Putting a spring in your step
Published on 11 April 2023
Discover Milton Park
Here at Milton Park we would like to put a spring in your step, whether that be at lunchtime or any other time of day, enabling you to discover the 43 acres of open landscaped space, representing 20% of the Park with over 80,000 sq m of grass.
Why not download our walking map below with five different walking routes and #DiscoverMiltonPark or pick up a printed copy from reception at the Bee House or Innovation Centre.
Discover our wildflower areas
At Milton Park, we now have 2,900 sq m of wildflower meadows and always look at ways to promote biodiversity, such as participating in #NoMowMay. Not only do the areas make the Park a pleasant place to be but also provide a reliable source of food for our resident bee colonies. Strategic planting with a diverse range of flowering times means they can provide honeybees with enough pollen and nectar to sustain them through the winter months.
Walking route four on the walking map takes you past a number of our wildflower areas, which will be in flower around May- July.
Discover our urban gardens
We are proud to have 20 urban gardens meaning occupiers can grow fruit, vegetables, herbs and other plants while they’re at work. Each bed is sponsored by a company who decides what they would like to grow. Many of the companies have set up garden clubs for their employees and it is a great way for people to get some fresh air, meet others on the Park and share gardening tips, improving overall wellbeing and work-life balance.
Want some gardening tips? Come along to our Gardeners’ Question Time with our green-fingered experts from Nurture Landscapes during National Gardening Week (1-7 May) to get advice on your horticultural dilemmas – find out more here.
Walking route one passes past a number of our urban gardens.
Discover our Milton Wonder trees
In 2021, we discovered that the second oldest apple tree in the world, the Milton Wonder was planted from seed just around the corner in Milton Village in approximately 1810. While the tree is probably just under 200 years old, it remains possible that it is older than the Bramley.
Inspired by the discovery of the Milton Wonder, we decided that Milton Park should have a number of heritage fruit trees planted. Two miniature orchards, containing 12 trees, were introduced in 2022 alongside the cycle path by 127 Olympic Avenue and between 152 and 155 Brook Drive. The orchards feature two Milton Wonders, as well as ‘Epicure’, ‘James Grieve’ and ‘Blenheim Orange’ apples trees alongside ‘Beurre Hardy’ pear trees. At the moment the trees are still small, but we are looking forward to the future when we can pick the fruit.
Walking route two goes past our orchard planting.
Discover our honeybees
Milton Park is home to over 70,000 honeybees. There are six hives located on the Park, which are managed by Nurture Landscapes which provides trained beekeepers to keep the bees healthy and harvest the honey produced.
You can learn more and get up close to these amazing creatures with the Nurture team through our ‘Meet the bees’ and ‘Honey harvesting’ sessions that take place throughout the spring and summer months.
Our next sessions are coming up in June – more information here.
Walking route three on the walking map takes you near our bee hives.
Discover our bug hotels and bird boxes
There are numerous bug hotels and 30 bird boxes across the Park – the most prominent being the Bee House hibernacula that welcomes both the Park’s visitors and solitary bees, helping to keep these buzzing creatures safe and warm throughout the winter months.
Walking route two goes past the Bee House.
Discover our lagoons
Milton Park has eight lagoons which are home to our resident Canadian Geese during the spring and summer as well as ducks, herons, moorhens. If you’re lucky, you might also see water voles, newts and frogs.
The lagoon by the Innovation Centre at 99 Park Drive, has two iconic water features which look impressive when illuminated at night. This area is popular with nature lovers and looks beautiful all year around.
Route three on our walking map takes you to the hidden lagoon at the back of buildings 65-71 Innovation Drive – this quiet area is a lovely spot for lunch or a coffee.
Discover exercising outdoors
Why not enjoy the Milton Park wildlife while you exercise by trying the outdoor gym area, hiring a ebike/bike or joining the Park’s free weekly running club.
Discover more…
Take a look at our sustainability page for more information.
