Be aware this review will be in 2 parts. We visited Loughton valley park over 2 days and still didn’t explore it all. I will try and keep it straight and to the point. However I do have a tendency to go off on a tangent. Its worth it though because this bad boy is 100% free.
North Loughton Valley Park
Firstly Id like to point out that I haven’t moved to Milton Keynes we just realllllly like going there. On the Saturday daddy had fucked off to Thorpe park and left me solo with the kids. I asked them what they wanted to do. Clark asked for train spotting and Elliot asked to go bike riding. So Milton Keynes ticked all the boxes. I google mapped where the train line was and saw is run right through Laughton valley park. I’d also seen the 2 MK bloggers mention it before.
After a bit of a mooch about I shoved the Milton Keynes discovery centre in the sat nav in the hope that it had a car park. Thankfully it did and its a perfect spot to explore from. Decent sized car park which was fairly quiet too.
On the Saturday we headed to the path which is behind the horse chestnut trees straight in front of the car. You will have the dog training place on your left. Then we headed to the left. Elliot was on his bike but i’d made Clark walk because there was bugger all chance of my carrying both bikes on my tod and we always end up carrying them.
At the end of this path you can go straight ahead, left or right. We went straight ahead because it went under a railway bridge and Clark wanted a better look. We finally came across the bridge under a bridge. I’ve seen photos of this bad boy and always wanted to check it out. Although it doesn’t lead to where we wanted to go we went under it a few times because its that cool!
Loughton Valley Park Stepping Stones
After some train spotting and bridge walking we headed down the right path and followed the river along. Well we didn’t get very far before we came across the stepping stones that i’d seen MK kids blogger mention. This is where we ended up staying for our picnic.
We had the whole spot to ourselves. Its basically loads of rocks and stones over the width of the river. The boys had a great time climbing over them and in Elliot case getting wet feet.
The water is shallow and a bit manky in places but I’m putting this down to lack of rainfall and the water being just sat there. The kids wanted to paddle but I decided not to let them without water shoes of some sort so you might want to chuck their wellies in if you wanted to.
After the picnic I managed to drag them away to explore more of this area. Elliot was flying along on the paths. They’re so well maintained and great for scooters and bikes. Being away from the roads make it really safe too. Just watch out for other cyclist bombing about as there are some blind bends.
Trains, Bridges And A Play Park
We carried on and eventually came across what i was searching for. The bridge over the train line. Unfortunatly the bridge itself isn’t one we could sit at the top of and look down at the trains. Instead we got a better view from the steps.
By this point I was now carrying Elliots bike. For a kids bike it wasn’t half bloody heavy. Not only that but he’d shoved conkers and feathers in the box on the back. the box which he’d ripped the lid off to keep the shit he finds in. So now I had to balance this bike, Lug it up the steps and not drop anything! We should have gotten a dog.
Over the other side of the bridge was Hillard drive train park. Its not the best play park ever but I could have a rest from my trek across the harsh terrain of Milton keynes while dragging a bike the weight of an adult cow carcass.
Thankfully I had packed a flask of tea with me too. The boys did need to head off into the bushes for a jungle wee. You need to bear in mind if you visit there are no facilities we normally do ok and thus far have managed to avoid peeing on myself if I do ever need one.
Back The Way We Came
Rather than faff about trying to find a different way back the the car we headed back along the same route. The way back was just as fun. The boys spotted a big bird aka a Heron that they never remember the name of. The sat quietly for a while to see if it caught anything. When i say a while i mean around 1.2 mins before they got bored. It was still an amazing 1.2 mins of golden silence though.
They requested a stop off at the stones on the way back again. To be honest I didn’t mind. Didnt have too much to head back for. I told the husbeast not to come home until after they were in bed so they didn’t have to see him drunk. I’d also promised them a McDonalds whoop no cooking for me.
They must have played easily for another hour. With stick digging a hole on the other side of the river. This is why I love getting them outside. They played together, worked together and most importantly didn’t argue so I could sit down, drink my tea and scroll through Facebook.
We ended up heading back to the car but behind the discovery center and coming through that area. This is where we saw Bradwell Abbey, a sensory garden and the sweetest little cottage with a fairy tree and a hedgehog cafe. It was a really lovely end to our walk. It was that and wanting to explore some more that made us head back the next day. That’ll be in the next review though because I’ve waffled on too much again.
North Loughton Valley Park Stats:
Distance from Bicester: 35 mins
Sat nav: Alston Dr, Milton Keynes MK13 9AP Click to load sat nav
Wheelchair friendly: Yes.
Equipment upkeep: very well maintained paths and benches
Cleanliness: 7/10 bit of litter floating about
Facilities: No Facilities. picnics and jungle wees all the way
Age range: All ages
Safety: 8/10
Fun factor: 10/10
Dog friendly: Yes
Pushchair Friendly: Yes
Bikes and Scooters: Yes. Perfect for them.
Conclusion
It probably helped that it was so sunny but me and the boys loved Loughton valley park. It has everything while at the same time having nothing. Its just pure no gimmick fun. The added bonus of being 100% free so no parking charges either.
Some of you may think its a bit far to travel just for a walk. However we all love a change of scenery right? Milton keynes has probably turned into one of out most popular areas to visit. Its close and there is just so much to do.
If you do get a chance to head out that way then do so we love it. Not enough to move there mind because our home is still Bicester. Maybe one day Bicester will have a bit more to do for the kids too.
I’m so thankful for the blogger in the Milton keynes areas who’ve given me some cracking spots. Milton keynes kids and the outdoors mum. There are so many mum and dad bloggers all over the country so if you’re heading anywhere on holiday then try and find one its what I do. Make sure I’m still your favourite though right!
AOB
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