Milton Keynes, once referred to by comedian Bill Bailey as “Satan’s Lay-by” has long been the butt of jokes among the British. A new-town (which has since been awarded city status), it was designed as a forest city by very forward thinking planners in the 1960s, and although it’s not likely to be anyone’s first choice for a romantic city break, it is consistently rated as a great place to live and raise a family.
Not so long ago we were out in Birmingham, where an acquaintance – upon hearing where we lived – sneeringly described Milton Keynes as a “concrete jungle”, a common stereotype of the city. However, nothing could be further from the truth. In Milton Keynes there are 22 million trees and shrubs, and roughly a quarter of its urban area is parkland or woodland.
The city has US-style straight grid roads, and is famous for the roundabouts intersecting these. The traffic in MK (as its residents affectionately call it) flows more freely than in other UK cities, thanks largely to the work of those visionary planners back in the day.
Business is booming here too, and during the week the many hotels in the central area are full of business travellers. How its residents feel about the high-rise hotels now being built which go completely against the original “no building above tree height” ethos is another matter!
The attention to detail from those original designers is impressive, for example its central street Midsummer Boulevard is so angled that the sunrise would shine perfectly down its length on the Summer Solstice… the street is named accordingly.
Maybe you’re one of those people travelling here for work, and are looking for things to do in your down time. Perhaps you’re here visiting friends or relatives and in search of some good ideas for activities and things to see. In either case, read on for our 7 favourite things to do in Milton Keynes…
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Milton Keynes Gallery
A relatively recent addition to the otherwise slightly dull theatre district area of MK is the new gallery building. This colourful and modern building is much enlarged and improved over its predecessor, and as well as hosting art exhibitions, also houses a small cinema, a very nice gift shop, and a lovely café.
A huge semi-circular window on the upper floor offers epic views over Campbell Park and Willen Lake.
Exhibitions change throughout the year, and prices will vary according to what is on. Check the website for an up to date schedule of events and exhibitions.
Bletchley Park
Situated in the small town of Bletchley (which is effectively now a part of Milton Keynes), Bletchley Park is well known for its role as a code breaking centre during World War 2. The code breaking efforts that took place here were vital to the Allied victory over the Axis forces, through the cracking of codes used by the German Enigma machines.
The original mansion here is an impressive sight, and its interiors are preserved as they were during WW2, during which they were utilised as offices for the code breakers. There are a number of other outbuildings (huts) on the site too containing various exhibits and historical artefacts (see the end of the article for a bonus walk-through video of one of the huts).
The many exhibits here are laid out with great attention to detail, and there are numerous interactive exhibits to stir the imaginations of visitors both young and old.
Mathematician, logician, and cryptanalyst (a specialist who analyzes and deciphers secret codes and encrypted messages), Alan Turing famously worked on cracking the Enigma code here, and many of you will be familiar with the dramatisation of these events in the movie The Imitation Game. Turing and his legacy are honoured by the exhibits at Bletchley Park.
Turing was treated extremely badly in the post war years due to his sexuality, and is said to have taken his own life by eating an apple which he had injected with cyanide. Some speculate that the bitten apple logo of the Apple Corp. references this in tribute to the man who is now widely regarded as the father of computer science.
National Museum of Computing
Literally next door to Bletchley Park is the National Museum of Computing. As the sign in the photo above says, this museum houses Bombe and Colossus machines, as well as a huge array of vintage computers and equipment.
There are a number of different rooms here containing the very earliest computers, vintage mainframes and ancillaries, and another Enigma machine (see photo below). Staff are very knowledgeable and are keen to chat to you about the machines that they are working on and restoring.
Elsewhere, a selection of home machines will bring back some dewy eyed gaming memories for those who grew up in the 80s or 90s as I did. As a dyed in the wool Atari fan, I just had to include a photo of the chunky but beautiful Atari 800 home computer.
The Peace Pagoda
Milton Keynes’ beautiful Peace Pagoda is located on the banks of man made Willen Lake. The lake itself is divided into two, The South lake is quite commercialised, with chain pubs and various amusement rides, whereas the North lake is a far more calm and spiritual place. The North lake boasts a stone circle, a bird watching hide, and this beautiful Peace Pagoda built in 1980 by the monks and nuns of the Nipponzan Myohoji.
There is a car park (here) from which you can easily walk to the Peace Pagoda. You should ideally combine this with a slow amble around the North lake, where you can also see the aforementioned Circle of Hearts Medicine wheel (stone circle). You will likely see Swans and Great Crested Grebe on the water too.
centre:mk
A grade II listed building, Milton Keynes’ buzzing shopping arcade still forms the centrepiece of the city, decades on from its completion in 1979.
The light and airy design of centre:mk still looks great decades on, with an abundance of tropical plants thriving inside, nourished by natural light which streams effortlessly in through the expansive glass areas.
Different retailers have come and gone from the shopping centre over the years, but the centre remains immensely popular with shoppers from quite far afield. Come for the retail therapy, stay to appreciate the design.
Fun fact : Back in the 1980s, Cliff Richard’s Wired for Sound video was filmed at the John Lewis end of centre:mk.
Honorable mention : The Point Cinema
Just outside the doors of centre:mk is the The Point cinema. Originally an entertainment complex which mainly consisted of a large multiplex cinema, The Point arguably saved cinema in the UK by tempting people back to the big screen at a time when renting a VHS to watch at home was posing a great threat to the traditional popcorn fuelled night out. These days it is in a sad state of disrepair, and houses a single charity shop.
Tragically, this iconic and historic building is currently at great risk of being knocked down by developers. See it while you can.
The Millenium Route
Milton Keynes celebrated The Millennium by creating a 12 mile circular cycle route which takes in many of the highlights of the city, utilising the existing (and excellent) network of dedicated pathways known as Redways.
The route is well signposted with the red markers as shown above, and takes in some of the old villages that went on to become parts of the areas within the grids of MK, as well as a number of picturesque natural areas.
Lodge Lake is a particular highlight along the route, and you can see birds such as cormorants, Herons or Egrets. On sunny days you may see carp swimming near the surface. Elsewhere, the route takes in picturesque sections of the Grand Union Canal, and the lovely Great Linford Park.
The Pixel Bunker
A Milton Keynes attraction which is ideal for those who had a misspent youth in the 80s or 90s saving up their 10p coins to fritter away in arcade machines.
The Pixel Bunker houses a very impressive collection of working vintage arcade machines. You pay for access during a specific time slot, during which all the machines are set to free play.
There is a huge selection of vintage arcade cabinets from which to choose, and the featured cabinets are rotated regularly.
My tip for this one is that it’s a great activity for Winter or Autumn, as in the summer it can get pretty hot inside with all those arcade cabinets running at once!
Final thoughts
While Milton Keynes has an unjustified reputation as a concrete metropolis, it is in fact a spacious and pleasant city which is packed with art, green spaces and wildlife. It may never be a romantic tourist attraction in its own right, but it is a thriving and developing city which certainly has plenty of things to see and do, should you find yourself in the area.
In particular, if you are interested in the World War 2 code breaking history and the history of computing in general, a visit to Bletchley Park and the next door National Museum of Computing is a must.
As well as the attractions in this run-down, it’s worth noting that Milton Keynes also plays host to over 230 public works of art, which are scattered all over the city. Some of the most prominent of these are in Campbell Park, the city’s main central park, adjacent to the main shopping and cultural district.
So, if you are heading to Milton Keynes for whatever reason, I hope that my list of its highlights give you some ideas to keep you busy, and causes you perhaps to look at the city in a new light.
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Bonus video : Bletchley Park Hut walk-through
