Measuring the distances…
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Thinking of living at MK42 9NE? Who your neighbours would be, how far the schools, station, shops, GP and parks are from the postcode itself, which schools are near and how they do, what there is to do at the weekend, and a day in the life here.
The school, station, shops and GP are all within about a 15-minute walk.
Answer a few questions in Where could I live? and this will use your own priorities. Until then, try a perspective.
Working out the fit…
here typical · scale 0–50%
53 crimes recorded on The Sidings in the last 12 months. The street →
here typical · scale 0–50%
here England and Wales · scale 0–100%
here England and Wales · scale 0–50%
| School | Stage | Distance | Latest results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shackleton Primary School | Primary | 350 m | 54% met the expected standard |
| Cauldwell School | Primary | 750 m | 74% met the expected standard |
| King's Oak Primary School | Primary | 900 m | 61% met the expected standard |
| Bedford Free School | Secondary | 700 m | Attainment 8: 46.5 · 10.3% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| Bedford Academy | Secondary | 1.3 km | Attainment 8: 42.8 · 8.4% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| Castle Newnham School | Secondary | 1.7 km | – |
| Daubeney Academy | Secondary | 2.0 km | Attainment 8: 38.5 · 4.2% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| Goldington Academy | Secondary | 2.5 km | Attainment 8: 54.3 · 17.6% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| Bedford Girls' School | Independent | 800 m | 42.1% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| Bedford School | Independent | 1.7 km | 44.7% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| Polam School | Independent | 1.8 km | – |
Every primary near MK42 9NE, ranked → · Every secondary → Ranked on results, with Ofsted and SEN; each school's page says how hard it is to get in.
No state primary within 2 km has Ofsted's top rating.
| Sport | Nearest | Distance | Places |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennis | Bedford Girls School Junior School Tennis Courts | 650 m | 16 |
| Swimming | Bedford Girls School | 720 m | 11 |
| Golf | The Bedford Golf Club | 2.9 km | 7 |
| Football | Alexander Sports Centre | 2.4 km | 6 |
| Rowing | Bedford Rowing Club | 860 m | 5 |
| Bowls | Russell Park Bowling Green | 1.2 km | 4 |
| Squash | John Bunyan Sports And Fitness | 1.2 km | 4 |
| Cricket | Alexander Sports Centre | 2.4 km | 3 |
| Judo | Kraken MMA & Fitness | 1.3 km | 2 |
| Wrestling | Kraken MMA & Fitness | 1.3 km | 2 |
| Rugby union | Bedford Blues Rugby Club | 1.7 km | 2 |
| Badminton | Bedford & County Badminton Club | 1.9 km | 2 |
| Canoe | Viking Kayak Club | 1000 m | 1 |
| Bjj | Kraken MMA & Fitness | 1.3 km | 1 |
| Kickboxing | Kraken MMA & Fitness | 1.3 km | 1 |
| Mma | Kraken MMA & Fitness | 1.3 km | 1 |
The 16 sports with most places shown, of 41. Named clubs, pitches and centres mapped in OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL) and facilities registered with Sport England Active Places (Contains Data © Sport England, CC BY 4.0). Neither list is complete, so a club not shown may still exist.
The nearest station is Bedford St Johns, a few minutes' walk (400 m), with 176k journeys a year; its busiest route is to London St Pancras International.
The nearest bus stop is Elstow Road Post Office, 150 m away, with a bus about every 27 minutes on weekdays (routes MK1, 9A, 9B, 9); 14 departures an hour from the 7 stops within a 5-minute walk.
Central London is 72 km away as the crow flies.
The nearest primary school is Shackleton Primary School, a few minutes' walk (350 m); 54% met the expected standard.
None of the state primaries within 2 km has Ofsted's top rating.
The nearest secondary is Bedford Free School, 700 m away; Attainment 8: 46.5 · 10.3% of GCSEs at 8–9.
Top-rated secondaries within reach: Goldington Academy (2.3 km).
It's a family area: 21% of residents are under 15.
The nearest supermarket is Asda Express PFS Southgate, 300 m away, with Family Shop closer still (150 m) for top-ups.
The nearest GP surgery is London Road Health Centre (300 m), with Lotus Pharmacy the closest pharmacy (300 m).
For a haircut, Christopher's is 250 m away.
The nearest full A&E is Bedford Hospital, 1.6 km away, rated requires improvement by the CQC.
At its trust, 63% of major A&E patients were seen within 4 hours in September 2026 (the NHS standard is 95%), and 60% of people waiting for planned treatment had waited under 18 weeks (typical wait 15 weeks).
There's a handful of places to eat and drink locally: 14 restaurants and cafés, 6 pubs and bars.
London Peri Peri Grill is the closest café or restaurant (250 m), and Gardeners Arms the nearest pub (400 m).
Takeaways are plentiful (14 of them).
Crime is higher than in most places, at about 177 per 1,000 residents a year (busy town centres push this figure up).
There are 17 listed buildings.
It's a mix of homes: 25% flats and 10% detached houses.
The typical home here was built in 1945-1954.
The nearest park is St Mary's Gardens, 900 m away; for exercise, The Gym (350 m).
Air quality is around the national middle (nitrogen dioxide 9.5 µg/m³).
For holidays, London Luton is 28 km away.
35 places on this map are within about a 10-minute walk.
Walking times are estimates from straight-line distance. Food businesses from the FSA food hygiene register; schools from the DfE register; nurseries from Ofsted's childcare register; care homes from the Care Quality Commission; pools, sports halls, tennis and golf from Sport England Active Places (contains data © Sport England); everything else © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Map © OpenFreeMap, OpenMapTiles, OpenStreetMap contributors.
More for moving: Moving for a reason · Where could I live? · Places like Kingsbrook · Compare a shortlist
Most households own their home, 23% rent privately.
Written from the figures on this page: Census 2021, DfT journey times (2019), NaPTAN/ORR, Ofsted, CQC, FSA, police.uk and planning registers. Figures describe the neighbourhood around the street.