I hate Surrey

[BettyBeer]

Is that unreasonable? I properly hate it.
I don't live there but most of my family do. Everyone seems to be obsessed with property prices, extensions and who's in the best bloody school! I even went to a cafe away from my family and the two tables close to us were discussing house prices and where the best catholic schools were.

Sorry if you live there but it just all seems to be greedy, self important twats. Am I wrong to make a sweeping statement about so many people? probably

It was so boring that I hardly have any memories of my 7 years there.

I always thought Mumsnet was full of people who wouldn’t be stupid enough to make sweeping generalisations about over a million people.

As there are more than a million people on Mumsnet, that seems quite a stupid and sweeping generalisation.

Lots of jealousy on this thread.
All those slagging it off either can’t afford it, had to move out due to dwindling circumstances, or think living in London or any other big massive shit hole, will protect their children from drugs ( because they’ve got so much more to do ) or make them more interesting - lol
I’ll take my chances in picturesque, relatively crime free, Surrey any day.

living in London or any other big massive shit hole,

I would defo rather live in my shit hole part of SW London then Surrey.

There are 1.2 million people living in Surrey, and its quite a bonkers county. Houses sold for millions to oligarchs and Chelsea footballers and literally just down the road, pockets of financial and social deprivation.
I’ve lived here now over half my life and still find people weirdly unfriendly, especially compared to where I grew up, but also very defensive about being born and bred n the local area. Go figure? Having said that there are some beautiful places, and like everywhere nice people, but all my closest friends are not Surrey born and bred.
My adult children have no plans of living here,so I guess DH and I will move when it’s time to retire.
Maybe I’ll go ‘back home’

It was so boring that I hardly have any memories of my 7 years there.

Yeah, it's an island all of its own, totally bare. No walks, local groups, parks, playgrounds, leisure centres, cinemas, bars, clubs, shops, museums, Stately Homes, sports stadiums/clubs, London an hour away (if that), the coast an hour away, countryside on your doorstep.. ah Surrey, that we'll known nomansland. All the locals float around like zombies amongst the tumbleweed. Yes yes it's well known for this...

Seriously, were you a grown adult when you lived there just 'expecting' things to do to to fall on your doorstep or do you expect to find things to do? I guess if you live in one of these other 'magical' places that are spoken of here a list of things to do arrives on your doorstep every day.

Ffs

stillnotready
Funny isn’t it? I did make good friends in the Home Counties. I’m in touch still with four. My bf’s out of these - one from North and a welsh girl. The other was on work placement from US and one native Surrey was my elderly neighbor who was lovely. She would have echoed the other posters who said that “ it used to be lovely when I was growing up here but it’s changed” anyway, she was adopted so could have come from anywhere.

@BettyBeer I'm guessing Bookham, Fetcham, Effingham, Horsley, Clandon, Merrow, Burpham or Headley? They're pretty but a bit staid for me, I think! I hate that Surrey is a bit squashed and congested, too.

Fwiw though OP, you can keep Brighton. Grimy, seedy place.

surfer yours is the attitude of people that made me leave Surrey. The assumption that I didn’t want exactly what others did because I was jealous and inferior. You have summed up the arrogance and self satisfaction of the larger than average proportion of people that made me want to raise my family elsewhere.

I really don’t think any of this is a Surrey thing but an above average earning thing linked to pockets of wealth. Like others have said St Albans, Beaconsfield, Clifton would be exactly the same. People tend to drift towards people that are similar to them and you get bubbles. In the wealthy parts of any commuter town you will get people moaning about house prices, the trains and schools. School obsession seems to be particularly common in super selective grammar areas. It is quite a stressful process for people so it is no surprise it is talked about. Equally it is no surprise that people who have become wealthy and who themselves might be well educated want the best opportunities for their children.

I agree with User. It's a middle class thing, not a Surrey thing.

We’ve lived in the same Surrey town for more than 30 years, and as a young friendly neighbour I knocked on next door just after we moved in and was told in no uncertain terms this:
‘ we are very friendly around here, but we don’t go in each other’s houses’
It’s much the same now, although, as I posted earlier I have made lots of friends with non-locals

Actually all of my friends are not Surrey born and bred

I live on a very quiet road and as neighbours we are not in and out of each other's houses constantly. Come Halloween though and it's fab for the kids because everyone is so generous and welcoming.

I know plenty of people who have street parties, Christmas parties, trick or treating, street BBQs - all in Surrey! Would you believe it!

Just because people aren't in each other's pockets and sniffing around each other's business (my idea of hell) doesn't mean they're not friendly.

Lacking in warmth and stand-offish is my experience, I’m sorry to say, and yes I always welcome trick or treaters, but that is just once a year

I'm from Essex originally, but ended up working in Godalming, where I met my DH (who is a Hampshire boy).

We moved around the borders of Hampshire and Surrey for years and finally settled in Hants as its cheaper.

Sweeping generalisations aside, some parts of Surrey are indeed hotbeds of abject snobbery. But worse, are the Hampshire-ites on the borders trying so desperately to fit in with the Joules wearing yummy mummies that it makes me proper sick.

I jest. Its like any other area of the country, some people are stuck up fuckwits no matter where they're from.

We moved from Surrey which, like the OP, I absolutely hated, to Kent (Royal Tunbridge Wells which has also been slagged off here), and I far prefer the latter. There are self obsessed, property and school bores in both, but in my experience of living in both places, I have found that generally people in TW are far friendlier, more outward looking and generally more community minded. Surrey was a bit too 'me, me, me' and despite trying many different outlets to meet people (I had two children under 2 at one point), I just didn't click with the people I met. Parts of it are very beautiful, and I'm sure there are very lovely people, but I just never found my kindred spirits....the only one I did, felt exactly as I did and moved abroad as soon as a suitable job presented itself!

Ooooh scribblegirl , your wedding will be gorgeous! Newlands Corner is my summer biking route, through the forest! Have a beautiful time!
Love Surrey, love living here.
And people talking about house prices and catholic schools doesn’t make me feel insecure about my life.
Maybe that’s your problem , OP.

Am moving to back to Surrey soon, and absolutely delighted to do so. The town I’m going to is clean, small, quiet and not hugely multicultural. It is exactly what I need, and I’m v grateful to be staying here for a while.

Isn’t there a quote that goes along the lines of “if you don’t like the people somewhere, then you’ll probably not like the people anywhere, and it’s you at fault”, something like that.

Judging a place through some of its people? Really? Come on!

I grew up in rural Sussex (Horsham/Billingshurst area), worked in Dorking and Guildford and regularly went 'out out' in Brighton. Totally agree with you op. Spent some time abroad, moved to the West Country and now live in the North. Feel like a fish out of water whenever I have to go back and visit.

Bugjune, how is Guildford the smuggest town on earth? And if it is a shithole, why would it be smug, eh?! Couldn’t you afford a decent pad there or something?

RebeccaBunchLawyer, I don't understand how it has the audacity to be smug either, it's really got nothing to boast about yet the people are incredibly self-satisfied. Go figure!

As previously mentioned I live in Cheshire, Alderley Edge to be precise. Property prices are on a par, as are the number of arrogant pricks.

Dorking's awfully nice!.

YANBU at all! My SIL moved from London to Surrey 5 years ago and she is steadily morphing into one of the dullest people in the planet. Private members club where you have to wear a suit (men) for dinner, house prices, extensions, lawn feed recommendations, tutors and grammar schools overrun by Asians are some of the conversational delights which await us when we visit. It’s the only place I drink alcohol - to numb the pain.

I hate Surrey too
Same reasons
Sorry Surrey people sure some
If you are lovely