Booking now open for The Parks Trust Walking Festival

Milton Keynes’ popular Walking Festival is back for a 12th year with a brand-new programme of over 20 walks for all ages, abilities and interests. Organisers, The Parks Trust, and its partners including Milton Keynes Council and MK Health Walks, will be hosting a diverse range of guided walks designed to help residents enjoy the city’s wealth of beautiful green spaces on foot.

Even though capacity for the walks is back to pre-pandemic levels, allowing more people to participate than last year, places are still limited so advance booking is highly recommended for the events which always fill up fast.

Among the most popular highlights for 2022 are:

• The Family Bat Walk, Friday 13 May at 8.45pm: Bat enthusiasts will guide participants around Furzton Lake with bat detectors to help discover more about these fascinating creatures.  Suitable for ages eight and above.
• The 25-Mile Challenge Walk, Saturday 14 May at 8.30am: An epic trail that offers a chance to see how the city is connected by a series of inspiring outdoor spaces. Be prepared for around ten hours of walking and an unforgettable experience. A 12.5-Mile Challenge Walk is also on offer for anyone wanting to give part of the challenge route a try.

For art fans, or anyone wanting to learn more about Milton Keynes’ vast collection of outdoor artworks, there are several themed walks on offer:

• The ROCLA Arts Project Walk, on Friday 13 May at 10am, offers a chance to see some of the city’s newest art at a gentle pace.
• The Gyosei Trail Walk, on Saturday 14 May at 2pm, links together stories of art and history inspired by Japan and the Grand Union Canal.
• The Public Art Walk in Campbell Park, on Saturday 14 May at 10am, will reveal the background to some of the city’s most prominent artworks.

The full programme includes plenty more for everyone – from dog lovers and local history fans to those who want to discover the city’s newest spaces such as Campbell Wharf Marina. The majority of walks are free but some charges do apply. To check prices and book your place visit:

https://www.theparkstrust.com/events/walking-festival-2022

The Parks Trust is the self-financing charity that cares for over 6,000 acres of parkland across the city and organises or enables over 500 events and activities in Milton Keynes parks each year.

Julie Dawes, Events & Community Engagement Manager for The Parks Trust, commented: “We are thrilled to launch the 2022 Walking Festival with our most exciting programme of walks ever. The event has gone from strength to strength, especially thanks to the public’s growing enjoyment of the outdoors in recent years.

“Our partners and volunteers have come together to help us deliver a Walking Festival that will enable lots of people to participate. We really look forward to welcoming everyone but do book early to avoid disappointment!”