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Insular towns and villages

259 replies

Cactus1982 · 20/04/2021 19:23

Has anyone else ever lived or worked on of these places? By insular I mean fearful, mistrustful and in some cases down right hostile to ‘outsiders’? There’s a large village about fifteen minutes outside of the town I live in that has always had a reputation for being like this. Apparently, in non Covid times if you as an outsider walked into a pub there it would go quiet and everyone would stare at you. I always took this with a pinch of salt until I started working there this last week. I swear that as I walk from my car down the street people slow down and stare intently at me as though I’ve got three heads. I know we are living in strange times, but this is very unnerving. I was also asked by someone how far I’d traveled to get there and when I told them they said ‘oooooh that’s a long way’ as though I’d come from Mars or somewhere. It’s not a long way, it’s a fifteen minute drive! I’d never actually have believed it had it not experienced it with my own eyes!

Are there any other places like this in the UK?

OP posts:
readthestandingorders · 24/04/2021 00:52

One particular village outside Barmouth Wales springs to mind. Unless you can trace your family back three generations in the cemetery you will never be local. The same people sleeping with the same group of people and never leaving the area, still living in the 1950s with attitudes to match. The gene pool is getting smaller.

I'm not sure about people changing to welsh when you walk in a shop but it happens all the time on village Facebook groups, posts in English then the same familiar names comment in welsh.

Peregrina · 24/04/2021 09:30

3 generations is nothing for some villages in Oxfordshire or Berkshire. You need to trace back to at least the 16th Century.

MotherOfGodWeeFella · 24/04/2021 14:59

I'm pretty sure the Eurovision rules would preclude that kind of thing!

Gwenhwyfar · 24/04/2021 15:02

" it happens all the time on village Facebook groups, posts in English then the same familiar names comment in welsh."

They're just choosing to comment in Welsh! They're not doing it on purpose to annoy you (unless they don't like you, which is possible if you complain about people using Welsh on Facebook).

If I was commenting on a FB group in a Welsh speaking area, I would do it in Welsh too.

Which village by the way?

Gwenhwyfar · 24/04/2021 15:04

@Miljea

I think we can put the 'revert to Welsh' thing to bed, maybe? Plenty of people have concurred. Including Welsh speakers.
No. It's not right for people to be able to make the accusation without others being able to reply to it. And neither of the Welsh speakers who have claimed this happened to them have given any explanation of why they think the Welsh speakers would be speaking English before they come in.
Cactus1982 · 24/04/2021 15:19

The thing is with these Welsh speaking towns is that they would be just like that towards people who come from other parts of Wales like Wrexham or Rhyl or Flint because they are predominantly English speaking towns and culturally very different. It’s definitely not just aimed at English tourists!

OP posts:
Gwenhwyfar · 24/04/2021 15:32

@Cactus1982

The thing is with these Welsh speaking towns is that they would be just like that towards people who come from other parts of Wales like Wrexham or Rhyl or Flint because they are predominantly English speaking towns and culturally very different. It’s definitely not just aimed at English tourists!
What do you mean "be like that". You mean just speaking Welsh?

I'm a Welsh speaker from Flintshire by the way. We do exist and Gwynedd people don't turn to Welsh when we walk in! The opposite happens, they turn to English because they don't know I'm a Welsh speaker until I speak.

Cactus1982 · 24/04/2021 15:41

No I mean they can be hostile towards outsiders.

OP posts:
ButeIsle · 24/04/2021 15:53

Having lived in the past in various parts of 'North Yorkshire' I don't think you can just say 'North Yorkshire' - it is vast and each part is different. Rural, coastal, cities, market towns. It takes nearly 4 hours to drive edge to edge.

I know SOME North Yorkshire villages are parochial. I know some are not. I know there is a huge garrison and towns, cities and surrounding villages have serving soldiers regularly moving in and out.

The last place (small city) I lived was fabulous and so welcoming, I found it so easy to settle in, a mix of local people, ex students from the college who had stayed on, soldiers and their families and families who had chosen it for its excellent schools.

MotherOfGodWeeFella · 24/04/2021 16:48

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll I know what I heard, didn't mishear or mistake the odd word of English for an entire conversation in English. When they noticed me, they switched to speaking Welsh. Now maybe, just maybe, they were used to alternating between the two languages and they switched after I had entered the shop. Why is it that some posters can't accept that this can and does happen?!

Deathraystare · 24/04/2021 16:50

21833efb

Wow! My parents lived there and my brother still does. He did say something about them being a bit cliquey (rather churchy) but he gets on with most people. He is now a councillor. He loves the area (moved from Hastings) and it is great for kids. I have stayed there over 6 months when Mum had cancer and I found people very friendly. Most say hello as they walk past and some do strike up a conversation. There are certain areas though..... Netley View where the ne'er do wells live. My brother and family where in a nearby park when someone was chucking bottles around.

