Looking to move to an area within a 1 hour drive of Milton Keynes…

[Mkcommute]

DH will be starting a new job in Milton Keynes soon and we are needing to relocate.

We have a budget of £900,000 (for a 5+ bed or large 4 bed detached) and the house must be within a 1hr15mins drive of Milton Keynes (or about 50 miles).

Does anybody have any suggestions for any specific areas to look? Things that are important to us are:

• nice area to bring children up in
• good schools fairly nearby (open to private and state)
• ideally a semi-rural affluent village or suburb
• not super far out in the sticks nor in a town centre

I’ve been trying to stay close to the M1 for ease for DHs commute but can’t really find anywhere we like the look of. Happy to go as far up the M1 as Loughborough. I think north of MK may be better due to south of Milton Keynes looking incredibly expensive due to being close to London?

Areas that have already been suggested to me are:

• Woburn
• Market Harborough
• Lutterworth
• Ampthill
• Long Buckby

Would be great to hear more about these places too.

Thanks!

Came here to say this as I'm exactly the same.

Collingtree park/spyglass hill type houses are much better than what you'd get in MK for a similar price.

@IPartridge get over yourself.

Olney is lovely have lived here for 29yrs.. great community feel and equidistant between MK, Northampton and Bedford.

I've lived in lots of different places. Northampton was by far the worst. And I lived in one of the nicer parts. It's not just me, it's regularly slated on here

It's no worse than MK or the majority of the uk. I live in one of the nicer parts and love it. I avoid the worst parts.. and MK

Bromham (and other north West Bedfordshire villages). 25mins to MK, good private schools in Bedford. Bromham is a larger village with loads going on. Not too rural but lots of beautiful walks from your front door. Good amenities.

I would find somewhere of a decent size where you like the actual town and are happy to spend time there even if it means a slightly longer commute , rather than have to go into MK for anything other than work- I really dislike MK with a vengeance. Then again we are all different and you may like it- but from what you are saying you are looking for I don't think you will.

I personally would probably pick summertown in Oxford or Woodstock and have a fair bit of a commute- Buckingham is nice enough as is market Harborough. I don't know Olney .

Oundle is a lovely small market town but rural. Amazing independent school on the Wales’ shortlist for George. Nice community feel with lots going on. Really pretty town. Good location for travel. Just under an hour to MK, 20 mins to Peterborough for east coast mainline.

What is it that makes you hate MK with a vengeance? I live here and whilst it’s far from perfect it has many wonderful qualities. It has lovely open spaces, canals, great country pubs, little towns / villages hidden away from the newer parts. Redways, a shopping centre, a theatre, live music venues, street food events- I could go on. It’s relatively safe with good schools and fantastic links in to London.

What about some of the villages just outside Bicester, then when East west rail launches ( think it's next year) you can catch the train to MK.

There's Upper Heyford as a completely different option it's an ex US airbase that has been completely renovated it's very unique.
How about this huge ex RAF officers house: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/123009998

Whilst I live in Bicester and like it is probably not pretty and village like the secondary schools aren't that great either.

With your budget I would definitely not be looking too far away as you'll be able to get something lovely without your DP having a horrendous commute. I'd stick South of Northampton, East of Oxford, West of Bedford and North of Luton and Aylesbury.I have lived in this area most of my life and would echo a lot of the places others have mentioned with probably the nicer smaller towns being Buckingham, Woburn, Ampthill and Olney. There are lots of lovely villages in the area so would depend on what your need for facilities is, but Harrold/Odell are gorgeous, Eversholt and Aspley Guise also lovely. Once you've got a few possibilities then maybe ask more at that stage, you've got the budget for something lovely in quite a wide area.

This might be helpful:

eastwestrail.co.uk/proposed-route/routeupdate

Ampthill is lovely. Close to the M1 and MK, good schools, great community and you will get a really nice house for your budget.

I’m delighted to hear that! Not that I actually live there nor did I suggest anyone moved to Northampton. That said, I have some great friends who live in lovely parts of the Town in lovely houses with amazing services and schools But yeah, deffo stay wherever you are.

