31 Jan 11 Exploring Milton Keynes in the Winter
Milton Keynes is an up and coming town that is always vying for its city status and with its endless attractions and entertainment options it is easy to see why so many people enjoy visiting. The Milton Keynes shopping centre is one of the most famous centres in the whole of the UK and a trip here isn’t complete without checking it out! There are many Milton Keynes hotels to stay in and landmarks such as the Milton Keynes Theatre are major tourist draws.
So, what is there to do in Milton Keynes in the cold wintertime?
Milton Keynes Shopping Centre
The shopping centre in MK is one of the most famous in the UK with more than 230 shops and stores to explore. Everything from HMV and John Lewis through to Marks & Spencer and Top Shop can be found here and if you get hungry from all your shopping then why not stop and have a tasty snack in Destination Dining; the restaurant quarter in the heart of the shopping centre. If you just want a quite bite to eat on the go, Burger King, McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Express and Pizza Hut all have at least one outlet in thecentre:mk. Everything from home improvement stores to men and women’s clothing shops can be found. There is an outside shopping area as well as an indoor area and keeping warm in the wintertime is easy in this fully heated indoor centre.
Xscape
The Xscape in Milton Keynes is an extremely popular entertainment venue that is home to an indoor ski slope. It attracts avid skiers and snowboarders from around the UK throughout the year. There is also a Cineworld cinema on the top floor and an arcade complete with bowling alley on the ground floor, not to mention the countless eateries including Nandos and Frankie and Benny’s. Adults may enjoy catching a game of football on the screens at First Base Bar, followed by a game of pool on one of the many American tables there. There is a CHIMICHANGA restaurant found above First Base but anyone looking for a quick snack may prefer to head to Subway, or MacDonald’s or KFC if they don’t want to be quite as healthy! The climbing wall is another favourite with visitors of all ages but others may choose to enjoy a spot of shopping in the shops there.
Theatre District
While the outdoor parts of the Theatre District are chilly in the winter, once inside these venues you will be warm and snug in no time! Visitors can find a TGI Friday’s as well as a Lloyds No.1 Bar for those looking for cheap drink deals and of course there is the Milton Keynes Theatre itself. Many performances have been held in this impressive building from dance, through to theatre and comedy sketches. Across the road, visitors will also find Milton Keynes Gallery. The free exhibition gallery and occasional workshop for children will keep everyone entertained in the warmth. Children and adults alike can have heaps of fun in the Theatre District.
Milton Keynes Hotels
Milton Keynes hotels are varied in price. Accommodation options range from small bed and breakfasts found on the outskirts through to large chain hotels found close to the centre. The Hub is home to the Jury’s Inn Hotel as well as the Ramada Encore Hotel that make for the perfect choice for anyone looking to stay very close to the attractions and entertainment areas, while the Travelodge offers cheaper and cheerful room choices.
Overall, the wintertime in Milton Keynes is a great time to visit as many of the top attractions are housed indoors within the Milton Keynes shopping centre or the Xscape building!
MKWEB is the definitive source for all things Milton Keynes. Visitors to the city can find all the information they need, from the opening times of the Milton Keynes shopping centre to the best Milton Keynes hotels.
Tags: Milton Keynes hotels, Milton Keynes shopping centre, MKWeb
05 Jan 11 The Experience that is the Milton Keynes Snow Dome
Milton Keynes is moving ever closer to gaining its much deserved city status and the relatively new Xscape building will certainly help the new town on its way. The Milton Keynes Snow Dome has proven to be a hugely popular attraction within the Xscape building and everyone is welcome to participate or watch from the side lines. The dome is filled with 1,500 tonnes of real snow that is constantly produced by clever snow cannons, creating a slope perfect for skiing, tobogganing and snowboarding. The building is kept at a cool -2°C and around 250 skiers and snowboarders can be accommodated at any one time on the slopes. The viewing bar and gallery area is perfect for chilling out and watching all the action and many of the shops within the Xscape Milton Keynes cater to snow sports with specialised clothing stores on offer.
Milton Keynes Snow Dome
The Snow Dome is home to a range of activities and the cold sports on offer are great for adults and children of all skill levels. Skiing and snowboarding are two of the most popular activities and a range of lessons and coaching days are easy to pre-book. Enjoying après ski fun is all part of the deal in the Milton Keynes Snow Dome and there is, quite literally, tonnes of snow to have fun in.
