Walton Lake
About Walton Lake
Walton Lake was no longer needed to absorb floodwater once Willen and Caldecotte Lakes were created. The lake was therefore allowed to fill with reeds, creating a very different habitat from the open waters of most of Milton Keynes' other lakes.
In 2002 The Parks Trust, with funding from Shanks First, built a boardwalk into the reedbed. This wonderful route through the reeds features a bird hide, offering fantastic opportunities to see the bird and water life close-up.
It is the combination of habitats that makes Walton Lake so rich in wildlife. Surrounding the reedbed are ponds and open water, ancient hedgerows and hay meadow, plus the River Ouzel running nearby.
Mature reed beds need a lot of management to keep them in optimum condition. If they are neglected trees will start to invade, drying out the reedbeds until eventually the habitat is lost. To prevent this from happening the reedbed at Walton Lake is maintained by The Parks Trust's operations team, volunteers and contractors, regularly cutting back blocks of weed to create a diverse mosaic of open water, and blocks of reed of different heights.
Wildlife
Look out for Reed Warbler, Reed Buntings and Water Rail, Sparrowhawks, Green Woodpeckers and breeding Kestrels. During the summer months the lakeside hums with insect species such as dragon and damselfly. Walton Lake also has a colony of grass snakes whose shyness makes them hard to spot elsewhere.
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Facilities
There is a free car park on site located off the Newport Road just south of H8 Standing Way.
There are no public toilets on site. The nearest facilities are in nearby pubs.
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Accessibility
Access to the site is generally good and the boardwalks and bird hide were carefully built to be accessible to wheelchairs. Some users may find the slope on the west side of the lake to be a bit steep.
