Visiting Willen Lake

If you’re looking for things to do with kids in MK, why not try visiting Willen Lake?

As a family, we love Willen Lake and visit there all the time! It’s only a 40 minute drive or so from Aylesbury and is so worth it to spend a good few hours having a whole lot of fun.

Of course there’s a decent walk around the lake, but Willen Lake as a whole has so much more to offer than just the water. There are so many activities available for kids and adults alike; you could very easily spend an entire day here.

So, lets dive in to what’s on offer!

Free fun at Willen Lake

When you think of Willen Lake, you’d be right to imagine the vast expanse of water with a footpath all around it. Sure, Willen Lake is excellent for a good walk. There are lots of little sub-routes off of the main path, some of which we still haven’t even explored ourselves. You could visit for “just” a walk time and time again and probably never get bored, always ending up somewhere new. Better still, the paths are flat, which makes it the perfect place to bring your little one’s on their bikes or scooters.

There’s plenty of big, grassy areas that are perfect picnic spots, and even some benches around the lake too. Bring your own food, dress for the weather, bring your bikes and voila. A nice, affordable day out where you have to pay for nothing but parking. What’s not to like?!

The free fun at Willen Lake doesn’t end there. They often run free seasonal activities, such as their Easter trail. There’s also play and gym equipment spread around the lake that can break your walk up and make it a little more interesting. If you’re looking for something a little more cultural, why not visit the Peace Pagoda?

If you feel like making your own fun, there’s plenty of wildlife to be spotted around the lake, so why not create your own scavenger hunt?

The free fun is almost endless.

Paid activities at Willen Lake

If you want to step the fun up a notch, there are plenty of other activities at the lake – you just have to pay for them. Their activities are divided into two sections – on the water and off the water.

On the water

If you’re looking to have some fun on the water, there are plenty of options to choose from. Willen Lake offers paddle sports, sailing, boat hire, power boating, aqua parcs, open water swimming and even parties on the water!

Off the water

If you’re looking to stick to the land, don’t worry – you can have just as much fun! Choose from the Treetop Extreme trail, archery, a ride on the observation wheel, play on the fairground rides, visit the Splash ‘n’ Play water park for little ones, try out the Play Area or choose one of the many walking routes. You can also hire pedal cars to zoom around the lake a little faster!

You can find out more details about each activity on offer here.

All that activity will have you working up an appetite!

But don’t worry, because there are plenty of food choices at Willen Lake! Visit The Lakeside Pub and Grill, the Willen Lake Bar and Kitchen at the Sports Centre or the Willen Dragon for a proper sit down meal. Visit the cafe (no seating available), the donut trailer or the ice cream van for a smaller bite to eat on the go.

BBQ’s are not allowed at the lake but as mentioned already, there is plenty of grassy space and benches that can accommodate you bringing your own picnic.

Keep your food away from the water because the ducks, geese and swans will come to steal it from you! Remember not to feed them bread, but instead buy some duck food from the donut trailer.

The fun doesn’t end there…

Sometimes Willen Lake even hosts one off events, such as Tuff Nutterz, or their Christmas ice rink. Keep up with their social channels to make a note of when different events are arriving at the lake.

What else do you need to know?

• The only fee is for parking. Remember to pay for this or you will be chased with letters from the parking company! The quickest and easiest way is through the RingGo app. There are four car parks to choose from and you can find the details of those here.
• The lake is vastly accessible, as all the footpaths are flat and smooth. They actually have a full accessibility guide that can be accessed here.
• There are toilets on site, as well as accessible toilets and baby changing facilities.

Have you been to Willen Lake before? What’s your favourite activity to do there?