I can only assume the people who mock Milton Keynes have heard a comedian or two call it ‘satan’s layby’ and made their decision from there. Either that or they’ve jumped up the A5 to IKEA and headed straight home again.

For a town mocked as a ‘concrete jungle’ I have never lived anywhere with so much green space available to me. Parks, lakes and woodland that are beautifully managed by the Parks Trust. I saw someone riding a Tree Inspector bike through the park the other day. Someone literally cycling round to check the trees!
There is even a 25 mile walk around the city where 99% of it is through Parks Trust land.

There’s tons of shops and restaurants (both chain and small businesses), loads of entertainment and bars. SO MANY things for families to do.

If you’ve not realised by now - I quite like it here!

Here’s a quick summary of my thoughts of different parts of MK and some of the things we’ve done in our first two years here.

Shops & Eating Out

In the two years I have been here I have only made a small dent in the amount of shops and restaurants there are to choose from. From large chains to small independent businesses, there’s everything you can think of (apart from Mexican! We really need a Mexican restaurant)
I am in a Facebook group called Eat & Explore MK, where you can find and recommend independent restaurants, take aways and food trucks in the area. It’s an amazing source of information when you want to support local businesses.

We are firm favourites of Malavoglia’s Pizza Truck, which parks in Emerson Valley Rugby field car park 4 nights a week. We’ve also tried doughnuts from House Of Dough and got gorgeous breakfasts from local cafes like Gamechanger Kitchen in Giffard Park.

Getting Around & Parking

The grid system is easy - I promise you! I’m the type of person who uses their satnav to go everywhere but put me anywhere in Milton Keynes and I will find my way home.
There are obviously busier and quieter areas but it doesn’t take very long to work out where they are. I am still a little nervous about driving in the city centre but it’s no worse (in fact probably better) than other cities I’ve been to.

I really like the parking system. Car parks throughout the city centre are colour coded. Purple are the cheaper spaces and red are more expensive. There are other colours for permits etc. so I just avoid those.
The best thing about parking is that the purple and red spaces are free after 6. So if you’re going out for dinner or going to the theatre you can park for free.

There are some private car parks dotted around that don’t use the colour system, like outside Xscape, so make sure you read the signs when you park.

Entertainment

I have only just scratched the surface when it comes to entertainment in MK. I’ve not actually been to any bars yet but I have tried a few pubs. My favourite so far is probably The Prince George in Tattenhoe - we’ve had a couple of lovely dinners there.
We saw Les Miserables at MK theatre, which was amazing. I’m always on the look out for more shows. If anyone knows a good way of finding out when shows are announced I’d really like to know!
We’ve also tried a couple of the different crazy golf courses. Mr Mulligan's Pirate Golf is my favourite but the Dinosaur crazy golf in Furzton Lake is also good.
We’ve also taken my niece and nephew to Gulliver’s Dinosaur Park and spent the day with my mother in law at Bletchley Park.

If you’re moving to Milton Keynes with kids - you won’t be short of things to do. I wrote down some ideas of things to do on a rainy day Here.

Outdoor Spaces

I have never had so many places to walk my dog. From my house I can be in a park in roughly two minutes. From there I can walk to Howe Park Woods in 10 minutes. Or if I walk through the park I end up at Furzton Lake, which leads to the Teardrop lakes.
Or within 15 minutes drive I can be at Willen Lake, Ouzel Valley Park, Stanton Low Park, Bury Fields in Newport Pagnell. I think you get the idea!

Other things I’ve found in Milton Keynes

Robots - you can have robots deliver your food to your door. And it’s completely normal! No one bats an eyelid when you’re walking down the street or through a park and a little Starship robot comes rolling past.

Hiring scooters & bikes - Not everyone likes these but they really don’t bother me. You download an app and see where your nearest scooter is and you can reserve it till you get there. You can scan a QR code on the scooter to hire it and off you go. When you’re done you just leave it where you are and either someone will collect it or the next person will hire it from there.

A dog walker/doggy daycare - As with everywhere, finding a dog walker or doggy daycare in Milton Keynes can be tough! We use the lovely Jog My Dog for walks (perfect for both socialisation and tiring her out!) and Waggy Tales for daycare when I have photo shoots in my home studio.

A Gym - It’s so hard to pick a gym when you move to a new location! I have joined Woughton Leisure Centre, which is one of the more budget gyms in the area. There’s a swimming pool (which honestly isn’t the best but it’s fine for the price), a nice gym and classes throughout the day, many of which are Les Mills. There are TONS of other gyms around MK though so you’ll definitely be able to find one that suits you.

MK GIrl - If you’re worried about making friends in Milton Keynes, take a look at MK Girl. They arrange get togethers for women over 18, which include everything from walks, bottomless brunch, a book club, working spaces and more. You can even suggest new activities for them to arrange.