Here are some of the highlights one can expect when visiting the Milton Keynes Snow Dome:
• Lessons for beginners of all ages
• Coaching classes for more experienced skiers
• Cold weather wear hire
• Ski/snowboard rental
• Real snow created for an authentic touch
• Snow bar for chilling out in before or after the slopes
• Gallery area for spectators
Beginners will benefit from taking a few lessons on the slopes and for those with more experience the main slope is great for freestyling. Special events are also held in the dome and many choose to hone their skills after watching an event here. Main slope passes are ideal for those who are comfortable on the snow and building your skills is easy to do with expert assistance and advice.
For the Children
Kids love visiting the Milton Keynes Snow Dome and special snow camps are available during the peak school holidays. Families often choose to book the Snow Dome for children’s parties and there is plenty to do for a whole range of ages. Christmas is a great time to visit the Snow Dome Milton Keynes as children can meet Santa himself and as we all know, the chilled snowy dome will have Santa feeling right at home! Kids will receive a present, be able play in the fresh snow and will get the chance to tell Santa all about their Christmas wishes.
Xscape Milton Keynes
The Xscape Milton Keynes is home to a range of various attractions and entertainment centres with a large cinema on the top floor, accompanied by chain restaurants such as Ask, Nandos, La Tasca and fast food favourites, McDonalds, Subway and KFC. As well as skiing and snowboarding in the Snow Dome, you can also play pool, go bowling in City Limits and rock climb at Climb Zone’s Vertical Chill.
There is snow-much fun to be had in the indoor winter wonderland; it’s no wonder it’s so popular!
The Milton Keynes Snow Dome is one of the major attractions that the city has to offer. The Snow Dome can be found in Xscape Milton Keynes, as well as many other activities.
11 Oct 10 Theatres in Milton Keynes
In response to the lack of building land around London and the consequent undersupply of housing across the south east of England, the Labour Government decided in 1967 to back a plan to build a new town some 45 miles north of central London. The intention was for Milton Keynes to eventually grow into a city and today’s population is on target for reaching 250,000 and beyond. Overall, the project has proved to be a success, however, after the arrival of all the usual urban facilities such as shops, hospital, schools and even the world-famous Open University, a key attribute in the search for city status was to have a fully professional Milton Keynes theatre.
Public Venues
There were already a number of venues for public performances in the MK area, such as the open air National Bowl that seats up to 65,000 people and several small but mostly amateur production theatres on school and university campuses. In addition, there was the The Stables; a well-regarded venue founded by Cleo Laine and John Dankworth, which puts on a wide range of musical events on a professional basis for smaller audiences. For many years this was the closest thing to a Milton Keynes theatre that the promising town had.
Milton Keynes Theatre
Nonetheless, having an MK theatre dedicated to providing various forms of entertainment for larger audiences was pursued with vigour from the very outset of the town being built. Eventually by 1999 and after some 25 years of campaigning, a brand new theatre opened its doors to the public for the first time. Situated in the heart of the town centre and reflecting the modernist aspirations of the centre’s award-winning architecture with its own large glass atrium area, it has brought a new dimension to the cultural life of this newly emerging city.
As well as its impressive glass and steel frontage, complete with an external row of rectangular columns, this MK theatre (designed by architects, Blonski-Heard) has some impressive technical features. To allow for smaller productions and to create a more intimate space, the ceiling can be lowered and the seating adjusted, changing the audience capacity from 1400 people down to a more manageable 900. Fortunately, the theatre’s acoustic designers (Arup Acoustics) took this changeability into account when designing the various elements affecting sound quality.
Getting to the Theatre
Apart from providing a cultural facility for local people, another advantage of this theatre is that it can be readily accessed by visitors from a number of surrounding places. The West Coast Line train station is only a short bus ride from the theatre. It is within easy walking distance from the main bus station and there is ample parking near the theatre and nightlife district; most of it free after 6pm. London, Birmingham, Oxford, Cambridge, Bedford, Northampton, Buckingham and even Leicester are just some of the towns and cities that are within an hour or less of this venue, helping to fill up all those seats throughout the year.
