Things to do in Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes is a town in Buckinghamshire in the South East England which is equally distant from London, Birmingham, Oxford, Cambridge and Leicester. The town was founded only on 23 January 1967 with an aim to relieve the housing pressure in London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes and has a unitary authority but is a part of the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire. Despite the fact Milton Keynes is a new town, the designated area of 89 square kilometres was not unpopulated at the time of its designation. The new town absorbed the existing towns of Bletchley, Wolverton and Stony Stratford which are today constituent towns of Milton Keynes. But the town also absorbed a number of smaller villages and hamlets some of which have a history dating back to the Early Middle Ages. The town itself took the name after the village of Milton Keynes which was first mentioned in the 11th century as Middeltone. The modern name of the village was first recorded in the 15th century.

Here's a few facts that just might surprise you about MK.

1. Milton Keynes Borough covers 119 square miles.
2. Milton Keynes was the last and largest of the new towns.
3. No-one in Milton Keynes is ever more than half a mile from a park.
4. In 2015, centre:mk, intuMK and Xscape welcomed over 44 million visitors between them.
5. More than 22 million trees have been planted in Milton Keynes.
6. The Church of Christ the Cornerstone was the first purpose-built ecumenical church in the UK.
7. 71.5% of all business in Milton Keynes started up in the city.
8. There are more show homes in Milton Keynes than any other UK city.
9. Midsummer Boulevard is so called because the sun rises at its east end on the Summer Solstice.
10. The Peace Pagoda in Willen Park was the first to be built in the western hemisphere.
11. Red Bull Racing F1 team, who are based in MK, won four back-to-back Constructors and Drivers Championships in 2010/11/12/13.
12. The first MK Marathon was run in April 2012 and is known as the “Green Marathon”.
13. In the 1860s, Billy Smith of Woolstone claimed to be the first man to cultivate a farm entirely by steam.
14. The Cowper & Newton Museum in Olney, was once the home of poet William Cowper.
15. During World War II, 10,000 people worked in secret at Bletchley Park decoding enemy communications.
16. MK has over 5,000 acres of parkland, rivers, lakes and woodland.
17. The Point was the first multiplex cinema in Britain and opened in 1985.
18. The city is based on a North American-style grid road network.  All main roads use an H or V which indicates whether they run horizontally or vertically.
19. Milton Keynes makes its own beer at the Concrete Cow Brewery.
20. If London was built to the same density as Milton Keynes, it would cover East Anglia.
21. The centre:mk is unique for its size in being lit by natural light.
22. The Open University was the world’s first degree-awarding distance learning institution.
23. The equine star of Stephen Speilberg’s epic War Horse is Joey from the Devil’s Horsemen based in Milton Keynes.
24. 2012 Gold medal winning long jumper Greg Rutherford grew up and still lives in MK.  His winning jump was 8.31 metres.
25. The Stables is Milton Keynes premier live music venue and was founded by the late Sir John Dankworth and his wife, Dame Cleo Laine in the grounds of their home at Wavendon.
26. The aqueduct across Grafton Street, built in 1991, was the first built in Britain for 50 years.
27. 7.5 million people live within a one hour drive of Milton Keynes.
28. The Cock Horse nursery rhyme refers to a horse rented from The Cock Hotel in Stony Stratford.
29. The Stewart Grand Prix motor racing team (now Red Bull Racing) was established in Blakelands, moving to Tilbrook in 1998.
30. In 2011 the estimated population of Milton Keynes was 245,750 and is expected to be 284,400 by 2021.
31. Snozone in Xscape boasts two 220ft high real snow slopes, topped up each day with fresh snow.
32. Since 1971 over 1,600,000 have studied with the Open University.
33. 20% of jobs are provided by 23 establishments
34. There are over 20,000 parking spaces in Central Milton Keynes.
35. Since 1865, a Royal train has been garaged at Wolverton; the most recent was fitted out in 1977.
36. There are over 343 kms of dedicated bridleways, footpaths and cycle tracks in Milton Keynes.
37. The Redway was originally to be called the Pedway, being a cross between pedestrian and pedal.
38. 1,000 cherry and cedar trees grow around the Peace Pagoda in memory of those killed in all wars.
39. A steam tram connected Stony Stratford and the Wolverton Works from 1887 to 1926.
40. National Cycle Routes 6 and 51 pass through Campbell Park.
41. Tickford Bridge in Newport Pagnell was built in 1810 and is the oldest iron bridge still in daily use.
42. The phrase “Cock & Bull Story” derived from the two inns in Stony Stratford High Street.
43. 60% of establishments employ no more than five people.
44. Watling Street was the main coaching route from London to Holyhead.
45. The Roman Villa at Bancroft was discovered in 1967 by a man walking his dog.
46. The world’s first semi-programmable electronic computer, Colossus, was built at Bletchley Park.
47. The Olney Pancake Race has been run, on and off, since 1445 and is still run today – but only by women.
48. Over two-thirds of the borough of Milton Keynes is countryside.
49. The mound behind Milton Keynes Library was the Saxon moot for the Secklow Hundred.
50. Charles Dickens visited Stony Stratford and based a character in Bleak House on a resident

