We're just back from our weekend with Bart and Tony in Milton Keynes. MK gets a bad rap here in England, described as the ugliest place in the country. Really, though, it's very nice.
The city is fairly large (about 250k), but you don't feel it at all. That's because, I think, they built the city as a series of pods linked by motorways. There are no commercial estsablishments along these motorways, just lovely trees and shrubs and walking/biking trails. Every so often, there's a turnoff into an "estate" or neighborhood. Each one has a little shopping center (fish-n-chips, Chinese restaurant, tiny grocery, off-license (liquor shop), health club, etc.), a park, and an architectural style.
There are an enormous number of walking trails, outdoor spaces, and opportunities to get outdoors and play. Charles just about fell down when he saw the snow dome, where you can snowboard indoors. Then there was the climbing park, and then the boogie-board thingy on the lake.
Meanwhile, after all our trouble finding something tasty to eat, Milton Keynes offered us: fresh local strawberries with double cream, freshly baked croissants (or almond croissants, or pecan maple twists, or any number of other choices), organic sausages and bacon made from English pork, etc. etc. That was just breakfast.
And within the limits of this planned city lie a number of beautiful tiny villages. Over the time since MK appeared (mid-60s), it has grown to include these much older communities. Tiny streets, old buildings, hedges forever and beautiful roses, these villages feel like the England we expected. And you can live in them and drive 5 minutes to MK's shopping district or any of its neighborhoods.
A 20 minute drive provides access to Woburn Abbey, a spectacular house owned by the Duke and Duchess of Bedford. More on that tomorrow.
But here's the bottom line: Milton Keynes may feel too new and too planned for English tastes. But to my eyes, it's a much better version of suburbia than our own.
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