I’m not really sure if this is useful or not but I thought I’d give it a go – I think lots of people wouldn’t normally consider Milton Keynes being a place they would love to visit so here is my pitch on why you should give it a go (for Tesla owners).
If you’re ever planning on charging at the Northampton superchargers (nothing to do there other than eat/drink which is a shame) remember Milton Keynes isn’t just full of roundabouts & concrete cows, we have a reliable set of rapid chargers (Chademo) next to tons of lovely walks/lakes/canals & pubs (see map) & some interesting places to explore.
- Rough cost of £3 for 100 miles of charge (with Chargemaster Polar, free 6 months (then £7.85p/m) + 9p/kw or instant access at £1.50 + 9p/kw). Compared with £10 for the rough equivalent in petrol it’s not bad but I admit a bit expensive for EVs.
- Free parking in the centre (shops/bars/hotels etc) when CHARGING at the above costs. Plenty of Rapid Chargers, even if it says it’s pay and display if you’re charging it will be FREE (proof > https://goo.gl/0apSrt) – Free parking after 6pm anyway.
- Walks around Willen Lake, Ouzel Valley Park, Woughton on the Green, Woughton Park, Caldecotte Lake (with an outside Gym), Campbell Park (outside summer events), Stony Stratford Nature Reserve, Furzton lake are all good + they all have rapid chargers within walking distance. (see more about parks here > http://goo.gl/abX7lQ)
- I’ve listed the best pubs IMO for food/decent drinks etc, there are obviously tons of bars, pubs & restaurants in the main city/town but no need for me to list them. Tripadvisor is your friend. Lots of rapid & non-rapid chargers in the main area near shops/bars etc.
- Bletchley Park & The National Museum of Computing (do I need to explain why this is awesome?) – Although annoyingly no car charger…. Will have a word with them.
- IKEA with an Ecotricity Rapid Charger + Ecotricity on the M1 nearby. Be warned that place is horrific at the weekends + often ICED or EVs parked and not charging!
- If you like biking the whole city has dedicated cycle routes (not on the road) + you can go through all of the parks as well.
- Airkix (indoor skydiving) & SnowZone (indoor ski/snowboarding + other activities) are worth a visit, just remember to shop around for deals first as they can be a tad expensive (& also very busy during peak times).
- Gullivers land for the kids (young kids only) with Rapid charger next door. BE CAREFUL the tree cathedral (next door to the charger) is lovely but don’t have a picnic there (like we did) as it’s a place for scattering ashes….and you may look like nutters!
- Any questions just shout and hello again to the growing population of Tesla owners in MK!
I look forward to anyone else doing a mini guide like this for their town/city.
Map Courtsey of Zap-Maps with my own annotations on top. Best pubs for food/drink in my opinion March 2016.
A letter from Milton Keynes Council when I questioned the parking rules regarding EV charging:
Good Afternoon
Thank you for your email enquiry and apologies for the delay in responding.
Here is the link to our webpage which explains the different types of charging bays and how to join Chargemaster the company who have installed the charge points http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/streets-transport-and-parking/electric-vehicle/electric-vehicle-charge-points Parking is free if your vehicle is in a charging only bay and plugged in and charging but we also have bays to accommodate electric vehicles which are not charging.
This is explained more fully on the above page and there is a map of the city showing the bays suitable for electric vehicles although currently it does not distinguish between those for charging only and those to park free all day.
We currently offer a ‘Green’ permit to vehicles whose emissions are 100g per km or less which costs £75 and allows you to park in the standard purple spaces however, there are plans to offer from 1st April a new permit for Ultra Low Electric Vehicles – A Go Ultra Low car is an ultra-low emission car which produces 75g or less of CO2 per kilometre from the tailpipe and a minimum 10 miles of zero-emission driving which will be free.
If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us.
Kind Regards
Mrs Jean Steppings
Parking Operations Advisor
T: 01908 252831
E: [email protected]
T: 01908 252309 (Parking helpline)
E: [email protected]