Northerners, Yorkshirefolk in particular

Snap

I live in Yorkshire, but am from Lancashire. I emigrated from Lancs in 93. When I got to the customs point at Saddleworth, the Yorkshire border staff put me through immigration. They removed my sense of humour, shortened by arms, sewed my pockets up and put a bolt on my wallet.

Legionreturns

I'm from Surrey, but currently on a 15 year undercover mission to bring proper English and civility to the people of the north. 

I spent the first half of that embedded into Gateshead, where I had very limited success, and had to resort to the ancient noble right of Prima Nocta, although this too has singularly failed, as the resultant offspring is both ginger, and stubbornly northern. 

Now entrenched in Yorkshire with a partner brought up on a dairy and beef farm. Again, no luck with language but I can claim that I have discovered a number of very effective ways of stopping her being friendly towards me. Buying more music kit on a regular basis has proven to be extremely successful!

Handsome_Chris

Deadman said:

I live in Oxfordshire and saying good morning to strangers is the norm. When I do that up North (specifically in Middlesbrough) people look at me like I'm mad. Sometimes people grunt back at me or reply with an "alright" but I never got the friendly north vs miserable south thing.

Being in Bicester, saying hello to strangers is not an uncommon experience to me.

I notice there is talk about how quiet Southerners are, and not a mention of Peter Sutcliffe (The Yorkshire Ripper) and Jimmy Saville. 

munckee

Handsome_Chris said:

Deadman said:

I live in Oxfordshire and saying good morning to strangers is the norm. When I do that up North (specifically in Middlesbrough) people look at me like I'm mad. Sometimes people grunt back at me or reply with an "alright" but I never got the friendly north vs miserable south thing.

Being in Bicester, saying hello to strangers is not an uncommon experience to me.

I notice there is talk about how quiet Southerners are, and not a mention of Peter Sutcliffe (The Yorkshire Ripper) and Jimmy Saville. 

I think they were both friendly though, the ripper even wrote to the police to help them with their investigations, southerners wouldn't do that.

Snap

take people as you find them, seems to work. Don't notice a lot of difference between people most places really. London is a bit different cos its so big, busy and full of people who aren't from there. If you get yourself in a local shop or boozer in London, people are just as friendly as anywhere else IME.

Lancashire folk are both the warmest and funniest for me, but I am biased.

The one exception I have come across is in North Wales. The people there seem likely to string an Englishman up rather than pass the time of day. I know that is because they are jealous, but we all have a cross to bear eh?

BigLicks67

Outside of the north west and the highlands of Scotland, the friendliest place I have spent time in was the South West, Exeter to be exact. So it's not all bad down south.

crunchman

BigLicks67 said:

Outside of the north west and the highlands of Scotland, the friendliest place I have spent time in was the South West, Exeter to be exact. So it's not all bad down south.

I'm from Devon originally - around 15 miles from Exeter.  In a lot of ways, it's probably culturally closer to the North than it is to London (where I now live).

gubble

I'm a northerner living down south.
Grew up in Cumbira and went to Uni in Yorkshire.
I now live in the new forest.

I miss certain parts of the north however don't find it any more or less friendly than where i am now. But that may be me rather than the other people.......

ESBlonde

That there London is well stocked with folks who've done the Dick Whittington move for fame and fortune. As a crowd they can be a bit intimidating, but individually most of they are friendly. Where I live now in Suffolk the natives used to have a reputation of not accepting incomers (I moved here in 1967 and it was tough at school, I bought my present house 34 years ago - Some of the locals now speak to me) ;-)
Times have changed greatly, decades ago people didn't travel much, now folks commute for hours and live where they want. The villages unspoilt by incomers are few and far between.
Treat people with a smile and we are all the better for it.

jonnyburgo

I was on Holiday in Croatia a few years ago and some cockney geezer latched on to me for the whole two weeks because he fell out with his bird on the first day,  he'd pop up like a fucking jack in a box, he was a right handfull. Friendly as you like but i didnt trust him, he told me about all the time hed done in prison within the first 5 minutes of meeting him and he was always half cut. You know when we want to tell someone to just fuck off but you dont have the heart to do it. 

Travisthedog

We are very friendly here in the south


We're just hugely suspicious of northerners

Travisthedog

crunchman said:

BigLicks67 said:

Outside of the north west and the highlands of Scotland, the friendliest place I have spent time in was the South West, Exeter to be exact. So it's not all bad down south.

I'm from Devon originally - around 15 miles from Exeter.  In a lot of ways, it's probably culturally closer to the North than it is to London (where I now live).

Whereabouts Bey?

Strat54

CountryDave said:

Despite all the noise from the White Rose side, Lancashire is by far the better side of the big hill.
There are only a few good things coming out of the east and the A59 is one of them. 
  

Nowt good south of the Ribble.

richardhomer

Travisthedog said:

We are very friendly here in the south


We're just hugely suspicious of northerners

My older sister (born in Gorton, Manchester) lived in Essex from the late sixties until about 10 years ago, when she moved back North. She was asked by someone where she was from when out with another member of our family recently and replied ‘Essex’. 

So it seems seems if you’re a northerner who spends too long in the south, you become suspicious of northerners too.

Any way, enough of this - I need to take my whippet for a walk....

munckee

I went out for a run last night and when I did my warm down walk afterwards (for lazy people who can't be bothered to stretch) I decided to say hi to everyone to see if  I can start it off down south.  Everyone said hi and I got into a chat with a lady who was doing a practice walk to see if her elderly sister would be able to manage it!

usedtobe

Where I live complete strangers still say Hello to you in the street.
 

thumpingrug

Im a Yorkshire chap who in a couple of months will have spent more of my life in the south than in good old Yorkshire.  I moved for love and work but am still stuck with a chunky accent that people pick up on very quickly.   Family, still live up there and i go up 2-3 times per year.  Accent always thickens after Ive been and softens a few days later (to my ears anyway).    It is much warmer down here in Dorset, but so much more expensive.

munckee

thumpingrug said:

Im a Yorkshire chap who in a couple of months will have spent more of my life in the south than in good old Yorkshire.  I moved for love and work but am still stuck with a chunky accent that people pick up on very quickly.   Family, still live up there and i go up 2-3 times per year.  Accent always thickens after Ive been and softens a few days later (to my ears anyway).    It is much warmer down here in Dorset, but so much more expensive.

My dad spent 16 years in scarborough and has lived in Hampshire/dorset for 54 years.  Everyone doen south says he has a Yorkshire accent and everyone up north says he has a southern accent.  When my granddad was alive he used to refer to my brother and I as little 'cockneys' because of our southern accents, which sound nothing like cockney.