@Mkcommute What you will notice very quickly is that many of the towns mentioned have drawbacks and won’t be like a swish area of Cheshire. Many of the villages are rural and some of the towns have very poor transport networks.

For example: Buckingham has no station. The nearest is MK or Winslow when it opens. Buckingham is sleepy and Winslow doesn’t have a supermarket and the health services are dire: in an old house.

If you want a bit more of a life, Tring or Berkhamsted are much much nicer but your budget won’t stretch. Wendover is a smeller town but has HS2 going from south to west around it. Bucks has grammar schools. MK doesn’t have universally good schools but Olney could work if you are ok with rural - it is!

Villages around Bicester are pretty and also around Brackley. Deddington is pleasant and on the edge of the Cotswolds. Chipping Norton falls within your commute and is close to Daylesford, so you might like that vibe. Many do and it’s the closest to what you want except there’s no station. Being close enough to Oxford is a bonus. Bicester is mostly new and Northampton isn’t great. Going west of MK is more attractive than east.

Throwing my hat in for Towcester and the general south-west Northants area. Some of the East Northamptonshire towns aren't great but there are so many lovely villages and market towns. You get much more for your money property-wise, and things like contractors/builders etc. When I lived out of Northants for a bit I found the difference in supplier costs really surprising!

@LifeisHard73 if I'm being honest, (and I totally understand others may love it - ) because I don't have kids at home I really don't like the shopping, or masses of big modern estates, seems a lack of anywhere nice to nip for a glass of wine or meal that isn't in a shopping centre, lack of old pubs, I like proper shopping streets rather than a massive shopping centre- it's just not the 'vibe' I would pick- but then the fact it's got tons for teens or kids aren't relevant to me anymore - as I said though I can see that for others it would be great. I don't think it's got the vibe either the OP seems to want

The trick with MK is you have to get under its skin. On the surface, yes it’s a bit vacuous. But there are so many good independent shops, restaurants, pubs, etc if you’re willing to put the effort in to finding them. They’re not in the city centre.

Still not for everyone, and we choose to live in a village in Northants. But we go to MK a lot for different things.

There are still villages within MK. The original ones! There are many older settlements around and you don’t need to buy modern or live on an estate. Private secondary schools aren’t easy to access though so if you really want one, where you live matters.

The village of Great Linford is fantastic and I love it. A lot of green spaces, schools, cafes, pubs, playgrounds and its very quiet. Me and my DH love it as its great for the kids and the dog to play with little problems or fuss.

Stony Stratford, Fenny Stratford, Winslow, Olney are all nice villages around MK.

Completely agree with all of this.

I also dislike MK for this reason.

On the upside though… it has an IKEA 🤷‍♀️😅

@1HappyTraveller it's horses for courses isn't it- I don't dislike the villages outside of it , perfectly nice, but you still really have to go to MK for main shopping- unless you do only online or go into London for clothes etc-

It's to me very American - just as places like Harlow are and I hate that vibe

Villagey?! Market Harborough is a nice town but it has fuck all to do with a village.

I’m ex-MK and my family are still there, I’m now in Rutland. Rutland is a bit outside of your distance and probably too rural but there’s lots of nice larger villages in Northamptonshire like. I do like Olney as far as towns go.
I don’t personally like Northampton or Bedford but did live briefly near Cranfield.

I do like the area between MK and Buckingham, particularly Winslow, Stewkley that sort of area.

I also like Oundle. Stamford would be my favourite town but it’s probably a bit over distance depending on which side of MK.

We live in Sandy,famous for the headquarters of the RSPB
It's a quiet, friendly town with it's own junior to senior schools,with Bedford within 20 minutes drive,having two well regarded private schools.
Sandy is on the mainline route to Kings Cross London (40 minutes) and there is within easy access to the A1 giving easy access to Peterborough to the north and London,within I hour . Cambridge city center is within 40/50 minutes drive .
Milton Keynes is easily accessible via the newly opened A421 in 35 minutes
There's plenty of countryside walks, especially alongside the river Ivel and the aforementioned RSPB.and there are local shops ,coffee shops, takeaways,Asian restaurants,pubs all in the town.
Hope this is helpful,we have lived here for happily 30+years and brought up two guys who still maintain contact with their friends from the close knit community here.