AD – This is a paid partnership with Spin.
Milton Keynes seems to always be at the forefront of innovative, cool stuff. It is currently the only town in the UK to use Starship Robots so it was unsurprising that it became one of the first places to trail e-scooters! Spin e-scooters launched in Milton Keynes over the summer and MK is one of seven places to have these scooters. They are a fun, eco-friendly alternative to cars and a much speedier way to get from A to B than walking.
I was super excited to be given the opportunity to try these and tell you what I thought! In this blog post, I’ll be sharing everything you need to know about using Spin e-Scooters to explore Milton Keynes. I’ve also got a code for you to try them for free!
How do Spin e-scooters work?
All you need to do is download the Spin App on your smartphone. You will need to fill in your details and submit your driving licence, as you need to be over 18 to legally ride the scooters. Once you have set yourself up, open the app and find your nearest scooter. The app will show the location of the scooter, as well as the battery level (worth bearing in mind if you’re going to be using one for a while!)
Once you’ve found your scooter, click ‘ride’ and scan the QR code on the handlebar of the scooter. You’re ready to ride!
When you’ve finished your ride, you can leave the scooter wherever you are. Just tap ‘end ride’ on the app and submit a photo of where you’ve parked it Make sure you leave it stood up in a sensible place (i.e not in the middle of a path or blocking parking spaces!)
How much is it to ride the scooters?
The scooters cost 25p per minute. To quantify that, for a half-hour ride, it works out at about £7.50. You’ll find a code at the end of this post where you can get 20 minutes of free riding!
Are the scooters easy to use?
Yes! But give yourself a few minutes to get used to them and controlling the speed.
You simply start by pushing your foot along the floor, then pressing the ‘go’ trigger on the handlebars. The harder you press, the faster you go. There is a break to control your speed and help you come to a stop. Don’t forget to wear a helmet and use your bell when approaching people!
Are the scooters safe to use?
Once I had got used to riding them, they were great fun and felt really safe. There is a bell on the scooter so you can ring it when approaching people (like you should do on a bike!) You have control over the speed so can go at whatever pace you feel comfortable.
From a hygiene perspective, I’d recommend taking a bottle of hand gel with you and/or some wipes to give the handles a quick wipe down before you use the scooter.
Where can I ride the scooters in MK?
You can ride the Spin scooters on all of the Redways in Milton Keynes and on the minor estate roads. You can’t ride the scooters on the road where the speed limit is over 30mph and you shouldn’t ride them on footpaths.
The map in the app shows very clearly where you can’t ride and/or park your scooter – the areas shaded in red – and if you go too close to those zones the scooter will beep and automatically stop.
My experience with Spin
It was a lovely cool but bright autumn day when we decided to ride. We picked up our scooters outside of Xscape and rode up to Campbell Park where we got a great view of the MK skyline featuring Xscape, MK Theatre and MK Gallery. With the max speed of 15 mph, you can get around really quickly on these scooters so we saw lots of MK we probably would drive straight by.
Campbell Park is quite hilly, but the scooters cope no problem – much easier than a bike! You could go a little further and head to Willen Lake and the Tree Cathedral. Basically, with Spin, MK is your oyster!
Once we were done with exploring and hunger struck, we rode back towards the shopping centre and stopped for lunch at Made in Sud. There are so many great independent eateries popping up in Central MK, so if you need some inspiration on where to stop for a bite to eat or a coffee, here is some coming right up…
My favourite food stops for scooting
You can’t ride the scooters into the shopping centre, but you can stop right outside. Here are some ideas of independent places to eat in Central MK if you’re in need of a bite to eat after riding on the scooters. There are safe places to leave the scooters nearby too.
- Bogota Coffee Company – Brilliant coffee with good bagels for lunch.
- Queen’s Court Street Food Market – A great range of street food from around the world. Read my full guide here.
- The Green Elephant Café – A great spot for brunch and lunch with vegan and vegetarian options available.
- Made in Sud – Best pizza in Milton Keynes! A margarita will set you back £4.90 and it is totally delicious.
- MK Gallery Café – Good coffee, tasty cakes and you can have a wander around the latest exhibitions afterwards!
The Spin e-scooters were great fun and I will definitely be using them again to explore Central Milton Keynes and the surrounding areas. With MK’s network of Redways, you can pretty much get right across the town with minimal effort and no driving.
Get a FREE ride on Spin Scooters
Use my code SOPHIENEAL to get £5 free credit so you can try the scooters for yourself! This equates to 20 minutes on the scooters, so plenty of time to pick one up and zip across the city centre.
Have you tried the Spin e-scooters yet?
You might also like:
- My guide to the most Instagrammable locations in Milton Keynes
- The ultimate guide to eating and exploring in Buckingham
- Five things I love about Milton Keynes
DISCLAIMER: This post is part of a paid content campaign. Click here for my full disclosure policy.
