Facilities
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.
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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