Milton Keynes Theatre Programme
The sheer variety of the Milton Keynes Theatre programme is truly astonishing. In the run up to Christmas 2010 alone, it features popular comedians such as Ross Noble, John Bishop and Jimmy Carr, musicals such as Spamalot and Hairspray, plays such as Alan Bennett’s The Habit of Art, Shakespearean offerings like The Merry Wives of Windsor, ballet in the form of Romeo and Juliet and opera’s Don Giovanni, to name but a few of the alternatives.
The following year at the Milton Keynes theatre, the programme kicks off with an equally diverse offering ranging from Swan Lake on Ice, Thomas [the Tank Engine] and Friends, acrobats from the Moscow State Circus, Dick Whittington in pantomime and yet more musicals, Shakespeare, opera, drama and comedy. If you’re bored in Milton Keynes, then it’s because you’ve neglected to book up in time to see some of this cornucopia of live entertainment, which always has a special impact compared with viewing TV or cinema.
No visit to Milton Keynes is complete without going to see at least one MK theatre production. As the definitive source for all things Milton Keynes, MKWEB has all the latest information relating to the latest Milton Keynes theatre productions.
Tags: Milton Keynes theatre, MK theatre, MKWeb
19 Aug 10 Milton Keynes Hotels for All Budgets
From its humble beginnings as a collection of villages, Milton Keynes was designed to be a place to attract visitors from miles around, to live, play and work. The sheer range of hotels in Milton Keynes ensures that there is something for everyone to enjoy. Since the 1960s, this city has been growing at an extraordinary rate; forever expanding with new residential areas, business districts, entertainment venues and shopping centres.
As the leisure side of Milton Keynes grew with the opening of one of the largest indoor shopping centres in the UK, so did the need for short-term accommodation. Hotels in Milton Keynes first began to appear in the central areas with a few bed and breakfast choices found in the outlying villages. Today, the shopping centre is just one part of the attraction of visiting the city. Many come to stay in the Milton Keynes hotels to enjoy the indoor ski slope, the artificial skydiving experience or have a night on the town.
Central Hotels for Business People and Revellers
There are many new hotels in Milton Keynes to choose from around the busy city centre and more are popping up every year. In the west of the town, visitors will find a collection of affordable three to four star hotels located in the upscale Hub area. They often attract business people and these hotels are only three minutes from Milton Keynes Central Train Station.
These hotels are also popular with young couples or groups visiting Milton Keynes for a night out as there is a good range of trendy bars, cafés and restaurants to be found close by. Farther toward the train station is a small Travelodge that offers simple rooms aimed at those on a mid-range budget. It is also possible to hire out apartments in this area for the same price as a hotel room; this is ideal for those with children to avoid to late-night crowds of revellers.
The city is located at both junction 13 and 14 of the M1 motorway and as such serves as a stopover for people travelling north to south. There are a handful of basic hotels within easy reach of the motorway that are ideal for business people or weekend travellers looking for a quick pit stop.
Hotels for Families and Couples
For those looking for more scenic hotels in Milton Keynes, take a trip out to the surrounding areas where there are many parks that are often home to more interesting and attractive accommodation choices. These are popular with families and those with transport to get into the town centre. Romancing couples may also choose to make use of these tranquil and pleasant hotels.
Chain hotels near Milton Keynes lakes are often a popular choice for visitors who want to avoid staying in the central areas. Real ale, home cooked meals and pleasant surroundings can all be enjoyed for the same price as those in the central areas. These are usually aimed at mid-range budgets and the hotels are often attached to restaurants with nearby lakes, parks and woodland.
Traditional Choices
Milton Keynes also incorporates several villages on the outskirts, including Stony Stratford and Wolverton. These villages have many traditional bed and breakfasts that catered to the public long before Milton Keynes started booming. These are the cheapest option for those visiting on a tighter budget.
Families often choose to spend time in accommodation outside the main areas of the city to explore the surrounding countryside. These are approximately the same price as those closer to the action. Traditional bed and breakfasts are still available for those on a tighter budget slightly further afield and anyone looking for a quick stop can use the ever-popular basic rooms, found above local pubs and in chain-named hotels close to the motorways. Whatever budget you are on, and whatever style and taste you have; Milton Keynes is home to a little bit of something for everyone.
Hotels in Milton Keynes are many and varied, so you may find the choice very difficult! Whatever your budget, you will be able to find Milton Keynes hotels to your liking with MKWEB.
