Read my Hereford travel logue here.

Can you believe it? I went three months between my Gloucester and Hereford trips, but only a week between Hereford and Milton Keynes.

Technically, Lancaster should be next on my list, but Milton Keynes was closer and considerably cheaper, so I deviated from my regular schedule.

You will find Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire fifty miles north-west of London. The “milton” means “middle” or “middle town,” and the “Keynes” refers to the Norman Cahaignes family who owned the area in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Over time, Cahaignes became Keynes as the latter was easier to say.

Milton Keynes along with Doncaster is one of the youngest cities on my list having only gained city status in the late Queen’s 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebrations. As such, it doesn’t have a cathedral.

My journey didn’t start the best. I missed my 11.16 train from London Euston by two minutes. As it’s the summer holidays, Euston was swarming with families and suitcases, which slowed me up. I also should have left my home sooner. Fortunately, I had bought a super off-peak day return ticket, which meant I could catch the 11.43 train to Milton Keynes, no problem.

I arrived in Milton Keynes at 12.13.

I entered into a massive forecourt and bus station. It was under-construction, but it still looked neater than all the roadworks at Gloucester. There was no pneumatic drilling here.

Upon examining the city map, I learned that the station is nowhere near the city centre. To reach the shops, I would have to walk along the Midsommar Boulevard, which is what I did. En route, I found Milton Keynes’ unofficial answer to a cathedral – the Church of Christ the Cornerstone.

Alas, it was closed, because it was a Saturday. I spotted a cafe and shop inside, so I think it would be open during the week.

Onwards, I went into the Midsommer Place shopping centre, where I saw a topsy-turvy house.

It was one of those trick, optical illusion pictures where you can take photos of yourself standing on the ceiling. But at £5 a pop, I gave this attraction a skip. Instead, I tried and failed to find the new Alex Rider book in the local Waterstone’s. It’s been out for a year. I don’t understand why I can’t find it. I also quickly browsed the Willen Hospice charity shop.

By now, it was past 1pm and my stomach was sounding like a dying whale. This is when I stumbled upon Milton Keynes’ market – an amazing cluster of Market stalls selling anything you would expect – hardware, clothes and food. There were butchers, green grocers and fabric sellers. It seemed like the market was catering for Milton Keynes’ ethnic communities as much of the merchandise was either South Asian or Afro-Caribbean nature. I saw all types of spices that you might get in African food and I heard a multitude of South Asian languages.

I also found a DVD stall where I bought five DVDs: Ratatouille, the Artist, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Final Fantasy VII and Remember the Titans – all for £2.50. 50p each. Half the price of what you would find in CEX.

If you want some cheap DVDs, head here before September, as that’s when this guy is shutting up shop. All these films feature on the top 1000 films of all time, which I am reviewing on my blog.

Now it was lunch time. What to go for? The heat of Caribbean food? The umami of a noodle bar? The heavy meat you get in a kebab? Or the fresh spices of Indian cuisine. It’s like I’m writing a cooking article now, but those were the options I had to choose from. There was even a bacon sandwich shop. I am partial to some crispy, salty bacon, but I plumped for one of the Indian stalls, where I bought an egg Dhosa and a mango lassi.

Dhosa is a South-Asian pancake made out of rice flour usually served with chutneys and curry. Recently, I’ve taken a liking to Indian street food like Vada Pav and Dabeli – in Gloucester, I tried some Pani Puri – so it was about time I tried some South Indian food. In true Indian style, I ate it with my hands – when in Milton Keynes, do as the Milton Keynians do … or something.

Anyway, the Dhosa was botachar (very good in Hindi, I don’t know what it is in Malalayam) Dare I say, it was one of the best things I’ve eaten on these city trips. Usually, when I eat crepes, they’re the light French pancakes with nutella and bananas.

But I thoroughly enjoyed the savoury Dhosa. As it was made from rice flour and egg, it was very filling. The chutneys had a nice kick, but not overpoweringly so – plus the Dhosa was perfect for scooping up the curry. Best of all, the whole meal was £8.50. What I ate in Hereford cost me £13.50. The Dhosa itself was only £5. Amazing. I also could have bought a burger, chips and drink for the same price.

By now it was 1.40 and I headed into the nearby Sulbury Arcade shopping centre, which had an indoor beach-themed funfair plus all your standard chain shops. It was quite a contrast to see a shopping centre and a market next to each other like this. I did enjoy the market. Yes, it was dirty, cramped, with too many people, but that’s what good markets should be like – not the generic identiless crap you get in London.

From here, I started wandering out of the city. The first thing I saw was an art installation that had pillars with various dates inscribed onto them such as St. David’s Day, St. George’s Day, World Poetry Day, Diwali and George Floyd’s death.

It also had a pillar inscribed with “nominate an unsung hero” day. I vote for all the amazing care home workers out there.

From there, I kept heading uphill until I reached the Light Pyramid. This pyramid was designed to replace the original basket beacon. Being first lit for the late Queen’s 2012 Diamond Jubilee, it is now lit to commemorate special occasions.

It also marked the boundary to Campbell Park – the entrance to Milton Keynes’ amazing natural landscape. Seriously, it was on par with Chester.

I saw signs pointing to something called the Peace Pagoda. That was my next destination. I was loving Milton Keynes at this moment – the hot sun was warming my body, and it was so quiet, as I headed through the park, which took me down to the Grand Union Canal. The canal flows from Birmingham to Brentford, while serving Milton Keynes along the way.

I had a pleasant stroll along the canal, before eventually navigating my way to the Peace Pagoda. I arrived at this incredible temple at 2.45. It had been randomly placed in the middle of Willen Park and I’m not really sure why, but it was still magnificent. Further on, you had the equally beautiful Willen Lake.

I saw signs for Willen Park maze, so that was where I headed next. But after looking for it for half an hour, I finally found it – a minute away from the temple. I had been looking for something with walls or hedges, not a two-dimensional pattern cut onto the grass.

It was 3.15 by this time and I had no patience for solving the maze, so I walked straight across and sat down in the shade of a tree. Good thing I’m not in a labyrinth with a minotaur. It has been dry recently, so the grass wasn’t as soft as it could have been. But I still spent a happy half-hour here writing up my review for the film Blow – it’s a biopic about narcotrafficker George Jung played by Johnny Depp. It had every potential of being the next Goodfellas, but it descended into an overly-sentimental family drama.

Anyway, at 3.50, I stumbled upon this stone circle. Apparently, it was a medicine wheel built in the millennium to help rejuvenate the wounded Earth. It all seemed very pagan to me.

From here, I headed to a nearby Japanese house and garden, which was very pretty if rather random.

I then inspected this tree that had been decorated with ribbons, photos and banners. It turned out to be a touching memorial to the local people who have recently died. It was simple but powerful.

By now, it was nearing four, and the beauty of having an off-peak day return meant I could get any train home – not the 18.23 train I was intending to take. And, even though, the Dhosa had been filling, it wasn’t that filling – I was getting hungry again. Plus, my feet hurt from all the walking I did, so I started my hour-long walk back to the station. By 5.18, I was on the train back to London, meaning I would get back home by 7pm.

Considering all the trouble I had getting home from Hereford -leading me getting back home near enough midnight – I was very happy that the trains were co-operating today. I really enjoyed my time in Milton Keynes. I definitely saw more of the country than the city, but the countryside was absolutely gorgeous. Lancaster? I want to say you’re next, but I might be taking another deviation again.