Willen Lake
Willen Lake
4.5
Zipline & Aerial Adventure ParksGear RentalsGame & Entertainment Centers
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
About
Willen Lake is Milton Keynesā€™ most popular park attracting over hundreds of thousands of people each year. Visitors can take part in a range of family-friendly activities both on and off the lake. There is a wide variety of watersports to choose from including paddleboarding, kayaking and sailing. Visitors can also climb, swing and jump on the Treetop Extreme high ropes course or perfect their aim in an archery session. There is also a huge outdoor play area and accessible leisure routes with wildlife and beautiful scenery to enjoy along the way. A cafĆ© is available on-site serving snacks and hot drinks. The park is open year-round and there is no admission fee however, car parking charges apply. Leisure activities at Willen Lake are managed by Whitecap Leisure Ltd, a trading subsidiary of The Parks Trust.
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England

Awards
Travelers' Choice
2023

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Travelers talk about
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(27 reviews)

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,096 reviews
Excellent
636
Very good
279
Average
90
Poor
29
Terrible
62

Emma J
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 ā€¢ Friends
Lovely lake to have a walk around canā€™t wait for the warmer weather to go get on the inflatables they have on the lake plenty of lovely spot so stop and feed the swans and geese
Written March 7, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for taking the time to leave us a five star review! We're glad to hear you love visiting Willen Lake and we can't wait to welcome you back this summer!
Written March 11, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

zoe a
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 ā€¢ Family
Never going again the parking ticket boxes are beyond a joke. Paid and got receipt when we left only to have fines comming though our door.
Written January 27, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We're sorry to hear about your experience. Our car parks are pay on arrival which may be where the issue lies, however if you feel that you have been issued a parking charge notice incorrectly we recommend you follow the appeals process outlined in any documentation you have received.
Written January 29, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Laurentiu C
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 ā€¢ Family
No internet connection to be able to pay for parking and if you donā€™t have cash to pay for parking you will get a ticket sent to your house
Written January 27, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We're sorry to hear about your experience. Our parking machines accept both cash and card, and whilst 5G/4G connectivity is normally good, there is also free Wi-Fi across the park if required.
Written January 29, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jahangir
King's Lynn, UK211 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 ā€¢ Family
A must visit for anyone visiting Milton Keynes. Excellent spot for a family day out with a very nice play area for the kids. The lake itself is very beautiful and tranquil. Has many water activities as well. Has its very own dedicated paid parking area with plenty of spaces.
Written January 10, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for taking the time to leave us a five star review! We're thrilled to hear you feel that Willen Lake is a must visit for visitors to Milton Keynes (we couldn't agree more!). We hope we can welcome you back to Willen Lake again soon!
Written January 15, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

AlinaRC
Hertfordshire1,526 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 ā€¢ Friends
Willen Lake is a large town park in Milton Keynes. With the countryside so wet after heavy rain, it makes a good choice for a winter walk.

A figure of 8 loop around both lakes would be four miles. This includes a small diversion to the river Ouzel in the south and Willen village in the North. Willen village has a fine church, but appears to be rarely open. Especially attractive in winter are all the silver birches and coloured stems of the willows and dogwoods. Other points of interest include a stone circle - a modern creation for the Millennium combining British and North American traditions. The other very notable feature is the Peace Pagoda, built in 1980 and now a local landmark.

The North lake is focused on wildlife (with no boating or water sports) and a bird hide. On our visit we enjoyed seeing a wide variety of ducks including tufted duck, wigeon, teal, goldeneye, pochard, shoveler, as well as little grebe and great crested grebe, cormorants, herons, and many swans. Strongly recommend taking a pair of binoculars - even an old/cheap pair will enable you to see so much more. The south lake has more human activities, but still plenty of wildlife to observe.

The lakes were purpose built for the New Town to manage water runoff and prevent flooding. They were created in the 1970s, and differ from other large lakes in the area which originated as brickpits or gravel extraction. The landscape has matured and the lakes gently slope, giving many opportunities for birds and other wildlife.