51. The Cathedral of Trees at Newlands is based on Norwich Cathedral.
52. Together MK Council and MK Parks Trust maintain over 6,335 acres of public open space.
53. The extensive Redway system offers more than 300 kms of safe access for walking and cycling.
54. There are 15 lakes and 11 miles of canals in and around the city.
55. Milton Keynes’ ice rink (Planet Ice) was used for practice by Torville and Dean and has been used for ITV’s Dancing on Ice.
56. Newport Pagnell is home to the only vellum and parchment factory in Britain.
57. Milton Keynes’ own orchestra, the Milton Keynes City Orchestra, has performed all over the world.
58. The Concrete Cows were created by Canadian Artist, Liz Leyh, using scrap building materials.
59. Milton Keynes has over 200 works of public art.
60. 25% of establishments in Milton Keynes are sole traders.
61. 90% of England and Wales is within five hours coach drive time.
62. 50% of Milton Keynes’ population is aged under 35.
63. There are over 2,000 listed buildings in the Milton Keynes area.
64. Wolverton was originally a new town established in 1838 by the London & Birmingham Railway.
65. In October 2015, Milton Keynes was a host city for the Rugby World Cup with three matches being played at stadiumMK.
66. Bletchley was the home of Caves Solid Beer.  Sold in slabs, water was added to make the drink.
67. In Saxon times, there was a Royal Mint in Newport Pagnell.
68. An average of five new companies move to Milton Keynes every month.
69. The ‘motorist’s friend’, WD40, is produced in Milton Keynes.  Only six people know the recipe.
70. Fenny Lock is the smallest canal lock in the country.
71. Milton Keynes has more bridges than Venice and a longer shoreline (around its lakes) than Jersey.
72. The oldest domestic building in the area is in Milton Keynes Village and dates from the 13th century.
73. When it was suggested the Concrete Cows be moved, 800 commuters signed a petition protesting.
74. Following the Norman conquest, Hugh de Bolebec received the manor of Linford.  His son founded Woburn Abbey.
75. In December 2011, over 60,000 people took to the streets to watch Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber drive their F1 cars on the boulevards in Central Milton Keynes.
76. Highwayman Dick Turpin is believed to have visited The Swan at Woughton-on-the-Green.
77. In 2012 BBC’s Celebrity Masterchef featured contestants catering for ex-codebreakers at Bletchley Park.
78. A slip of the Glastonbury Holy Thorn used to flower at Shenley Church End every Christmas.
79. The ten day MK International Festival has taken place bi-annually in July since 2010 and has attracted over 90,000 visitors each year.
80. The Quadrant:MK, headquarters of Network Rail, opened in 2012, covers a massive 400,000 sq ft and 3,000 people go to work there every day.
81. Milton Keynes is home to a 40ft long, 15ft tall Tyrannosaurus Rex (at Gulliver’s Dinosaur Park).
82. The National Bowl is a grass amphitheatre with a capacity of over 65,000 and has seen world class performances from Queen, David Bowie, Robbie Williams, Bruce Springsteen, Take That and The Prodigy.
83. MK Theatre is the most successful theatre outside the West End; the auditorium ceiling can be lowered or raised depending on the scale of the production.
84. The MK Dons Football Club is based in the city at stadiumMK which is a 30,000 all seater stadium, over 1,000,000 people have watched football there since it was built in 2007.
85. A priory was founded in Bradwell in 1154 by Benedictine monks.  The chapel, c 1350, remains.
86. John Bunyan (Pilgrim’s Progress) was garrisoned in Newport Pagnell during the Civil War.
87. The Chantry House in Watling Street, Fenny Stratford, was the guild house of the Guild of St Margaret and St Katherine, founded in 1493.
88. John Wesley preached under a tree in Stony Stratford, part of which remains in Market Square.
89. Poet William Cowper and Rev John Newton, who lived in Olney, wrote Amazing Grace.
90. The film Withnail and I was shot in Stony Stratford.
91. Robert Harris’s best-selling book ‘Enigma’ and the ITV series ‘The Bletchley Circle’ is set in Bletchley Park.
92. Theophilus Eaton, founder and first Governor of New Haven, USA, was born in Stony Stratford.
93. There are five international airports within 90 minutes drive of Milton Keynes.
94. Bradwell windmill was built in 1817 and has been restored as a working mill.
95. World-famous Aston Martin cars were built in Newport Pagnell.
96. The Beanhill estate was one of the first important commissions for architect, Norman Foster.
97. Oliver Cromwell’s son died of smallpox in Newport Pagnell during the Civil War.
98. More than 3,000 companies have relocated to the area.
99. Rectory Cottages in Bletchley (c 1400) is a timber-framed hall noted for its hammer-beam roof.
100. In April 1483, the Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III) found 12 year old King Edward V in Stony Stratford and took him to the Tower of London for “safekeeping”.
101. And finally, the five UK cities with the most roundabouts are Milton Keynes, East Kilbride, Swindon, Basingstoke and Cwmbran. Milton Keynes has 130 roundabouts but the number is growing all the time.

