I've got a new contract job in Milton Keynes starting soon and will be moving down there for a minimum of 6 months. I'm wondering if anyone lives down or around there and can recommend the good areas for living (and biking!) and the ones to avoid? I'm hoping its not as bad as most people believe it to be!

Will be looking to rent somewhere and would rather be either on the outskirts in one of the older bits (Stony Stratford?) that don't resemble a self contained estate! Would be equally interested to hear what its like living in any of the surrounding towns as from what research I've done these sound nicer. Saying that I don't want to be completly out in the styx, being in my late 20's I'd be happy with some good local pubs/bars for some ales, as long as there's the potential for late night entertainment relatively close should the need arise.

It sounds like Woburn is the place to ride for some XC and a few downhill bits?

Any advice appreciated!

There was an article many moons ago in What mountain bike magazine about riding around Milton Keynes.
Other than that I know the council there are pretty much second to none and it's a pleasure to drive round.

no idea on where to live, but you have woburn, aston hill, chicksands all quite close… What kind of riding do you mainly do?

Just make sure you have a good look round before you put money down anywhere. For every half decent area there is a disgusting hell hole chav estate next to it in Milton Keynes.

All my friends live in Wolverton – plenty of very old terrace houses with lots of character.

Go into MK nick and ask where to live and where not to. You will get an honest answer about estates to stay away from, especially if you're moving in with a hoarde of nice new MTB's!

Been in MK for twenty something years now. It's not hard to see where's nice and where's not once you start having a little look around. Surrounding villages are pretty and quaint but the nice ones will cost you. Lots of new developments on the outskirts now which are nice.

In general though, getting around is easy, the roads are great, everything you could need is within 10-15 mins, some great riding 10 mins away at Woburn (Chilterns are half an hour away, loads more riding there), it's generally pretty clean and pleasant, endless parks and greenery to go for a walk/run if that's your sort of thing – Gets a big thumbs up from me.

Thanks for all the comments so far they're appreciated. I'll be going down one day later this week so will ensure I have a good look around and view as many places as possible.

I mainly do XC to be honest, but do like a dabble at the more downhill orientated stuff, so sounds good if there's plenty around there. Will check out the places mentioned.

Good call in asking the nick, sadly only the one bike for now but I have a feeling that won't last!

there's good riding in all disiplines to be had within 40miles of there

Having had to work and live in MK for three of four months the other summer i cant think of a more boring, soul soul-destroyingly depressing place to live.

If you are going to live there i suggest the peripheral villages – somewhere with a nice local pub. Be careful if your looking around calverton etc – theres a fairly major Western expansion on the cards.

The town centre is one horrible shopping centre with a night life of half a dozen big chain type pubs which from my experience of going out turn in to a chav-tastic and / or yuppie meat markets on friday and sat nights.

Riding wise you have worburn on your doorstep and chicksands not far down the road.

Cheers for that, that's partly what I feared! I know a lot of the centre looks like a suburban nightmare, so I'll definitely be looking around the outskirts or surrounding towns.

I assumed that would be the case for the nightlife, but I can always go visit mates and at least there's some decent riding for the week!

Check these guys out, I used to live near-ish to MK (Wendover) and the routes on their site are pretty good.

http://www.bucksmtb.co.uk/

"sadly only the one bike for now but I have a feeling that won't last! "

You going to work for Trek?

lived here happily for 20yrs or so seves my needs. one happy hippy everywhere is a dump if you want it to be you look past it and get on with life. we have some good riding round here unlike a lot of places.

Stony is quite nice.
I'd have to disagree with the Centre MK comments, though perhaps true some time ago not so now.
I go to the Theatre district a fair bit and that's a good night out. The work in the centre has attracted a fair few proffesionals and it shows now. the flats/apartments are excelent.
It's a very new town it's not trying to be Coronation Street.
I love the MK Dons Stadium and my kids enjoy the Snowdome with it's cinema and restaurants so do many adults.

Riding wise in theory youv'e got Chicksands and trails of some form or another stretching all the way down to the Ridgeway. Woburn is my local patch and I'm pure xc. I took MBR round Woburn and Chicksands some years ago, Escape from MK it was called I think.
If you do a bit of road, it's well supported there. At the MK Bowl you can race road twice a week and it's host to the FNSS xc race and the Central Region cyclocross race.
And I don't even live there!

I live and work in Milton Keynes….. It is not as bad as people would have you believe. Yes the Centre is the urban nightmare described, it is quite convenient though (shopping sucks anyway) The night life to be frank is ****…. London is only a 50min train ride away though.
On the flip side the place is surrounded by small villages, country side and nice pubs. The riding at Woburn is pretty reasonable all year round (considering it will be on your doorstep)and there is a bit there for everyone Baggies or Lycra. If you are having to move here my advice would be to look in and around surrounding villages Woburn, Woburn Sands, Aspley Guise, Wavendon to name a few. At the end of the day it's down to personnel preference. I for 1 am not a huge fan of Stony Stratford.

