Am I the only person who has never been to London?

[MamaCrazy]

I live in central England. I have never been to London. I have also never been to Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh or Glasgow.

Am I the only person to have never been to any of these big cities? By going to them, I mean actually parking and going into the city centres. I have been to Birmingham New Street Station to switch trains.

People are so different. I’ve travelled the UK pretty widely, but not yet been to Leicester, Stoke or Northampton. If I found myself in the vicinity with time to spend I’d leap at the chance of having a bit of a nosy around to see what they’re like. As a Londoner I’m unimpressed with the “why would you even bother with Manchester, Birmingham or Glasgow” crowd as well. Fantastic cities with a distinctive heritage.

Mind you, I’ve been a parent helper on a fair number of trips to Central London with DCs’ primary school and sometimes bumped into returning trips from their secondary. Always shocked by how many of the parents, children and teachers are totally ignorant about the area inside the Circle Line and never go unless dragged for a school trip. It’s half an hour on the bus and three quid return (free for children, teens or people who have a travel card for work). Seriously people, this is your back garden.

Big cities are amazing. I've visited all the ones mentioned, they are all very different. All have unique features and history.
Lived in Glasgow for years and loved it.
As for London it literally has something for everyone.
Shopping
Pubs
Restaurants
Parks and gardens
Stately homes
National trust properties
Castles
Cemeteries
Cafes
Guided walks
Talks and exhibitions on any subject you could imagine
International sports venues
Theatre and performance and dance and music of all genres
Museums
Galleries
Classes
Canals
Markets
Horse riding

If you can't find something you'd enjoy doing in London then you might be an amoeba

Exactly believability. London isn't just Buckingham palace and the tower of London. Have you looked at a tube map and seen how many stops there are? Maybe pick some random ones and go exploring. I love the City for example. So much beautiful architecture and the hustle and bustle of the business/banking district. But lots of little places that are a calm oasis if you step down a side street.

I suppose if you don’t like cities, you might not want to frequent them. It’s quite unusual never to have been to the capital city, though...ever. I do find that odd.

I’m a Londoner, so obviously love the place . I’ve been to all the other major cities bar Edinburgh (whichis on my bucket list!), and I enjoy all of them for different reasons. Especially love Manchester. But I’m a city lover. So...

I think the one thing that visiting a big city gives you is the breadth of multiculturalism, the knowledge that every race, colour, religion, sexual orientation live side by side. I think that’s a true gift and something which you don’t see on the same scale outside of the big cities

This is it in a nutshell for me. I find that bigoted, narrow mindedness and also actual racism flourish more outside of big cities. Its impossible to be like that in London as you see all of humanity just getting on with life.

Well I live in London and have been to the other cities you list except Glasgow and would LOVE to visit Glasgow.

Of course all cities are not the same, different architecture, different histories, different attractions.

London does have pigeons, dirt and noise but also has many many fantastic things that you can’t see elsewhere.

I would suffocate if I stayed in one place and didn’t explore the country I live in and beyond.

Fair enough if you don’t want to get out and about buy Why feel proud about it? And be sneery about other cities?

I live in central England too. I’ve never been to London, Manchester or Glasgow either.

Not sure how you’ve managed to escape Birmingham though? I’ve been to Edinburgh maybe 4 or 5 times.

My first thought on reading this was ‘didn’t you have school trips there, at least ?

Think the pigeons remark from someone was the giveaway - an opinion of London based on going to Oxford Street ( don’t, tired tacky), Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square. Maybe a quick stare at Buck House and the Houses of Parliament.

There is so much else - so many winding byways , so many layers of history if you lift your head above street level or turn off the main drag.

I find the lack of curiosity in living in the same country that has one of the worlds major cities and not wanting to at least sample it profoundly bafflling and depressing. But your loss.

“ I imagine all big cities are the same. Not something I have any interest in being amongst!”

But you are wrong. All big cities are NOT the same. With your day trips to tne coast and countryside how would you feel about someone saying “it’s all the same” about The Lakes / The Cotswolds/ the Suffolk Coast or Robin Hood’s Bay? Cornwall v North Norfolk?

