Still noodling around trying to find more information on Bletchley Park and environs. It suddenly occurred to me that instead of travelling from Heathrow into London and then, a day or so later, on up to MK and back, perhaps it would be smarter to spend the nite at Heathrow (late evening arrival), arise refreshed, take the coach to MK -- (have gotten that part of the info ok at the websit -- but oh my!, those coach and transport schemes are confusing, aren't they!) -- visit BPk and then find a comfy hotel or B/B before heading into London the following day. But....are there "comfy" hotels or B*B's in the area? Is it "scenic"/"pleasant," can we find something worthwhile for our evening or next-morning hours?

We're a bit hobbled, this visit, by some health constraints that mean a lot of luggage hauling/trekking just isn't going to work (even tho, because we'll be boarding a transatlantic crossing a few days later a "lot of luggage" almost goes w/o saying). So I'm trying to simplify the on/off/get here-get there business of it all...It sure can get overwhelming.

The trip to Bletchley Park and back from London Euston is an easy one. My family made the trip there in 2002 the day after arriving in London. Really and truly I can't imagine why you'd want to spend the night in Milton Keynes.

You can quite easily walk from Bletchley railway station to Bletchley Park without any problem. One of the reasons for the M.O.D choosing this location was its proximity to the mainline to London.
Stay in London, grab a stopping train from Euston then alight at Bletchley. Allow at least four hours there. For me the fascination never ended, the guides were fantastic and historically those people cut the war short by at least two years. As Churchill said "My Golden Goose that never cackles"!!

Why should you not stay at Milton Keynes? Well it is a modern town built around a shopping centre that is famed for its roundabouts and its concrete cow sculptures. Not a site of beauty and given Bletchley is an easy commute from London I would advise that you stay there

When I visited Bletchley Park in 1998, I stayed the weekend in Bletchley (because I was heading out on a narrowboat cruise on Monday). As I remember, there were two places to stay in Bletchley, a B&B and the Swan Inn, a pub. I stayed at the Swan, which I am not recommending, because it was kind of a dismal place and because the two or more flights of narrow stairs to the rooms would not be suitable for people with mobility problems. There are undoubtedly numerous chain hotels in modern Milton Keynes.

What I did with the extra half day I had was walk the Grand Union canal down to Soulbury Three Locks, had lunch at the excellent pub there, and walk back. I should have walked on to Leighton Buzzard and taken the train back, but didn't know I could. Very pleasant pastoral English countryside.

I too think you should visit Bletchley Park as a day trip from London.

Is Milton Keynes related to Maynard Keynes?

I think I ate at the Swan Pub!

If hauling luggage gives you pause, the advice to stay in London, leave your bags, and make it a day trip is a good one.

One thing that simply amazed me about the stories surrounding BP is that NO ONE knew what they were up to there. The folks working there kept it utterly secret. could you see that happening today in our 24/7 news culture?

Horstead Keynes, Summerford Keynes,Ashtead Keynes and Milton Keynes are so named because they were manors belonging to the Keynes family.

Thanks for the excellent info! A day-trip it will be, looks like.