzton Lake Pub & Restaurant 2 FOR 1 |
2. Turn right at the redway, under the underpass into Shenley Lodge. At the Round House turn right and follow the redway to the Shenley Lodge meeting place.
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Round House
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The Round House built and designed by architect Keith Horn in 1986 as part of the pioneering Energy World exhibition. This unusual house with its insulating earth banks and 2-storey conservatory helped set the benchmark for energy efficiency.
See: Javelin Sun Dial and Clock to your left.
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Javelin Sun Dial
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| 3. Turn right under V4 to Kelvin Drive. At the bottom turn left onto Davy Lane and then right down Garforth Place towards the Teardrop Lakes. |
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Teardrop Lakes are an important part of the city's balancing lake system, able to take storm waters to prevent flooding of housing areas. But they also provide valuable leisure facilities for the city's residents. Fishing is allowed in designated areas while the variety of habitats, including dense reedbeds, makes the lakes an excellent spot to enjoy wildlife. |
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| 4. At the Lake continue straight, keeping the lake on your right until you reach the H6. Join the redway by the side of the road and continue straight toward the city centre. Cycle straight past the new Homebase store and then follow the redway left into Oldbrook. Continue straight. |
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5. Opportunity to visit Central Milton Keynes via subways to your left:
• Subway bridge 2 – Business District
Underpass to Fishermead
• Subway bridge 4 – Retail District (Debenhams)
• Subway bridge 6 – Entertainment District (Xscape, Airkix)
• Subway bridge 7 – Theatre District
• Subway bridge 8 – Campbell Park
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| Refreshment Spot: The City Centre offers a number of refreshment opportunities |
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6. Continue straight on the redway downhill toward Woolstone. You will pass the Grand Union Canal on your right. Cross over the first road, and turn right into Woolstone down a lane towards The Barge Inn.
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Grand Union Canal
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7. See Milestone on your left by the roadside and The Barge Inn in front of you. With the old Manor House to your right, turn left in front of The Barge Inn down Mill Lane.
The Barge Inn was built in the early 1800s to serve the newly constructed canal. |
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Woolstone milestone
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The Barge Inn, Woolstone
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| Refreshment Spot: The Barge Inn |
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| 8. See Dovecote c.1870 on your left and then Woolstone Holy Trinity Church c.1300. Follow the redway left round the Church, and then continue straight to the bottom, here turn right, then straight under the underpass into Willen. |
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Church Farm and Dovecote Church Farm was built in the late 1500s of timber and a brick front added in the 1700s. In the 1800s the farm was home to William Smith who pioneered the use of steam engines to plough fields. The unusual octagonal structure to the left of the farmhouse is a dovecote built during Smith’s time at the farm. |
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Holy Trinity Church dates from the late 1200s although archaeological excavations here found the foundations of an earlier Norman church as well as signs of Roman occupation. |
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Holy Trinity Church
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Trail leaflets are available throughtout Milton Keynes and its libraries.
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Other Trails in this Series:
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