Quite a Weekend

It has been a second four-day weekend in England. My wife and I spend much of it exploring Milton Keynes - with the help of the Parks Trust. They do a fantastic job - and throughout the year put on activities in the City. This weekend was the walking Festival. During the summer there will be events in Campbell Park - from festivals to Open Air Shakespeare - and the Open Air Film Weekend.

Milton Keynes suffers from a wholly unfair reputation as a concrete city which only came into being in the last 40 or so years. Yet it is full of history (Our walk on Saturday took us to the Roman Villa and Bradwell Abbey) - and so many beautiful places. The amazing thing is that you can be really close to the modern shopping centre and the theatre district; to say nothing of the Snow dome - yet feel as if you were miles outside in the country. All these photos were taken WITHIN the grid system - and within 2 miles of the city centre!

I also had time to watch President Obama's speech at the White House Correspondents' Dinner - if you haven't seen it yet - it is worth a view - and can be accessed here.

This weekend in Milton Keynes

This long holiday weekend is also the Milton Keynes Walking Festival. A chance to get out in the fresh and exercise the legs and the lungs - and see what a beautiful city surrounds us. The programme can be found here.


This morning we joined Walk 1 - from Great Linford Manor Park to Newport Pagnell and back - via the canal; Giffard Park; Blakelands; Tongwell Lake; across the Motorway (on a Bridge!); alongside Tongwell Brook and the River Ouzel. We enjoyed a coffee and egg & bacon baguette at the Picture House Cafe in Newport Pagnell - then returned via the Railway Walk.

After a quick lunch at home we joined Walk Five from the carpark by the Furzton carpark off watling Street. Neither my wife nor I had been to Howe Park Wood before - it is beautiful - loads of bluebells are still out. Our journey took us along the Loughton Valley through Furzton and Emerson Valley - then we walked to and from the wood.

There are lots more walks this weekend - and we'll be joining a few. Book now (most are free - some have a £3 fee - email mailto:events@theparkstrust.com