Are people friendlier up north?

rubin16

vikingqueen said:

    Wait till I start on the 'Lancashire Yorkshire' divide that'll put the cat amongst the pigeons 
               

War of the roses part 2 coming in 2024 curtosy of vikingqueen

JessieJ

I think there are friendly folk all over, it depends how you behave really. I'm a Southerner, a friendly, helpful one, unless someone is rude & then I'll turn or ignore.

The friendliest most helpful brush with strangers for me was oop North in Bolton. Was trying to find a certain bakers that my niece worked in, found one of the same name, but it wasn't the right one. They didn't take the mickey of my mispronunciation of the name, but gave directions. Then a customer that had overheard, offered to show the way & took over pushing my wheelchair, as my dear old mum was pushing. Dropped us off, wrong one! It happened again, another customer did the very same, she dropped us off & when we looked, she had really gone out of her way. The next we were given directions & we found it! But those beautiful Bolton folk left a big mark on our hearts, it still comes up many years later. So I'll give it to the North, Boltonians to be specific!

MW123

For the record, our quintessentially Southern town warmly embraces the influx of northern retirees who choose to make their home among us, ensuring they have ample supplies of sunscreen!

WhatThe

10 things to know about the British by Fran - Whinge Whinge Wine 

- 7. We bond with people over who we hate. -

When you're a kid, it is your duty to hate the kids in the school next to yours. As an adult, it's tradition to hate the people from the next town, particularly if you have rival football teams. But southerners hate northerners, and vice versa, unless the football is on when we all come together to hate the French. The Welsh, Scottish, and Irish all hate the English, but we can often find common ground in hating Americans. It's just the way it is.

loladale87

People are friendly all over. I relocated to pembs last year and received such a friendly welcome. The main time the locals get grumps is when the tourists descend everywhere and get underfoot

NeonNomad

Yeah, there's definitely some truth to that! I've lived both up north and down south, and there does seem to be a bit of a cultural difference in how open and friendly people are. Up north, there's this kind of warmth and openness that's pretty common, even in urban areas. I've found that striking up a conversation with a stranger is often met with a smile rather than suspicion. Down south, especially in the cities, people can be a bit more reserved at first. But like you said, it's not a hard and fast rule - you'll find friendly and unfriendly folks everywhere you go. It's just a matter of embracing the local vibe wherever you are!

noman

JessieJ said:

I think there are friendly folk all over, it depends how you behave really. I'm a Southerner, a friendly, helpful one, unless someone is rude & then I'll turn or ignore.

The friendliest most helpful brush with strangers for me was oop North in Bolton. Was trying to find a certain bakers that my niece worked in, found one of the same name, but it wasn't the right one. They didn't take the mickey of my mispronunciation of the name, but gave directions. Then a customer that had overheard, offered to show the way & took over pushing my wheelchair, as my dear old mum was pushing. Dropped us off, wrong one! It happened again, another customer did the very same, she dropped us off & when we looked, she had really gone out of her way. The next we were given directions & we found it! But those beautiful Bolton folk left a big mark on our hearts, it still comes up many years later. So I'll give it to the North, Boltonians to be specific!

Reading this makes me proud to be a Boltonian!!

JessieJ

noman said:

JessieJ said:

I think there are friendly folk all over, it depends how you behave really. I'm a Southerner, a friendly, helpful one, unless someone is rude & then I'll turn or ignore.

The friendliest most helpful brush with strangers for me was oop North in Bolton. Was trying to find a certain bakers that my niece worked in, found one of the same name, but it wasn't the right one. They didn't take the mickey of my mispronunciation of the name, but gave directions. Then a customer that had overheard, offered to show the way & took over pushing my wheelchair, as my dear old mum was pushing. Dropped us off, wrong one! It happened again, another customer did the very same, she dropped us off & when we looked, she had really gone out of her way. The next we were given directions & we found it! But those beautiful Bolton folk left a big mark on our hearts, it still comes up many years later. So I'll give it to the North, Boltonians to be specific!

Reading this makes me proud to be a Boltonian!!

  

You'll also know the bakers I mispronounced & I don't mean Warby's!

noman

Greenhalghs?

OverlyAnxious

I'd consider myself both soft and unfriendly so not really smashing the southern stereotype there. 

Pauline_S

I think it depends on settlement/community size. I grew up in London and have lived in several places, visited many more. I now live in a village in East Anglia. The more people, the less personal things are, so in central London people have their blinkers on. If you need to ask someone for directions or help though, most people will respond kindly...or at least politely! One of the reasons I wanted to live in a village was for more of a close community and we have that here.

WelshBlue

Had to laugh at the comment about Welsh, Irish and Scottish ... the Welsh hate each other more than we do anyone else.  

Steve_in_The_City

Here goes: First, I am finding this discussion a lot of fun! It doesn't matter who you are or where you go, you are going to find friendly and helpful people everywhere, and yes, even here in London and as a matter of fact anywhere.

There is a song. The lyric tells us "home is where the heart is". The lyric is true. Wherever you are in the world you have to try and settle in and be part of the local community. Then people get to know you and everything is sort of ok.

JessieJ

noman said:

Greenhalghs?

Yep!