MILTON KEYNES

[AquaToaster488]

Hi,

Me and my husband are thinking of moving from London to MK.

We were wondering what the good and bad areas are of MK esp for raising a family?

We have looked at a few properties in Wavendon and Redhouse Park - are these decent areas?

Thanks!

Wavendon is lovely - I don't know much about Redhouse Park. For more of a town feel try Newport Pagnell, Olney is beautiful though a bit further out and if you're commuting the road in and out can be a nightmare. Willen is also very nice, and Wolverton is fairly up and coming with quite a few young families. Loughton is easy for the train station!

Why do you want to live in MK? Do you have family/jobs there? It has good external transport connections but internal public transport was shite when I lived there. It's geared towards drivers and there's only one hospital and one leisure centre.

I went recently for an event and was so glad I left 10 years ago, it was an awful place to live. Really artificial, boring and soulless, everything centred around money. Loads of identikit housing estates and I got the feeling people were there for their jobs.

St. Albans which is further down the M25 and 30 mins away is a much more natural and organic town. Have a look there.

How long ago did you live here, TheLady? The buses have definitely improved in recent years! I quite like it here, yes there is only one hospital, but its quite a decent one plus you are within easy reach of Stoke Mandeville and the L&D if you want a choice! Milton Keynes has also got the best network of cycle paths of any place I've ever lived. It has a lot of green space and water, and a lot of community activities in the individual estates. I think there are about five leisure centres in MK now, so wherever you live, there will be something in easy reach. As provincial theatre goes MK theatre is really decent, plus we have an ice hockey team!

If you are thinking about private schools, there is a fair bit of choice, plus you have grammar schools in Buckingham and Aylesbury which will take from MK as well. The state schools in MK are generally good - as usual this does depend on the surrounding area to an extent.

If you have buckets of money, or don't own a car, and don't mind being on a minor train line, St Albans is very pleasant. It has a stunning abbey, but MK has more jobs within easy reach. There are lots of big corporates plus the FCO at Hanslope, plus lots of tech and professional services. Its not quaint or ancient, but it is interesting as a place to live.

I lived there from 2000 to 2012 and absolutely hated it. Sorry

Hi AquaToaster did you find a nice place to live? We are in London and are thinking of moving to the area. So difficult to know what areas are nice and what is not so nice. Any advise would be helpful

all those roundabouts would put me off.....its not for me....found it bland when driving thro for camping trips....

Depends how much it bothers you that the shopping is just one giant indoor mall - personally I found that very depressing - however if that doesn't bother you it has a lot of family activities and sports and decent 'estate' type housing

To me it's very American- but I do know plenty like it

Wavendon is basically an enormous brand new housing estate crammed into what used to be fields between the 1000 year-old village of Wavendon and Milton Keynes proper. The inhabitants of the village are naturally unimpressed.

We live in Wavendon. Love it. Yes they've put up a new build estate nearby but with it brings good schooling, and in time shop and GPs. Not bad things to have access too. Personally of you have a family, I love MK for the convenience as pretty much most things you can think about doing with children is available or very close by.

If you want ideas on area message me, as have friends all over MK and get a feel for most areas and what's good etc depending on needs.