The park is able to absorb many visitors without feeling crowded. The two east-west roads are however rather intrusive. The new warehousing on the east side of the south lake is especially unsightly and painting them in blue stripes does not make them blend in. Its disappointing that there was not more focus on higher quality buildings overlooking the main/largest park in the City. Some of the watersports have been replaced on the South Lake - the wakeboarding which took up a lot of the southern lake was mildly entertaining to watch but had a lot of unsightly wires across the lake and was noisy when running.

The parking is a bit more expensive than some other regional parks, although the facilities are well maintained. It was slightly irritating that the day of our visit the toilets closed at 4pm (they open until 5pm again after the Christmas and New Year break).

We have had very poor experiences eating there before, with a Brewers Fayre and the Lakeside Pub a Greene King the food choices. In fact, one of the worst meals we have ever had out was at Willen Lake, so were wary about repeating the experience and took a thermos of parsnip soup and left over festive sausage rolls. The coffee shop is under new management and we could try this on our next visit.
Written December 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to write such a comprehensive review. Both the Brewers Fayre and the Greene King pubs are operated independently from us so we suggest contacting them directly if you have any feedback to share. We hope we can welcome you back to Willen Lake again soon!
Written January 2, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Aura Guide
United Kingdom12 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 ā€¢ Family
Beautiful Lake. Heard from our neighbours that Willen lake is a must see place. One fine weekend we decided to visit it and found it pleasant. Perfect picnic spot if not anything else. Thereā€™s a giant wheel operating there.
The whole area gives pier vibes.
There are many water sports opportunities although I visited in evening so did not see those with my own eyes.
There are restaurants around and a pub & grill.
Highlight during my visit were swans.
Loved the floating, gliding swans that gathered in an area for food. They were a delight to watch especially a lot of them. Obviously sometimes these birds are out on the lake side grounds so you ll find bird poop around but you ll be fine as long as you are watching your steps.
I will visit during the day sometimes to see water sports activities.

There are many car parks around willen lake so wonā€™t be a problem finding one.
Written November 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review. We're glad to hear you enjoyed your visit, and particularly meeting the swans! We hope to welcome you back to Willen Lake again soon.
Written November 27, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

PipsDodo
10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 ā€¢ Family
We visited Treetop Extreme at Willen for their after-dark special Halloween session and it was fabulous. We all found it challenging but such great fun and it was a great experience in the dark with glowsticks!
The staff were fantastic - really friendly, all helpful, offering encouragement and tips when needed to complete the more difficult parts of the course. They were patient with anyone struggling and we were given plenty of time, with no rush. All finished off with 2 leaps off the fan-jump and went home feeling exhilerated (but exhausted; it's much more physically demanding than we expected!)
Written November 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for taking the time to leave us a five star review! We're glad to hear you enjoyed our after dark session this year, we will be sure to pass the great feedback to the team. We hope to welcome you back to Willen Lake again soon!
Written November 6, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

susan brand
Luton, UK4 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 ā€¢ Family
Treetop climbing and enjoyed watching them build in confidence as activity when on. Really good to build self belief. And no screen involved
Written October 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for leaving us a review. We're glad to hear you enjoyed your day out with us, especially your comments relating to confidence building! We hope we can welcome you back to Willen Lake again soon!
Written November 6, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

GrahamGeorge
Northampton, England19 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 ā€¢ Family
Treated our Grandchildren tp the Treetop Extreme experience and they absolutely loved it. Well organised and challenging.
Written October 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for taking the time to leave us a five star review! We're glad to hear your grandchildren loved Treetop Extreme. We hope we can welcome you back to Willen Lake again soon!
Written October 30, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Omololu A
Huntingdon, UK2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 ā€¢ Friends
I participated in the treetop experience with some of my friends. We had so much fun and the instructors were there to guide and support throughout. I will absolutely recommend it...
Written October 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for leaving us a five star review! We're glad to hear you'd recommend Treetop Extreme and that our team were supportive. We hope to welcome you back to Willen Lake again soon!
Written October 16, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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WILLEN LAKE (Milton Keynes) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go