Milton Keynes is on the up

We have been the butt of many jokes over the years. You can say what you like about my dear city, "it's just full concrete cows and roundabouts". True these things do exist here but there is much more than just these two things to Milton Keynes. Though they do seem to be the most common landmarks associated with the city from the outside. Here are a few facts to put that straight.





So tell me where else in the UK can you live in a city of close to 300,000 people and ride a bike to work from one side of the city to the other and not cross a main road? We have over 120 miles of redway (a cycle network that goes through city parks and estates but hardly cross any main roads). For most Journeys the redway network is faster than using the grid road system

There are supposedly 20 trees for each resident planted throughout the landscaped conurbation. This is great if you are a dog owner as I am or a parent as many residents are. Milton Keynes has one of the youngest populations in Europe. So much open space on your doorstep no matter where in the city you live.



We also have lakes for fishing as well as some set a side for more active water users. We have the wakeboard centre at Willen Lake for instance.



For the more cultural there is the Japanese Peace Pagoda the first in the UK. There is the art gallery in the theater district and the theater where Henry Winkler is just about to start playing in panto, Oh yes he is. To top all of this off we are only 45 minutes from central London by train.

Did I mention that we are also home of the WW2 code breakers and the birthplace of the modern computer at Bletchley Park.



I was reading something on MSN news today that listed the top 50 destinations in the UK for a day out. MK came near the top.

How about some indoor real-snow skiing and simulated skydiving to liven things up? According to research by VisitBritain, the Xscape entertainment complex in Milton Keynes was one of the nation’s most-visited attractions last year, drawing 6.9m people – that’s over three times as many as the Tower of London. A striking modern building, the second-tallest in Milton Keynes, Xscape contains a real-snow ski slope, a climbing wall and even a new wind tunnel that imitates the experience of freefall skydiving.

So if you fancy a great weekend out there are worse places to visit 6.9 million people cant be wrong can they? See you soon.