To ask what you consider “The North”?

[Hairbrush123]

Just a post about being a Northerner/Southerner which made me think - what do you consider as “The North”? I’ve never had a solid answer for this and just wanted to know the general census on this.

When I drove to Scotland once I realised there was a lot of "north!"

What blew me away is that when you take the coach from London to Inverness, Glasgow is only about halfway there!

The north begins in Derbyshire, I think. Anywhere north of Milton Keynes isn't in the south.

But I also only think of it as the north of England, then it's Scotland as a separate part on top of that!

If it doesn’t have a south coast it’s in the North in my book

Derbyshire and as far up as South Yorkshire above Sheffield is North, The Midlands are above Birmingham, the East Midlands stretching as far over as Lincoln and as north as Grimsby and Cleethorpes!

I never imagine any part of Wales to be northern, so I draw a line from the top of the Welsh border across to the East coast. Anything above that is north, so roughly Liverpool/Sheffield and up

See economically all of Wales is in the North. Draw a line from the top of East Angelia to the Severn esturay- bingo

North of the Thames?

I'm from Manchester and everyone considers it Northern. We've got Northern rail and were described as becoming a "Northern powerhouse".

It's not geographical, it's political and ideological. Related to the old Kings, the old houses. North of Coventry/ through Staffordshire and you are getting Northern.

Scotland is a separate country, which has south and north parts.

Manchester up

The North starts at Durham and not a metre before.

Like this

@inappropriateraspberry

I never imagine any part of Wales to be northern, so I draw a line from the top of the Welsh border across to the East coast. Anything above that is north, so roughly Liverpool/Sheffield and up.

It's north on respect to itself tho isn't it, like Northern Australia or North Africa

Sheffield upwards. I know geographically it's not that far North, but culturally that where it starts.

Cheshire and above, anything below is the midlands surely? Places like Shropshire and Staffordshire definitely aren’t in the North.

I’m pretty sure there is a government definition of ‘the North’

According to my colleague, Droitwich. (He is wrong). To me, anything north of Sheffield.

Hampstead Heath 😂

I'm a soft southerner so agree with @Winkywonkydonkey and anything above Watford!

Midlands upwards is north to me and to be clear, that's including the Midlands.
Even Bedfordshire feels a bit northern tbh

I always thought that the Watford Gap was the start of the North

I live on the Sussex coast. I'm nearer to France than London even! So, I guess everywhere above feels pretty northern to me! I guess if you're in the Highlands of Scotland everything below feels fairly southern?! So, it's all relative, and maybe we're allowed to self-define to a degree? Officially though, I actually don't know? England-wise I'm very southern, and know very little about the north. It's amazing how much of Europe I know, and yet I've explored so little of my own country. Not proud of it.

I'd agree with Sheffield, if we're talking about England.

Outer Hebrides.

@pontiouspilates

I always thought that the Watford Gap was the start of the North

No,that would be the Midlands. It's in the Middle to keep the North and South apart

anything north of the midlands in England. I often clarify northern England at work because my boss is Scottish and questions the use of the North to describe where I am (Manchester).

When I say up north I mean Wick and Thurso

But if you live in the Midlands how can you not get that it isn't North or South, it's in the Midlands

Are you being deliberately obtuse @SleepingStandingUp or just choosing not to comprehend what I’d written?