28 Jun 10 Milton Keynes: an Ideal Business Base
Business in Milton Keynes is currently booming and this sprawling town vying for city status has grown at a rapid rate. Back in the 1960s, before Milton Keynes became the size and success that it is today, the British Government decided that a ‘new towns’ project was needed to try and alleviate the housing congestion in London. A few years later in January 1967, a plan was put in place to make the new town one of the major overspills from London. Its location is almost directly in the centre of London, Oxford, Cambridge, Leicester and Birmingham and this was done to help the ‘new town’ grow and eventually become another major regional hub.
Milton Keynes Business Growth
Originally the city was an ideal base for workers in the London area. North London is only 45 miles away and with the major M1 motorway right on its doorstep; it was and still is a great place to live for those brave enough to tackle the daily London commute.
As the plan went its intended way, the new town started to establish itself as a place for businesses throughout the 80s, 90s and 00s. The north side of the City Centre is where the law courts, Milton Keynes Borough Council and the Civic Library can be found. In this popular business district there are also major banks, shops and headquarters of successful firms.
Today, Milton Keynes as a whole has become a major centre for business with many housing their main offices here as well as secondary sites. Around the borough of Milton Keynes, many industrial estates have now opened offering more employment to the area, which also encourages local residential growth. With such easy access to the rest of the region; it is easy to see why so many businesses have set up shop in the thriving town.
Businesses in Milton Keynes Today
In 1967 there were only 60,000 people living in the area that is now called Milton Keynes and today there are more than 220,000. Some of the most famous firms who already run successful businesses in Milton Keynes include Abbey, BP, Mercedes-Benz, Ingram Micro and Coca Cola along with a whole host of shops such as Marks & Spencer’s, John Lewis and Debenhams.
With such international names bringing their business to the new town, it is clear to see why five new businesses move into Milton Keynes every month. The city’s roads were designed to make traffic flow smoothly in an American-style grid road layout with numerous roundabouts and travel time from Junction 14 to the town centre takes 15-20 minutes.
The Future for Businesses in Milton Keynes
Despite a national recession, Milton Keynes continues to grow with an estimated £1 billion being currently invested into new projects. Milton Keynes still has many sites that have not yet made it to the planning board for both housing and business centres in the Milton Keynes area.
Businesses in Milton Keynes continue to outperform many of its surrounding rivals such as Birmingham and Oxford and it is still officially classified as a town after failing at two attempts in 2000 and 2002 to be recognised as a city. Despite this small setback, Milton Keynes is well on-course to becoming one the country’s largest cities by 2013 both culturally and economically.
As Milton Keynes is one of the fastest growing cities in the UK, business in Milton Keynes is booming. Visit MKWEB for all the information you will need on business centre Milton Keynes.
Tags: business centre Milton Keynes, business in Milton Keynes, MKWeb
25 Jun 10 A Guide for Shopaholics in Milton Keynes
There is one thing for sure about Milton Keynes; it undoubtedly has some of the best shopping in the country! Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Iceland are all located here, so a weekly trip into the town centre is on the cards for most local households while the endless clothes and electronic stores continue to draw in thousands of visitors every week.
Centre:MK – What to expect
The main part of this shopping centre was opened in 1979 by then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. The glass building was heralded for its design and accommodated 130 individual shops and six major department stores. At the time it was the largest shopping centre in the British Isles; a title now lost to larger competitors.
In the past 15 years it has enjoyed two extensions and can now accommodate more than 240 individual stores as well as the likes of John Lewis, Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, House of Fraser, and BHS. The aisles are also littered with well known coffee shops such as Starbucks and fast food joints including Burger King, Pizza Hut and MacDonald’s where avid shoppers go to get some much needed respite from shopping.
The primary women’s clothing stores range from Top Shop, New Look and Kookai through to designer shops such as Karen Millen. Jewellery stores including F Hinds are prolific and shoe shops like Office and Faith are also readily available. Children and parents can make use of the Pumpkin Patch while there are countless mobile phone stores to cater to keen gadget-shoppers.
Marks & Spencer, Debenhams and John Lewis are the main congregation of department stores and they supply a variety of clothing, children’s toys, gadgets, electronics, jewellery, food and accessories.
Retail Parks
West of the city centre is a small retail park where many popular shops can be found. Argos and Toys’R’Us along with a leisure complex complete with ice skating and bowling are also located here.
