Living away from the city has made me soft.

jonnyburgo

Moved out of Salford 16 years ago and commuted on the bike to there up until 6 years ago, changed jobs and for the last 6 have been commuting on the bike up to High Peak which is up in the Derbyshire hills. So my life is in the country pretty much and I like it, cycling, walking, wild swimming etc. Last night we drove to Salford Quays to the Watersports Centre to do paddle boarding and I was struck by how busy it is now over that way, built up, loads of people, terrible traffic, gangs of kids wheelying down the main road into oncoming cars and generally lots of very down trodden looking people. Have to say the Quays area is really nice, a very European feel with people sat out in the heat eating and drinking. But there was shit everywhere, loads of bins but loads of rubbish, especially in the water. Maybe it's for younger people who like the buzz and energy, but I was slightly on edge. Weird really as I lived in Salford for 30 yrs. 

boogieman

I go up to London to see my mum every couple of weeks. I lived in central London for 50 odd years but it does my crust in nowadays. Same sort of experience: manic traffic everywhere, dirty streets, massively polluted, too many people, it’s just a miserable experience. I used to love the buzz of the place, now I can’t wait to leave. 

SurfinSirFari

boogieman said:

I go up to London to see my mum every couple of weeks. I lived in central London for 50 odd years but it does my crust in nowadays. Same sort of experience: manic traffic everywhere, dirty streets, massively polluted, too many people, it’s just a miserable experience. I used to love the buzz of the place, now I can’t wait to leave. 

+1. I don't miss having black snot. 

Kilgore

boogieman said:

I go up to London to see my mum every couple of weeks. I lived in central London for 50 odd years but it does my crust in nowadays. Same sort of experience: manic traffic everywhere, dirty streets, massively polluted, too many people, it’s just a miserable experience. I used to love the buzz of the place, now I can’t wait to leave. 

Same here.

I loved the buzz and energy of London when I lived there. I don't go that often these days. I get out of Paddington Station and it overwhelms me and takes a couple of hours to adjust. 

Grumpyrocker

Although from South Manchester I lived in London for a while, in Finchley, then across the border in Essex and Northolt. Now I live in rural Dorset. The idea of going in the centre of London gives me the heebies, even without the pandemic. I can do without the crowds, air quality, the heat, and the black snot from the tube. 

skay

@jonnyburgo Your post could be the English version of the Baz Luhrman song 'Sunscreen'

"Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard;
Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft."

yocky

I used to look forward to getting out of London for a break but I can't cope with the roving rural gangs of cranky old musicians

ICBM

I used to live in Edinburgh, which is supposedly one of the nicest cities to live in - as long as you avoid the not so nice bits, presumably - but moved out twenty years ago and now live a few miles away. I missed it at first but I hate going back in now... dirty, polluted, overcrowded, run down, overpriced everything, pushy aggressive drivers, terrible badly repaired roads, road works absolutely everywhere with no apparent logic (or a deliberate one to make *every* alternative route a battle)... I’d much rather take the bus but they’re unreliable as well.

Glasgow is even dirtier but always seems less stressful - not sure why!

Grumpyrocker

yocky said:

I used to look forward to getting out of London for a break but I can't cope with the roving rural gangs of cranky old musicians

Ooh arrrr, you be not from around these parts

Kilgore

yocky said:

I used to look forward to getting out of London for a break but I can't cope with the roving rural gangs of cranky old musicians

When you here the dueling banjos, it's time to get back to the city...




Quickly.

menamestom

I do fancy living up High Peak way at some point myself, I live in Gatley which is nice, not exactly Salford, but the traffic and general noise can be a bit much (I'm close to a flight path, 2 motorways, a major A Road and a train line).

RaymondLin

You are not getting soft, you just prefer the nicer things.  It's normal once you get used to it.  When you are younger you don't see those as negative, it's all part and parcel of the buzz but when you are not looking for the hustle and bustle then it's just getting in the way.

What I dislike about most London (and most major cities in the world) is that i feel like i have to be on my full guard all the time, treat each and every other person as a potential threat/pickpocket.  That gets tiring very quickly.

yocky

Kilgore said:

yocky said:

I used to look forward to getting out of London for a break but I can't cope with the roving rural gangs of cranky old musicians

When you here the dueling banjos, it's time to get back to the city...