My Hampshire friends live in SO45 and where very welcoming. One used to be the next door neighbour of my mum before she moved and used to pop in to see her. Although they all go to church they knew I was a heathen and unlikely to follow them! The nearest I get to Godliness is the church cafe!!!

itsnico · 24/04/2021 17:07

The town where I live. It's lovely. Great place to bring up kids, very safe, and good schools, and so understandably people do want to move into the area from a number of places. There's a local Facebook group and some of the members are obsessed with people "not being born and bred" and will state that anyone who offers a different view to them as evidence that you "offcomers" don't understand the town. However the area has become fairly diverse over the years so fortunately these views are becoming more of the minority rather than the norm. I've lived here for the vast majority of my life and am noticing the town is becoming much more diverse. It's only a good thing.

Saucery · 24/04/2021 17:25

The owner of a Welsh holiday cottage switched to Welsh to talk to our dog. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t being horrible about us or surely the dog wouldn’t have been so pleased to see her? Should I have been annoyed about it? It is a lovely language to cwtch dogs to, though. Grin

Saucery · 24/04/2021 17:34

I can see why Ribchester feels a bit insular, but I can’t really blame them. I’ve never felt it there, but I do wish they hadn’t closed the Museum Of Childhood, because that was fab.
Wycoller felt unwelcoming but only because you park outside of the village and walk in. Cars regularly get broken into in that car park, but I doubt it’s the locals.

villageidiot21 · 24/04/2021 17:39

BRUTON. Anyone who's been there for over 10 years hates newcomers from anywhere in M25 region. The Facebook group is vitriolic towards this demographic who are buying all the property and opening businesses targeted at themselves. Considering that the town centre itself is nothing to write home about it really is very funny that suddenly it's like Notting Hill and so I have some sympathy for the 'locals'.

Witchesbelazy · 24/04/2021 17:46

I speak Welsh lived there a long time. The changing language does go on in some places. I’ve witnessed it.

Saucery · 24/04/2021 17:49

I’ve been in Welsh shops and the owner has spoken to me in Welsh. Seeing I don’t speak it, they’ve switched to English. Then, next customer comes in, they speak to them in Welsh, that customer is a Welsh speaker so they continue to speak it. Which is absolutely fine. It’s a living language and needs to continue to be so.

Heysiriyouknob · 24/04/2021 18:04

@villageidiot21

BRUTON. Anyone who's been there for over 10 years hates newcomers from anywhere in M25 region. The Facebook group is vitriolic towards this demographic who are buying all the property and opening businesses targeted at themselves. Considering that the town centre itself is nothing to write home about it really is very funny that suddenly it's like Notting Hill and so I have some sympathy for the 'locals'.
Ah yes, isn't it just Instagram central now?
52andblue · 24/04/2021 18:17

@Walkingwounded

Quite a lot of rural Northumberland.

The racism and sexism really struck me as well.

Yep. Add homophobia. Kids here who don't know where Scotland is. Rural Borders too (worse, imo)
WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 24/04/2021 22:04

MotherOfGodWeeFella

Again, I'm not doubting you! I'm just trying to suggest an alternative explanation for some of the cases where this is proposed as fact! As I said, there will always be some people, everywhere, who will use any means they have at their disposal to upset, insult or otherwise 'other' strangers.

All I'm saying is that some people (clearly not you) have the idea that ALL Welsh speakers hate ALL English people/non-Welsh speakers and ALWAYS treat them with disdain, even when they are running obviously touristy businesses which rely heavily on non-Welsh speaking customers. I lived in Wales for several years and have travelled throughout. Not once have I personally experienced any ill-will or even annoyance from people who needed to speak English in order to accommodate non-Welsh-speaking me.

I don't deny that there are some Welsh-speaking people who are rude and nasty - probably the same proportion as non-Welsh-speaking people; but the vast majority of Welsh-speakers are not like this at all. Them speaking their own language is not a conspiracy or being obstinate, as many seem to think, and the facts that they are Welsh speakers and also that they are rude and nasty people are in no way connected!

MotherOfGodWeeFella · 25/04/2021 08:00

And similarly I don't think anyone suggested all Welsh speakers in Wales are rude in this way.

SuperintendentHastings · 25/04/2021 08:13

When we moved here it felt a bit like that. One shop, one pub, tiny village school, village hall. I remember the first time I took DS to the playgroup and absolutely nobody spoke to me or DS. There were only about 10 mums and babies there and it was embarrassing. I was determined to keep going and after a couple of times everyone became much more friendly. We've been here 16 years now and we'll never be locals (though my children are) but it's a lovely friendly place. I think they just take time to 'warm' to people. Villages can be wonderful and weird places at the same time.

dottiedodah · 25/04/2021 08:30

SunnyDay321 Yes we went there ,had to stop while travelling .Whole town has a strange sort of vibe .Really thought Simon Pegg would appear at any moment! Really close to the Stones and just a bit weird!

dottiedodah · 25/04/2021 08:34

Surely these people speaking welsh are doing themselves a disservice though? I mean if running a shop or pub then they have lost a sale and potential future customer .I have had similar things happen as well .

SamusIsAGirl · 25/04/2021 08:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.