A small retail park located close to the M1 known as Kingston has a Tesco Extra as its main occupier and hosts numerous other shops, such as a travel agent, Next, Boots and a Mamas & Papas. Inside the short mall is also a small selection of stores like florists, hairdressers, card shops and an entertainment retailer.
Surrounding villages
Shopping in Milton Keynes also extends to the villages and small towns that have been brought together with birth of the larger town. Bletchley, Wolverton, Stony Stratford and Newport Pagnell all have their own town centres, although choice is somewhat limited compared to the Centre:MK.
These traditional town centres are often where you can find independent retailers plying their trade. Specialist stores for camping, cycling, army surplus, charity shops and local newsagents are largely located around these areas. Shoppers looking for alternative food stores, such as those that stock Asian cooking ingredients, halal meat and other such off-the-radar products are best to head out of the main city centre and soak up the atmosphere provided by these smaller towns’ high streets.
Displays and shows
Shopping in Milton Keynes has become popular across the country and special shows are regularly held in Middleton Hall; directly outside of John Lewis. Past attractions featured the famous Motorshow, Food and Drink Fairs and Collectomania; the event filled with sci-fi stars of the past who come out to sign autographs with endless stalls of memorabilia on offer. Plus there is always the Christmas display that never fails to attract a wealth of visitors both young and old.
With the variety of shops in Milton Keynes available, who can resist a little retail therapy in the city? Visit MKWEB for all the information you will need for shopping in Milton Keynes.
Tags: MKWeb, shopping in Milton Keynes, shops in Milton Keynes
26 Mar 10 The History of Bletchley Park
There are many Milton Keynes museums where visitors can learn about the history of the area and one in particular will leave people feeling like they have learned so much in just one day. Bletchley Park, in the south Milton Keynes borough, has a long and interesting history for the whole family to learn about and enjoy. It is famous for being the centre of the code breaking efforts of World War II and is known around the world for its code-breaking supremacy.
Pre war
The site Bletchley Park sits on can be traced back almost 1,000 years when it was part of the Manor of Eaton. It gets a mention in the Domesday Book when William I of England sent men all over the country to find out how much land there was in each shire and how much it was all worth. From the late 18th century through to the start of WWII, the site changed hands a number of times until a developer bought the 55-acre site. He had planned to demolish the mansion and build a housing estate.
Before the work started to demolish the original buildings and redevelop the site, the chief of MI6 and director of Naval Intelligence, Sir Hugh Sinclair, tried to persuade the British Government to purchase the land so he would have a place to house the Government Code and Cypher School outside of London. Sinclair ended up purchasing the site with his own money for £7,500.
World War II
Bletchley Park Museum has many parts to it although the vast majority is aimed around the workers during WWII. These talented individuals worked alongside cutting edge cypher equipment and are accredited with bringing the war to an end two years early and saving thousands of lives. The intelligence they passed forward to allied forces was pivotal to the war effort and Bletchley Park Museum depicts this story well.
The codename for this encryption was ‘ultra’ and these efforts by the workers at Bletchley Park were instrumental in battles won against the U-boats in the Atlantic Ocean. The D-Day landings in June 1944 were a great success largely because allied forces knew exactly where 56 of 58 divisions of the German Army were located, due to the work carried out at Bletchley Park.
After Pearl Harbour was bombed, the US joined the war effort and Prime Minister Churchill and President Roosevelt agreed to share information and intelligence. This led to the stationing of American cryptographers at Bletchley Park and they had full access to the cypher machines.
In the latter stages of the war, the site was used to decipher messages from Japanese forces. Workers at Bletchley Park were given crash courses in Japanese over in Bedford to help their American friends defeat the Far East threat and the whole story can be seen in the Bletchley Park Museum.
Post WWII Activities
After the war had ended, there was no indication that there would ever be a Bletchley Park Museum as many machines were destroyed as well as blue prints. Over the years, before becoming Bletchley Park Museum, there were a few owners here including British Telecom and the Civil Aviation Authority. It was not until 1992 that the Bletchley Park Trust was formed after the site came close to being demolished for development and it was saved from being destroyed.
When thinking of Milton Keynes museums everyone is drawn to Bletchley Park and the exhibition centre here. Special events are held throughout the year and the grounds here are worth spending some time exploring and the lakes and parks in the area are ideal for families.
Bletchley Park Museum is one of many attractions to be found in Milton Keynes. Visit MKWeb for more information about Bletchley Park and other Milton Keynes museums.