Now lets talk about the top activities that you can enjoy here in MK.

1. Bletchley Park

Bletchley Park was the central site for British codebreakers during World War II. Why go? Bletchley Park has a pretty fascinating history, once housing the Government Code and Cypher School. It played a significant role in World War II, breaking German, Italian and Japanese naval codes, as well as providing intelligence vital to the Allies’ land battles. Today, Bletchley Park hosts a variety of different exhibitions and events (many are free with admission). Whether you fancy throwing yourself into a swing dance competition or learning about cyber security, there’s a quirky itinerary to pick and choose from. Look out for their 1940s-themed Christmas Grotto, which takes over Bletchley Park’s library every December.

You can visit the site where the codebreakers worked, see some of the equipment from the time, and learn more about what went on. It’s a lot to take in, so I have created this guide to visiting Bletchley Park.

As war again seemed inevitable, wooden huts were built at Bletchley Park and GC&CS moved back in August 1939.  Alan Turing and Gordan Welchman arrive on September 4, 1939, the day after war was declared on Germany.  By April 1940, the site was operating on shifts to get coverage 24 hours a day. They were tasked with breaking codes from two different complex German machines – Enigma and Lorenz.  Germany and it’s allies believed their communications were secure and their codes were unbreakable. They had good reason – the number of permutations and daily changing of settings meant it was impossible to crack it manually – even with a huge team of people. 

At the peak, in early 1945, there were around 10,000 people working at Bletchley Park and its associated Outstations.  They were able to provide key information including locations of German U-boats, early warning of German air attacks, and more.

Alan Turing at Bletchley Park

You will find this Alan Turing statue along with more information and artefacts in Block B. Alan Turing may be the best known codebreaker that worked at Bletchley Park.  He was a mathematician and had written academic papers on ‘Universal Machines’ before the war.  Today he is considered to be the father of computer science. During the war, Turing was heavily involved in the design and deployment of the Bombe machines, both at Bletchley, and distributing the technology among the other allied nations. He developed techniques like ‘Barbarismus’, that used statistical analysis & logic to increase the probability of successfully decoding a message. A Turing was given an OBE in 1945 for his wartime services. He turned his focus to artificial intelligence in his paper, Computing Machinery and Intelligence (1950), which provides a method to determine if a machine is intelligent or not. While he referred to it as the “imitation game”,  it is better known as the “Turing test”. Unfortunately, Alan Turing’s personal life did not conform to 1950s social norms. He was homosexual. Since being gay was a crime at the time, he was charged with ‘gross indecency’. Turing pleaded guilty on March 31, 1952 and chose to undergo hormonal treatment and probation to avoid imprisonment.  He was found dead on June 8, 1954. It is widely believed that he committed suicide from cyanide poisoning.

Finally, in 2009, the UK Government apologized to Alan Turing.

How long does it take to visit Bletchley Park?