That would be fine. It's usually a few clunky power chords in an unwelcoming pub, accompanying a complaint about how their sex is on fire.

rlw

I live in York after living in London and working all over the centre for 66+ years.

I miss the place - the dirt, the noise, the rude people, the hot tube, Bromley South to Victoria at busy times, traffic, parking and the cost generally.

I also miss the multitude of decent pubs, restaurants, venues, attractive and well dressed women, cabs available all night and day.the general broad outlook.

I'd move back tomorrow.  It's alive.  York, in common with many places, sucks the life out of you to give an appearance of life.

A tip for all the non-Londoners upon visiting - walk faster.

Tannin

I lived in a big city for 10 years when I was 20-odd, and liked it. (I have no idea why.) These days, I avoid big cities like the plague. (Sorry, like the way sensible people avoid the plague.)  Hate the bloody places and can't wait to get out if I have to go there for some reason. And they are getting worse and worse with ever increasing populations and ever-worsening traffic. Most places up to about 250,000 people are pretty bearable to visit, even half a million at a pinch. Over that ... only if there is no  possible way of avoiding it.

Offset

Interesting thread.  I was born in London, lived there after graduating and still consider myself a Londoner in some small way.  I now live in the Cotswolds and whilst I still enjoy visiting London (I was there last weekend) and occasionally working there, I absolutely could not live there these days.  You need to either be very young or very rich (and preferably both) to make it work for you.  I don't think it's a case of getting 'soft', it's just acknowledging (in my case at least) that a slower pace of life is preferable to one that's lived at 100mph every day once you start clocking up the years.

Hottubes

I was speaking to Roland Lumby from manchester. And he reckons manchester has the biggest building project going on in Europe at present.

They're building monstrosity high rises everywhere.  They look awful.

Grumpyrocker

Although I grew up in suburban Greater Manchester, we'd spend almost every Sunday on my uncle's farm in Disley (on the edge of the Peak District). It was there I was always happiest. 

We moved from London to West Dorset in 2009 specifically because my wife's parents now lived there, and with my wife about to have a baby it seemed a good move.

One of the best decision I've ever made. It's not as peaceful as you'd think - we're in full tractor season - but I love the fresh air, the lack of crowds (at least away from our local beach right now) - and the pace of life. And the anxiety I've struggled with my whole life has never been better. 

munckee

RaymondLin said:

You are not getting soft, you just prefer the nicer things.  It's normal once you get used to it.  When you are younger you don't see those as negative, it's all part and parcel of the buzz but when you are not looking for the hustle and bustle then it's just getting in the way.

What I dislike about most London (and most major cities in the world) is that i feel like i have to be on my full guard all the time, treat each and every other person as a potential threat/pickpocket.  That gets tiring very quickly.

I'd say age is making you/us softer

jonnyburgo

Grumpyrocker said:

Although I grew up in suburban Greater Manchester, we'd spend almost every Sunday on my uncle's farm in Disley (on the edge of the Peak District). It was there I was always happiest. 

We moved from London to West Dorset in 2009 specifically because my wife's parents now lived there, and with my wife about to have a baby it seemed a good move.

One of the best decision I've ever made. It's not as peaceful as you'd think - we're in full tractor season - but I love the fresh air, the lack of crowds (at least away from our local beach right now) - and the pace of life. And the anxiety I've struggled with my whole life has never been better. 

That's where I work, higher Disley, do you remember the Moorside Hotel? Its now a kids Home / residential school

Grumpyrocker

jonnyburgo said:

Grumpyrocker said:

Although I grew up in suburban Greater Manchester, we'd spend almost every Sunday on my uncle's farm in Disley (on the edge of the Peak District). It was there I was always happiest. 

We moved from London to West Dorset in 2009 specifically because my wife's parents now lived there, and with my wife about to have a baby it seemed a good move.

One of the best decision I've ever made. It's not as peaceful as you'd think - we're in full tractor season - but I love the fresh air, the lack of crowds (at least away from our local beach right now) - and the pace of life. And the anxiety I've struggled with my whole life has never been better. 

That's where I work, higher Disley, do you remember the Moorside Hotel? Its now a kids Home / residential school

I didn't know Disley itself very well. Only the station and the walk from there into Lyme Park.

Travelling to Disley via the A6 we turned off for my uncle's farm at Carr Brow and didn't go through the village itself.