Pete's Walks - Milton Keynes Boundary Walk
Post-walk comments
It’s fair to say that the Milton Keynes Boundary Walk wasn’t too high on the list of walks I wanted to do. Any such walk (the Aylesbury Ring was another) seems to suggest a route where a built-up area is always visible not too far away. In fact this really isn’t the case with the Milton Keynes Boundary Walk at all – the only times I seemed in close proximity to a town were right at the start of Day 1 and again very briefly on Days 7 and 8. Other than that, there were only a few distant views of the noticeable landmark of the Ski Dome and a brief view of the outskirts on Day 6 that told me that I was close to Milton Keynes.
Most of the Milton Keynes Boundary Walk is over gently undulating farmland. The only really noticeable hills are when it ascends and descends the Greensand Ridge, which runs to the southwest of the city. But there were gentle rises either side of the valley of the river Great Ouse, which gained enough height to give quite extensive views. There were a few sections of woodland on most days, and there were usually a few pastures where livestock grazed each day, but I must admit that on at least one occasion I became a little tired of a long sequence of corn fields. Much of the first day was along the river Great Ouse and then the Grand Union Canal, and there was another short canal section on Day 7. Compared to other routes, the Milton Keynes Boundary Walk seems to go through surprisingly few villages – there was a gap of over 10 miles between Weston Underwood and Turvey, and I didn’t pass through any at all on the last day of my walk.
Looking back towards Salcey Forest (Day 2)
I enjoyed the Milton Keynes Boundary Walk much more than I’d expected to. I couldn’t say that any of the walks was outstanding, but they were all pleasant and enjoyable. As I’d always expected, the most enjoyable section was on the Greensand Ridge near Woburn Sands, with sandy paths through some very large woods being a change of scenery from the chalks hills that I am more used to. This is the one area I passed through that I’d like to come back to and explore further.
So overall, although not one of my favourite long-distance paths, the Milton Keynes Boundary Walk was much better than I’d expected and I’m certainly glad that I walked it. It was certainly as enjoyable as several of the other long-distance paths that I have walked. I think the people who created the walk should be congratulated on a job well done, and Ian Andrews thanked for his efforts to keep the route alive. Sadly, judging by the rather overgrown state of a few sections of paths, not too many people seemed to have walked it this summer.