If you want to see everything at Bletchley Park, you will need the entire day.  It’s a lot of information to digest, so you might want to take advantage of the annual pass and visit over two days.

Is there food available for purchase at Bletchley Park?

Yes, there are a few cafes around the site and they also offer afternoon tea in the dining room of the Mansion.   Afternoon tea must be booked 48 hours in advance.  If you want to bring your own food, there are plenty of picnic tables on site too.

2. Caldecotte Lake

Caldecotte Lake is one of the largest lakes in Milton Keynes, so it’s an ideal place to visit if you’re looking for a nice, long walk. There are two sections to the lake, Caldecotte Lake North and South. The combined distance around the two sections of the lake is approximately 5 kilometres, which means the walk should take around an hour to walk around. Caldecotte Lake is a reasonable place to spot wildlife too, and there are two bird hides which are found in the southern section of the lake. If you’re an avid birdwatcher it’s worth taking a pair of binoculars to see what you can spot on your visit.

3. Willen Lakeside Park

In the eastern part of town is a massive open space formed around a “balancing lake” on the River Ouzel, which was built to capture floodwater to prevent damage downstream. The southern portion of the lake is a recreation area. Wake MK is here, providing lessons in wakeboarding, kitesurfing, knee boarding and water-skiing. There’s also a “splash ‘n’ play” park for youngsters, with more than 60 water features like a water tunnel, water cannons and special water play area for toddlers. Another attraction on the south shore is the Treetop Extreme high ropes course. The north lake is more sedate as a sanctuary for migrating aquatic birds

Facing the peaceful north lake at Willen is the first Buddhist peace pagoda to be built in the western world.

In was constructed in 1980 by nuns and monks of the Nipponzan-Myōhōji order, and sits alongside temple and monastery. The first of its kind in the Western hemisphere, the Milton Keynes Peace Pagoda was built by the monks and nuns of the Nipponzan Myohoji, a spiritual movement. The Peace Pagoda enshrines sacred relics of Lord Buddha presented from Nepal, Sri Lanka and Berlin. The Pagoda frieze is of traditional design and tells the story of Buddha from his birth 2,500 years ago at the foot of the Himalayas to his death at Kusinagara after 50 years of teaching. The Peace Pagoda sits next to the Buddhist Temple which regularly hosts services and spiritual events, see our events calendar for details.

The cherry trees above the complex were planted to remember victims of war, and you can locate the One World Tree, festooned with written prayers and messages of hope. You’re also welcome to call in at the temple and see its Japanese and Zen gardens.

4. Gulliver's Land

Especially for younger children (aged 2-13), Gulliver’s Land is a theme park loosely based on Jonathan Swift’s satire and set next to Willen Lakeside Park. The park has more than 70 attractions, with rides, shows and amusements, many of which are designed exclusively for toddlers and under-5s. These are found across seven different zones, each with a theme, like Western World or Liliput Castle. There are roller coasters, giant tea cups, carousels, as well as waterslides at the Splash Zone, which also has water play installations like sprays, cannons and a giant tip bucket. Older kids, aged six and up can put on protective gear and take each other on at the indoor NERF Zone, while just beside the main theme park is the Dinosaur and Farm Park, with life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, and domestic animals to meet and feed at the farm

5. The Centre MK

Milton Keynes has one of the 15 largest shopping malls in the UK, with more than 270 stores and services in two complexes joined by an arch. The Centre first came about in 1979, and that originally building has Grade II listing for its avant-garde lines, while expansions have been made in 2000 and 2010. The mall is anchored by large branches of the department stores House of Fraser, John Lewis and Marks and Spencer. 

6. 360 Play

360 Play is the one stop family entertainment venue for creative, active and stimulating fun, whatever the weather. Take children along to the Milton Keynes location with indoor and outdoor play areas, slides, a 3 storey play frame, designated toddler areas, a role play street, messy play, rides, a café and more! 360 Play is a family business and was created by a family. Founder and managing director Duncan Phillips, who also developed Gulliver’s Theme Park group with parks in Milton Keynes, Warrington, and Matlock, wanted to create something new for families looking for a day out with their children. Somewhere to go whatever the weather and not just another indoor play centre but something where the whole family could enjoy a day out all year round and which would help with children’s general health and development.

7. Grand Union Canal

The 200 year old Grand Union Canal runs from London to Birmingham crossing straight through the Chilterns. Linking two of the UK’s biggest cities, it is a popular canal route, passing through a variety of surroundings and many picturesque settings.