It would make them sound a bit thick, wouldn’t it?

Think the pigeons remark from someone was the giveaway - an opinion of London based on going to Oxford Street

Actually, no, it's an opinion based on never even having been there. I mean...

Why does not wanting to visit London = ignorant, uncultured and Greggs sausage rolls?

I live In the NE and I've been to London once as a child, maybe 7/8 years old. Can't remember exactly what parts we went to but all I remember is the homeless people and my father showing me under a bridge where there was lots of 'beds'. I know there is a lot more to London but those memories stuck with me and I don't feel the need to go back. I know homeless people are in every city but that was my first experience of it 🤷🏻‍♂️ I have been to some of the other cities mentioned on this thread though, I'm not that tied to home.

I’ve been as a kid (when I didn’t have a choice as family went) but as an adult I just don’t have any desire to go to London, at all.

I hate London. Used to go twice a year as a child, hated it. Stopped going as soon as I was old enough. I've been a couple of times as an adult, still hate it. I feel uncomfortable and stressed and I just don't fit. Could quite happily never go again

I've been to other cities so I'm not sheltered or mundane (I've even been to theatres and museums ) but London is not a necessary visit IMO

My parents were like you OP, until I moved away first to a city in the North East, then in the North West and then to London. Visiting me has quite literally changed their lives, they have met people from walks of life they would never have crossed paths with before, eaten food that you would rarely get outside of a major city, and explored the museums with all the zeal of kids on a school trip (I’m not really into the museums personally, save for the IWM, but each to their own). They feel very sad that they didn’t experience some of our greatest cities until their mid-50s and now often go away for weekends (when their caring responsibilities allow it).

I would never say it to them but I used to feel quite disappointed that they never took me to these places as a child, it left some fairly big gaps in my knowledge and it took quite a lot of adjusting when I finally did move away. I would like to think I’d encourage my kids to appreciate the diversity of our wonderful little island.

I am new to Mumsnet but surely OP has to be kidding? I don't believe that these views can be real. Is OP just trying to get people's ire?

I live in Manchester, so visited our great city a few times obviously 😄.

We’ve been to Scotland (Isle of Skye, Edinburgh, Killearn) and Birmingham/West Midlands to visit friends, also Belfast and Dublin.

London is on our visiting list, but we can’t fit it in at the moment.
I can’t believe somebody would call a place dirty without visiting it first.
Are they thinking back to the days of yore when it was called the Old Smoke? Quite sure it’s been cleaned and spruced up since.
And pigeons exist in other cities...

Forgot to mention that we loved the places we’ve been to as mentioned above, all for different reasons.

..oh yeah, been to Annan and Dumfries and Galloway also.

I think the one thing that visiting a big city gives you is the breadth of multiculturalism, the knowledge that every race, colour, religion, sexual orientation live side by side. I think that’s a true gift and something which you don’t see on the same scale outside of the big cities

I love cities and can honestly say this has never entered my head. It has nothing to do with why I love Edinburgh or London or Amsterdam.

For those bragging about how open minded, tolerant etc they are about loving cities your rudeness and incredulity that anyone might have a different view is making your halos slip.

ive never been either op

So far as Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham I have some difficultly imaging why anyone, other than local people for whom these are their nearest "big city", would see these as "desrinations"

All have AMAZING art and culture. I love all of them.

I've been a couple of times as an adult, still hate it. I feel uncomfortable and stressed and I just don't fit. Could quite happily never go again

I like London and I visit it a lot but I can understand someone can feel the way you do.

All have AMAZING art and culture. I love all of them

I don't like Glasgow. I think it's ugly and dirty and doesn't hold a candle to Edinburgh. It can talk up its culture all it likes - still has nothing comparable to the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe.

“your rudeness and incredulity that anyone might have a different view is making your halos slip.”

It’s not the different view, it’s the havjng a different view without having actually been there to form a view that people are commenting on.

At least Pyjama has been, made up her mind and doesn’t like it. Which is fine, why should she?

But the pigeons thing nails it: pigeons haven’t been a big feature in London for decades since the banned feeding them in Trafalgar Sq and invented that spiky stuff for ledges.