City once nicknamed ‘Satan’s layby’ now crowned as one of UK’s coolest postcodes

The UK’s coolest neighbourhoods have been crowned, but there’s a surprising pick among the 2026 pack.

Milton Keynes, famously dubbed Satan’s layby by Bill Bailey, has made it onto The Times’ annual list of the 11 most happening UK postcodes to move to.

The concrete jungle has ungone quite the revamp since it was built as one of the country’s first ‘new towns’ in 1967.

Though its soulless grey buildings and American-style grid pattern are still the city’s most famous features, the Buckinghamshire hub now has a burgeoning arts scene and thriving coffee culture, according to the research.

So, clearly it’s not one to write off just yet.

‘I’m about as Milton Keynes as they come’

Content creator Sophie Neal was born and bred in Milton Keynes, and she says that, like a stick of rock, if you cut her in half, she’s be ‘MK straight through the middle.’

‘My parents were born in Milton Keynes in the 60s, and my grandparents were London overspill, moving to the area in the 50s. My great-grandfather opened a shop on Bletchley High Street that became Neal’s Toys and is part of the fabric of MK’s history,’ she tells Metro.

She grew up in a village 10 minutes from the city centre, and she says that her experience was probably much like ‘most Millennials in the area,’ noting that it ‘wasn’t amazing’ and she ‘often struggled to find things to do.’

When she moved away to Birmingham to university, she was desperate for a breath of fresh air.

But when she graduated, she accepted a job back in her home city and swiftly moved back in with her parents, which was a watershed moment.

She says: ‘In 2016, Milton Keynes had a reputation for being full of chain restaurants, roundabouts and concrete cows. I decided to use the blog I started in 2012 as a means to explore the independent food scene and start showcasing small, locally owned businesses.’

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Now, she’s nurtured an online community of more than 30,000 people who share similar values to her. She also hosts annual street food events, collaborates with local restaurants, and has made it her mission to spread the word about the undisputed brilliance of Milton Keynes.

‘I’m really proud to be changing perceptions of the city,’ she reflects.

‘I think Milton Keynes is cool, and once people stop trying to force it to be something it isn’t, it certainly gives you a new appreciation for it. We’re within easy reach of London, yet we can come home to a relatively peaceful existence.

‘It is a cool place to live, because it is a bit quirky, but when you speak to people who have lived here or moved here from elsewhere, you will find so many people who actually love it and will defend it.’

Things to do in Milton Keynes

Alongside its gigantic shopping centre and wealth of car parking spaces, MK features over 22 million trees and shrubs in public open spaces.

In fact, approximately 25% of the urban area in MK is parkland or woodland, and it boasts two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in Howe Park Wood and Oxley Mead.

The city also has more waterfront than the island of Jersey, 186 miles of ‘redway’ cycle paths, 200 public works of art, a 1,400-seat theatre, and three museums showcasing everything from history to computing.

Milton Keynes has been touted as a hub for urban technology testing in recent years, and it still has the ‘world’s largest autonomous robot fleet’ delivering products across the city. Futuristic, or what?

When it comes to things to do, one of the most impressive feats Milton Keynes is known for is XScape. As well as shops, restaurants, and a Cineworld, there’s also an indoor snow dome.

And this isn’t any old dry slope: it’s got actual snow inside, meaning it’s basically just like Val Thorens, if you want to practise your turns.

There’s also MK Gallery, which currently has an exhibition curated by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Tickets for MK residents are discounted to £10.25, while the standard rate is £15.95.

Housing in Milton Keynes

When it comes to housing in Milton Keynes, the going rate is more than average – but it’s certainly cheaper than the situation down in London.

According to statistics from Rightmove, the typical house in the area has gone for £356,163 over the last year.

Comparatively, data from Zoopla places the current UK average at £270,000, according to ONS figures, which is almost £100,000 cheaper than buying up four walls in Milton Keynes. Meanwhile, in the capital, things have racked up to £660,975 over the last year.

Transport links in Milton Keynes

MK is an ideal location for commuting out to London, if you want to spend less on a house share or a mortgaged home. However, you’ll need to be prepared to pay a fair amount in train fares.

The fastest trains to Euston take around 30 minutes, but longer journeys can take up to 1 hour and 6 minutes, which costs around £45 return.

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