It was Company Section’s turn, this Saturday, to raise some funds by cycling past as many of Milton Keynes’ lakes as possible in a day. The weather forecast improved as Saturday approached, but quite a lot of rain fell in the week before making the Redways “interesting” in places. The route started at WECC, going along the canal to Caldecotte Lake. Here we found the worst flooded underpass, and everyone ended up a bit muddy. From Caldecotte to Willen, we followed the Ouzel Valley past Walton Lake, and a few additional “temporary” lakes. Our next stop was Tongwell Lake followed by lunch at Black Horse Lake.

After the break, we took the old railway path to Bradwell Windmill and then turned south along Loughton Valley Park. We followed the swollen stream to Lodge Lake, going through an interesting culvert under the railway near Bradwell Abbey. The path is supported on a narrow walkway directly above the stream. Cycling through the small Tear Drop lakes, we had more fun crossing some stepping stones with our bikes. We passed the large Tear Drop lakes before arriving at MK Bowl and Furzton Lake. From there, we followed the Emmerson Valley linear park to Far Bletchley. Our last leg took us past the Blue Lagoon and Knot Hole flooded clay pits.

The weather stayed dry for us, but the route home was tougher with a strong headwind. Everyone was tired, but had enjoyed the day out. Many thanks to Nick, with his van, for providing invaluable vehicle support.

Participants: Nathan, Thomas, Cameron and Andrew.