to be fed up with a friend telling me how much friendlier people are "up North"?

[kittya]

we have both lived down sarf for twenty years and she is going back to Yorkshire because people are "friendlier" there. Ive tried to tell her that this is just a romantic notion and that people wont be knocking on her front door with hotpots all day. I love London, I love going to visit home as well but, I can never honestly say that I have noticed a difference in whether people are nicer or not. My sister would say they arent nicer in Yorkshire just bloody nosier!!

Have I just being down here too long?

BoF, my boobs have been gratefully received in Brighton. mind you they used to be gratefully received everywhere, in the good old pert days.

Yorkshire possibly more friendly than Manchester people.
I moved there a few years ago and was often met with unwarmth when my southern accent was heard.
I found it a very unfriendly place.

There is some truth in the stereotype but it's not that helpful and is often not the case.

Luck of the draw. I am originally from the north east but lived in London for 10 years and met plenty of great people. I moved to a cute little village in the north east approx two and a half years ago, and hardly anyone will talk to me. I used to walk my baby around the village when we first moved in, smiling at anyone who passed, and hardly anyone would give me the time of day. The parish council sent us a 'Welcome to the Village' pack 18 months after we had moved in, the same time as they sent us a letter telling us they were thinking of taking us to court over our driveway (long and boring story - they didn't have a case so nothing happened). The busybody over the road is a s* stirrer who tries to mix up trouble whenvever he can, the local mums got snotty with me when I said we were thinking of sending our child to private school, and another neighbour has taken this as a personal attack (she is on the local school board of governors) and makes snide remarks to others whenever I am within earshot. Ah yes, friendly northerners!

I live in Norfolk but I am Scottish. The difference when I go back "home" is unbelievable. People make conversation up there. Most people I am friendly with here are incomers rather than true locals.

That said, I love London and would rather live there and than where I do at the moment.

As a Londoner, the thing I have never ever understood about this whole strangers chatting business is why the hell you would want to pass the time of day with a bunch of strangers, anyway.

I have lived in the south and in the north and I have to say that people are generally friendlier to strangers in the north.

When I moved down south and tried to smile at people in the street, or say good morning to the bus driver, or pass the time of day with shop assistants, 99 times out of 100 I got face or just plain glared at!

Up north, chatting away to strangers you encounter is much more common.

However when you finally manage to make friends with a southerner I find them very friendly.

They just don't seem to want to chat with strangers. Generally. Not sure why that is.

Well I lived in Yorkshire for 8 years and frankly where we lived you were nobody if you weren't born there. The line I heard most often was 'you're not from round here, are you?'. Knew a woman who'd lived in that area for FIFTY YEARS and still got that line thrown at her. Found the people generally pretty parochial. If you moved across the valley from where you were born you had the sniffy 'you're not local' attitude thrown at you. And I'm a FOREIGNER too.

I'm a southerner and live 15 miles from central London in the suburbs - I tend to talk to stranger when out shopping but think I'm possibly in a minority.

Where I live is very freindly and welcoming - I met lots of people when I moved in 5 years ago as I walk my dog locally. We all have each other's keys and help out with each others dogs. Everyone knows everybody!

I am from Kent but lived in the North East for several years and have moved around a fair bit.

I find Northerners MUCH friendlier. At horse/dog shows people ringside were keen to chat in the North, but I found if you tried to speak to a stranger down south they'd think you were bonkers and get all awkward and make it obvious you didn't want to talk.

It's definately friendlier up north though grimmer, blasted rain in Manchester just woke up ds!

I may be very sad but I like random pointless conversations about crap with total strangers.

Haven't got much experience of 'up North' to compare with down here. I live in the south-west and by and large strangers will smile and sometimes chat. The small amount of time I've spent in London I have found a difference - I always feel like a freak if I tried to speak to people. But maybe that's just central London ? Spent time in Kent -can't remember where but we were near Bluewater - and it wasn't a particularly friendly place.

But South Wales is the best place IME. I lived in Cardiff for 3 years and found plenty of random chatters - and this year in Pembrokeshire everyone talked to me. Was very happy

I'm quite keen on random pointless conversations about crap, as a general thing. I just like having them with my friends better than some bloke on the bus.

Was in Stockton on Tees last month.

As a Londoner I didn't notice people were more friendly "Oop North" at all. In fact in a couple of shops I went in they were even more sullen and miserable looking than round my way.

However, in the shop I work in I do notice that people with northern accents are often nicer to me than those from daaan sarf. Unless they are trying to compensate for those around them being mean old misers....

I've never come accross those phoney air kissing types down here and I suspect they have their fair share of them in Manchester!!!

Ive just been to pick up some contact lenses and popped into M and S for a couple of bits. It shouldve taken me half an hour but took an hour because the optician was asking about my holiday and the assistant in M and S got me onto Big Brother. So, it really all depends doesnt it?

To the person earlier who was criticising this thread, we are all just having a conversation, not harming anyone!!

Oh, I wasnt saying people dont get pissed and chuck up down here, I meant the place is so huge Ive never seen it in central London or, the places I drink. Ive never actually seen a fight in a pub down here!! Just been lucky I guess.

London everytime. Far too much crap talked about it being friendlier up north.I've lived both north and south.
Wouldn't live in the north again.

Personally I would hate it if strangers kept trying to start conversations with me...'Maybe its because I'm a Londoner'...clicks heals Dick Van Dyke style

I also couldn't cope with the whole town knowing my business.

Once I know you, I'm very loyal and friendly, same goes for most people I know. There's none of that 'you're not from around here' bollocks because many people aren't so we're very open to new people.

I have loads of mates up North and they're just as great as us Londonders. The only place in the UK that I have never found very friendly is Kent for some reason.

YANBU - I am from North Yorkshire and having been away for 25 years I now think every time I go back how rude and self centred people are there. DW notices it too.

Its when people have opinions about London and have never even visited never mind lived. Thats what annoys me most.

I'm from a godforsaken hellhole in Yorkshire. People there [no generalisations here ] are just downright rude. All that bollocks about saying what they mean and calling a spade a spade - nope, you're just rude and probably a bit thick as well. And, in my experience, miserable, mean-spirited buggers to boot.

I've lived in the south (not London) for nearly 20 years and found people to be friendly, generous and genuine, especially where I live now.

I've always found Parisiens to be quite friendly too

queribus - not calling a 'spade a spade' there are you?

- it's a fair cop, BeenBeta!

I live in Yorkshire and frequently end up chatting to random strangers in shops and on buses.

Not everyone is like it mind. Dh thinks it is abit strange when I chat to folk I don't know. You know the old 'So who was that then?' to which I have to reply 'No idea, I've never seen them before!' . I must just look friendly though as other people start talking to me all the time. I think I tend to respond to eye contact with a smile though.

I think northerers are friendlier but then I am biased!

I've been to Queribus! [sorry]

How hilarious that northerners are narrow minded for assuming they are friendly but that everyone else isn't for prefixing everything about the north with northern.... Northern comedy, northern drama, northern actor. I don't find it necessary, for example, to describe Jonathan Ross as a southern tv presenter. Lol

Oh and I am nice and friendly( most of the time)