CYCLING THE GRAND UNION CANAL

The Grand Union Canal through Milton Keynes offers a truly incredible opportunity to take in all that this fantastic city has to offer from its beautiful green spaces, lakes and woodlands to its leisure, culture and entertainment activities and attractions – you will be spoilt for choice! It is interesting how a simple Tring to Milton Keynes Canal Walk can bring back old memories.

8. Xscape Milton Keynes

Xscape Milton Keynes is a year-round leisure and entertainment indoor destination, a place where anything is possible! Funstation is a great place for all the family with lots of fun games and activities. You win tickets playing games and get to choose from a wide variety of prizes. We have a unique cashless system, so simply load your Funcard and enjoy lots of carnival and video games. Funstation specialises in combining multiple family leisure activities within one space. We use a unique cashless system and have an array of activities at our site. These range from Carnival Games such as King Kong VR Game, Milk Jug Toss, Fish Bowl Frenzy and Bean Bag Toss to video games including Mario Kart and Jurassic Park! It really is fun for all the family! All you need to do is load your Funcard, play as many games as you like and win points to choose prizes ranging from Playstation’s to Sweets!

9. Marha Bar

Marha Bar is one of many Turkish Restaurants in Milton Keynes. You can never go wrong with Turkish food – It’s healthy, high in protein, full of flavour and great for sharing. Perhaps that explains the increasing popularity of the this cuisine in the independent food industry. So with so many restaurants serving the same cuisine, how do you choose where to go??Marha Bar is a flamboyant two level property with an insta-worthy decor featuring a flower wall, large pillars and a beautiful bar with gorgeous chandeliers that creates a focal point. The premises can hold up to 250 people and serves daily from 12:00pm-10:00pm. What makes this place unique is that it converts to a night club with a live DJ over the weekends after 11:00 pm and is open till 3:00 am – How cool is that? Situated in the Theatre District allows for late hours and a bit of bar hopping too!

10. Milton Keynes Dons Stadium

Overview
Team: MK Dons
Opened:2007
Capacity:30,500
Address: Stadium Way, Grafton St, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK1 1ST
Pitch Size:105 x 68 metres
Record Attendance:28,521 vs Liverpool (25th September 2019)
Stadium Owner: Inter MK
Operator: MK Dons
Construction Details: Broke Ground:17th February 2005
Built:2005-2007
Architect: Populous
Construction Cost:£50 million
Structural Engineer: Buckingham Group Contracting

MK Dons proudly has one of the largest youth supporter programmes in English Football, as well as a successful academy programme, developing local talent such as Dele Alli and Brendan Galloway. The club also focusses on building local business connections, through commercial opportunities at the club and Stadium MK, and through regular networking events for businesses in MK and the surrounding areas.

Stadium MK welcomed the Knife Angel Sculpture to Milton Keynes, marking the City’s month of action against violence.

The sculpture was placed in Milton Keynes until the closing ceremony on 7 January 2023. The monument, officially known as the National Monument Against Violence and Aggression. The Knife Angel is a 27ft sculpture, made from approximately 100,000 bladed weapons collected in knife amnesty bins during police operations across the country. Created by the British Ironwork Centre, the monument travels to locations around the UK as a focal point to help educate children and adults about the harmful effects that violent behaviour has on communities. This includes knife crime, which has resulted in a number of lives being tragically lost in the city over the years, but also domestic abuse, hate crime, bullying and other forms of violence and aggression.

The angel’s founder, Alfie Radley, has spent two years designing and building the sculpture that features authorities donated knives that were actually utilized in violent crimes all over England and Wales, some of which even have the names of the victims engraved onto the blades. The rest arrived thanks to the aid of British Ironwork Centre in Shropshire, which initiated an amnesty program “Save a Life, Surrender Your Knife,” through which individuals can anonymously contribute their knives to the project.

11. Campbell Park

Campbell Park resides in the heart of Milton Keynes and connects the city centre to the wider landscape and the expansive linear park network. Visitors can discover natural and designed topography as well as public art, water features, the Grand Union Canal, a first-class cricket pitch, open-air auditorium and planting designed to encourage biodiversity. It is also home to The Parks Trust headquarters, our offices are located in The Pavilion and overlook the cricket pitch. 

