The Other Canal in Milton Keynes

Each month, with a group of friends from Milton Keynes, we have an organised walk. The venues vary but sometimes include canal sections. We often walk in the Chilterns, Aylesbury Vale and Northamptonshire, but this month we usually went for walk through an area of Milton Keynes - Emerson Valley. This is an area a long way from the Grand Union Canal but the organiser, with tongue slightly in cheek, intriguingly promised:

"Primeval woodland, site of 12th Century moated manor, medieval church, a string of lakes, a canal boat and the spectacular Tattenhoe Valley rapids, and all within Milton Keynes." 

It was probably a good move since yesterday morning we had significant snow. The 5.7 mile circular walk was based on lunch at the new Prince George pub in Tattenhoe, but we stopped for morning coffee at Furzton Lakes pub. It was at there that discovered the canal boat in Milton Keynes other canal!

Canal boat near Furzton Lakes, Milton Keynes

The entirely modern pub, which has the external appearance of a converted warehouse, has a canal boat in a fake canal outside! The canal is a water feature that give the impression of locks and weirs leading to the main building. For safety the whole area is fenced off and boat appears to sit on concrete blocks and does not float. More evidence, I suppose, that canal side pubs are popular (or least pub chains think so).

The Furzton Canal with "locks"

The Furzton Lakes is part of the Fayre & Square chain (I can't help groaning over the name) which actually does own a pub alongside a real canal, the Trent & Mersey at Burton. 

Snowy scene in Tattenhoe Valley

The walk was full of woods and lakes and was much as described, but the rapids at Tattenhoe were in fact very modest despite the snow melt!