Like most places it has good and bad.

Lived here for over 35 years.

As a new(ish) place it won't have the character of other places.

Plenty of places on the outskirts that do and are only a few miles from the MK.

Woburn has plenty of XC stuff and a 4 hour ride isn't too difficult to put together.

Perhaps worth looking at living in Birmingham with one_happy_hippy and commuting down each day 😀

Forgot about the train link, I used it when I was younger 😥 to get back down to Camden Town. Now my daughter does the same Goth you see.

I'm happy with Leighton Buzzard. Centre MK is 10/15 minutes away now the bypass has been completed

Blimey, it's a small world *possibly* oldgit – I think I know you 🙂

Are you, for instance, planning a ride this Thursday night?

I lived there for a while and it's alright 🙂

The shops are good, the theatre district has decent bars, there are lots of smaller villages around with good pubs, cabs are dirt cheap, and the street riding is good in the town centre (good for those dark winter nights).

Woburn riding has lots to offer and Chicksands is a 20 minute drive.

I lived in Walnut Tree in the south of MK. OK – so a modern box estate – but I could ride out into the woods in about 20 minutes (depends how fast I could get up Bow Brickhill).

There are worse places to live – I'm actually thinking about heading back up there myself once I get the current money pit sold.

Tarka
Not specificaly this Thursday, though if there's a ride I'll be there.
How do you think you know me? I'm down by the Hare in Linslade.

Other than that I know the council there are pretty much second to none and it's a pleasure to drive round.

LOL! 😉

As for the other comments, it must have changed a lot since I was last there. It's one of the strangest places in Britain I've ever been to, and I've been to Lincoln. It's bizarrely changeless. It will always be 1975 in Milton Keynes. I think the only interesting thing I found out while I was there was that Bletchley Park is nearby.

Samuri yeah it's changed and changing still. Imagine how I felt moving from Camden Town to nearby MK.
It was once a shopping centre surrounded by housing, the shopping centre was MK.
What's made the difference is the huge employment in MK that brought in young money and in return more businesses grew up within the heart of MK, then people started to live within the centre rather than travel to it's suberbs.
There are some really nice places right in the centre. MK now seems able to support anything that pops up there.
Just as long as it stays away from Woburn I'll be happy.

Anyway before I go to beddy byes I'll mention the road riding around there.
I heard rumour again yesterday about the Mk Bowl becoming some sort of cycling academy for all diciplines 😕

Look at the outer towns, Stony Stratford, Newport Pagnell, Woburn and Woburn sands (not Bletchley!) I've lived in and around Stony for years and it's great, superb pubs whatever your taste. Woburn is very posh, Woburn Sands is cheaper and right next to Brickhill Woods where the xc is fantastic.There is also a bit with all these big scary looking jumps which us craggy old xc types just ride around the edge of! The city centre/theatre district is ok for shopping during the day or scrapping during the night if either is your thing.

My folks moved up nr MK in a village called Stoke Hammond about 2 years ago from Brighton and they love it. I go back and visit every few months or so and i must say its nice.

There is a logical road system in place around the center similar to the one they have in NYC.

Shopping is massive and have all the good department stores eg. John Lewis etc….

Biking i found to be good, woburn and aston hill are best but hey ho..

Post up and us MK lot might have to have a ride out…

I live in Bletchley, really nice place, but I too ride the dark side, if you want to hear more about MK contact me on sheiATskyDOTcom.

Rochey

Stoke Hammond is nice – only about a mile to the woods.

MK is a town built for cars not people.

Good advice to live in a surrounding village as you can easily drive in on the grid.

Cheers for all the replies. Have lined up a few viewings in and close to Woburn and Stony Stratford, they sound to have the balance of having their own character without being too remote from the central facilities. I'll also ensure I have some time to explore. I'll post up for some riding once I'm down there, if I dare!

Bumhands – Member
MK is a town built for cars not people

Not true, both cars and cycles/pedestrians catered for

There's 270km of redways around the city. You can cross the city from side to side and top to bottom without going on a main road

I lived in MK for 10 years or so, 18-28, wasn't a bad place but I did find I went back to Northampton for nightlife.

I lived in Bradwell Common, Conniborrow, Wolverton and Great Linford, the first two are typical crappy estates although I quite liked Bradwell Common, Wolverton was really crap, Great Linford is nice and the Nags Head pub was good.

I reckon Woburn Sands would be the best place to live, not as posh as Bow Brickhill but smack bang next to the only decent trails for quite a distance, but it probably ain't cheap.