The park boasts wild flower-rich meadows where sheep can be seen grazing at certain times of the year. Scale the belvedere during your visit to take fantastic pictures of the iconic Light Pyramid and enjoy views across North East Milton Keynes and Bedfordshire.  This area was awarded Grade II status by Historic England in August 2020 due to its historic interest and innovative architectural design. Campbell Park is one of the largest parks to be laid out in England in the 20th and 21st Century. The design takes on elements from the 18th and 19th Century and fuses them into a contemporary design fitting for our pioneering new city.

The Milton Keynes Rose located in our central city park Campbel Park, is a public space designed for commemoration, celebration and contemplation. Developed in partnership by The Parks Trust and the Cenotaph Trust, with support from Milton Keynes Council, the Milton Keynes Rose was created as a central civic space to host events significance and occasions of remembrance. Created by internationally renowned artist Gordon Young in 2014, the Milton Keynes Rose is an open-air circle with markings based on the mathematical beauty of a flower. Upon installation 106 granite pillars of varying height were mounted in positions to create the art piece. 68 pillars have been engraved with dedications, leaving 38 for future inscriptions.

Inscriptions so far include dedications for important dates in Milton Keynes’ history including; 23 January 1967, when MK was designated as a New Town, 31 December 1958 when Aston Martin Lagonda based in Newport Pagnell first registered the first DB4 and 5 July 1953, the date when the first tea bag produced in the UK at Tetley’s factory in Bletchley.

Few words about the Light Pyramid

Commissioned in 2012 as part of the Campbell Park Art Plan to replace the original basket beacon, which was situated on the belvedere but hit by lightning in 2002 and as a result had to be removed. The Light Pyramid was first lit for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee on 4^th June 2012 and is still lit to commemorate special local and national events. Made of steel and painted white the Light Pyramid overlooks great views of North East Milton Keynes and Bedfordshire.

The Light Pyramid is situated on top of the mound or belvedere, the highest point of the park where it acts as a beacon for miles around. It is one of eight significant works of sculpture in the park and was created by Liliane Lijn. It was commissioned in 2012 as part of the Campbell Park Art Plan and to replace the basket beacon, which had been situated on the belvedere and was hit by lightning in 2002. The Light Pyramid was first lit to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee on 4^th June 2012 and is illuminated to commemorate special local and national events. The sculpture stands six metre high by three metres diameter. It is constructed from powder-coated hot-galvanized mild steel plate on a mild steel framework, and it is lit by five metal halide 500 watts floodlights. Geometry and Light are the guiding threads of Lijn’s work, the central concept of this sculpture is that of energy held within matter. Matter assumes form and form leads to geometry, the triangle is the geometrical form most related to light: emission, angles of reflection and refraction, and the prism.

Few words about the War Veteran statue by Ronald Rae (1997)

Carved from granite, this life size sculpture of a land mine victim depicts the human cost of war and is based on Rae’s grandfather, who fought in the Battle of the Somme. The piece is on exhibition and previously featured in the Landmine Exhibition at Leeds Royal Armouries which was dedicated to the work of Princess Diana.

Few words about Onwards and Upwards Art by Robert Koenig (2011)

Replacing Metropolis by the same artist which was removed in 2000 due to deterioration. Onwards and Upwards was commissioned in 2010 to celebrate the retirement of the Trust’s then chair of Trustees John Duggan and was created as a representation of the growth and development of both the park and the city. It was carved from a single piece of eight-metre-high sweet chestnut and installed in August 2011. Another example of the artist’s work, Boy and Girl, can be seen in the Kents Hill area near the Open University.

As I conclude my travel blog guide for Milton Keynes, I hope you’ve been inspired to explore this remarkable city beyond its well-known attractions. From its vibrant arts and culture scene to the tranquil beauty of its lakes and gardens, Milton Keynes offers a diverse array of experiences for every traveller. Uncover hidden gems that will leave you in awe and create lasting memories that you’ll cherish for a lifetime. Whether it’s a thrilling hot air balloon ride, a serene boat cruise along the Grand Union Canal, or an encounter with majestic animals on a VIP safari, this city promises adventure, wonder, and charm at every turn. There’s a simple answer to the question ‘What’s on in Milton Keynes?’... Everything! You might be here for a day, a weekend, a week or more. With your family, partner, or flying solo. Work or play, winter or summer. Whatever the case, you’ll discover a wealth of events, activities, destinations and attractions to fill your time, and give you a trip to remember. All waiting for you.