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Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes (commonly referred to by everyone as “MK”) is a very green city with more than 22 million trees and shrubs, 200 parks, 15 beautiful lakes and 11 miles of canals. Dotted by a lot of green areas, MK is perfect when you feel too stressed by your work. You can simply pop out for a bit and enjoy the beauty of the nature in every season of the year using the miles and miles of cycle tracks, bridleways and footpaths. If this is not enough, the Grand Union Canal passes through the centre of MK and so canal boats are another possibility to relax yourself!

The infamous grid roads connect all the areas of MK and keep traffic away from the residential and recreational areas getting the benefit of enjoining the peace and silence of your house after a hard day at the university!

However, city life is never too far from you. Thanks to the same grid roads, the extensive bus network and cycle paths (known as “redways”) you can safely and efficiently reach the city centre where you can join to the many community events and experience many indoor activities, including:

  • XScape contains a 170 m indoor ski slope with real snow, a 16-screen cinema, a trampoline park, an indoor swimming pool, bars and restaurants and many other activities.
  • The Centre:MK : with over 220 shops and restaurants this shopping centre is arranged along two parallel arcades planted with temperate and sub-tropical trees.
  • Milton Keynes Theatre has a varied year-round programme of London shows, touring productions and music.
  • MK Gallery is a public gallery partnered up with Tate containing constantly changing contemporary and visual exhibitions.
  • Stadium:MK is a 30,000 seats stadium, home to MK Dons Football Club and hosts many high profile national and international sporting events.
  • Other activities around the city include: indoor rock climbing and bouldering, mini golf, escape rooms and safari park.

Travel

Milton Keynes has over 200 miles of redways, which are shared-use, traffic-free pathways that connect the different areas of the city. The redways are ideal for cycling, walking and using electric scooters.

The bus network is a popular way to get around the city. The £2 government price cap on bus tickets applies for all single tickets. Also, discounted student weekly tickets are available for purchase on some bus routes. Full bus network information is available from GetAroundMK. You can get to the OU campus via the 150 bus route which stops on campus and connects MK Central train station, the Open University and Aylesbury. Bus stops for bus routes 5 and 6 are located within the 15 min walk from the campus.

Popular taxi companies are Bolt, Skyline and Uber. MK Connect is a public transport option for residents that are not served by a bus route. It can be booked via the app.

Getting around Milton Keynes by car is convenient and easy and there are car parks are available throughout the city. Milton Keynes is served by Junctions 13 and 14 on the M1, which makes is easy to travel from.

There are direct fast and slow trains to London Euston are available every 10 mins from MK Central train station. Direct trains to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Blackpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh and many more, are also available. Reduced ticket prices can be purchased with a railcard. Bus route X5 connects Bedford, Milton Keynes, Buckingham and Oxford for just £2 single ticket.

The closest airport to Milton Keynes is Luton Airport which can be reached in 30 min by car or 30-40 min by bus (National Express 240, 707, 737). Gatwick Airport can also be reached by bus (route 230).

For more information on travel around Milton Keynes visit GetAroundMK.

OU Campus

The OU campus is located next to the Ouzel Valley Park, and it is surrounded by green spaces ideal for walking, bird watching, exercise and cycling.

Taught courses at the OU are online or distance learning courses and therefore we have no undergraduates or taught postgraduate students on campus. We do, however, still have a dynamic and busy campus full of academic staff, researchers, research students and support staff.

Coffee, cakes, snacks and home-cooked lunches are available daily at the Hub. Large sitting area and comfy sofas make the Hub the heart of the campus.

Quiet study spaces and meeting rooms for staff and students can be found at the OU Library. A Postgraduate Researchers Common Room is also located at the OU Library, and it is ideal for socialising, playing board games and relaxing.

A wide range of clubs, societies, events and activities are open to staff and students. A full list can be found here: https://www5.open.ac.uk/ouclub/main/ou-club. Examples include sports clubs (e.g., football, squash, badminton), art/creative clubs (e.g., theatre group, salsa, orchestra) and postgraduate student societies (RocSoc, HookeSoc).