to ask for your DFL (down from London) stories

[holidayspotlocal]

Living in the West Country and we are currently inundated with tourists. Great to have the money in the local economy and I hope they have a lovely time on the beach. However, some are obviously from cities and have no idea what life is like here.
We call them DFL - down from London. (they may be from other places tho)
Most worrying is the lack of knowledge about tides, rips, crumbly cliffs etc, and the sheer rudeness to hospitality staff. Plus they drive shiny 4x4 Landrovers that can't squeeze into a passing place without the parking sensors going off and they can't back up on the lanes.
Last week I heard one say 'Where has all the beach gone? I'm sure there was a lot more sand this morning'

I get it. The "contribute to local economy" argument doesn't quite cover the fact that locals are priced out of buying houses and all the local shops shut because the second homes are empty all winter and the villages turn into ghost towns.

Im not rude to any staff i might be a bit slow about tides etc but like others have said plent of tourists in london who cant walk across a road use a tube or bus

Not Cornwall in my case, but moved away to annoy some other people in Yorkshire by being an incomer.

You’ve hit a tough crowd OP. As a rurally bred Londoner I think that clueless provincials baffled by tube barriers and bubble tea and clueless urbanites baffled by tides, sheep and the lack of Ubers are equally funny. They’re welcome to visit and I’m happy to help them out, but I reserve the right to giggle when I’m out of earshot.

I don’t mind the DFLs because I like the things they like and without them Cornwall would have far fewer lovely places to eat, drink and shop.

And generally they don’t litter and wreck the place.

However, there’s another breed of tourist I really can’t stand. The ones who litter, moan, complain and play rowdy games on the beach. I suspect they’d have a better time in Benidorm.

I’m a Londoner and I love visitors in London, their enthusiasm, the buzz of enjoying landmarks etc. Abs like many other Londoners do my best to help with tube directions etc.

But…. I do worry about all those DFBs DFMs DFSs (Birmingham/Manchester/Sheffield) etc etc falling off crumbly cliffs and eating their jam and clotted cream the wrong way up.

It is it just people on holiday from London?

This smacks of a lazy journalist to me looking for funny stories for an article.

Would you like my stories of hapless country folk inconveniencing Londoners on public transport, whinging at the price of a pint/sarnie in Pret, complaining about how crowded everything is when they haven't deigned to set foot outside the borough of Westminster? No? Didn't think so.

There's tosspottery and arrogant behaviour everywhere. You're lucky it appears in your town in the form of particular vehicles, inadequate footwear and whatever else. Easier to spot.

If only locals would stop selling their houses to Londoners at inflated prices….

Hmmm doesn’t London have a massive and fast flowing tidal river called The Thames right through it?

Also with the tiny roads and lots of traffic, wouldn’t most London drivers know how to squeeze through a country road?

Also with thousands of restaurants, wouldn’t most Londoners have learned how to behave in one?

And what about the people from your town who’ve moved to London, do they suddenly become all Londoney or do they remain as lovely, sweet and welcoming as you?

Don’t worry though once international travel returns, there’ll be less Brits from any region to concern you with their lack of tidal knowledge, poor restaurant manners and poor driving skills.

@mibbelucieachwell

I used to laugh at tourists visiting the Scottish island I grew up on. So funny that they didn't know to wear warm clothes on the boat in the summer and their excitement at seeing seals was hilarious. When I was a child.

Seen a seal in London.

And some people regardless of where they live don't do activities outside.

[quote holidayspotlocal]@Pinkchocolate it worries me beacuse they get themselves into dangerous situations then other people have to rescue them[/quote]
Just like all those rural tourists who get themselves into bother in London.

Let’s sneer at them instead.

I once heard a bumpkin on a bus ask the driver if he could pull over and let him out because it was nearer to his auntie’s house than the stop.

@Pinkchocolate

Why does peoples lack of knowledge on tides and cliffs bother you? I’m asking as a Londoner who is neither rude to service staff nor drives a 4x4 but has no idea what life is like there since I’ve always lived in the city.

I used to live in Pembrokeshire and tourists going to close to the cliff edges and then it crumbles and they died was a thing.

their excitement at seeing seals was hilarious.
Jesus Christ.

You don't sound like a very nice person OP.
I'm from London, drive an SUV and currently on holiday in the UK.
I also grew up in the countryside and am aware of all the dangers of a coastal town.
If I see tourists in London struggling to navigate the tube or a map I try to help them out, not laugh at them.
You could try that approach maybe.

We live by the sea in the NW and non locals (plus sadly some local teens) are frequently stuck in quicksand. The signs by the beach are NOT lying.

We are currently on holiday in the West country and DH overheard a child in the chip shop queue ask "mummy, is there wifi in our tent?"

@NeverTalkToStrangers

You’ve hit a tough crowd OP. As a rurally bred Londoner I think that clueless provincials baffled by tube barriers and bubble tea and clueless urbanites baffled by tides, sheep and the lack of Ubers are equally funny. They’re welcome to visit and I’m happy to help them out, but I reserve the right to giggle when I’m out of earshot.

What exactly are you giggling about? Are you 8 years old?

I forgot to add to my post that as a born and bred Londoner, please come and visit. I love seeing people enjoy my city and often DH and I take the kids into the centre to feel the buzz. I love seeing groups of tourists being taken around.

If you stand on the wrong side of the escalator, huddle at the bottom of the stairs making it harder for people to access the platform or stand confused with a ticket at the barrier we’ll know you’re a tourist and know you’ll learn. We’re used to tourists and have seen it hundreds of times so aren’t bothered.

An example of our hospitality was the 2012 Olympics.

We’d love you to all return.

Most worrying is the lack of knowledge about tides, rips, crumbly cliffs etc, and the sheer rudeness to hospitality staff.

I was in Greenwich Park the other day and was waiting eagerly for some tourists to fall head first down the hill due to where they were standing to take photos. (Un)fortunately some kind person told them to move.

Since the beginning of summer I've watched people who appear drunk on small boats on the Thames, including the tidal part, waiting for them to fall in. Oh the other hand I've watched idiots jump in to "cool down".

Oh and some people have lost their manners since lockdown, but some hospitality staff would have never been hired before that as their service is shit.

The "contribute to local economy" argument doesn't quite cover the fact that locals are priced out of buying houses and all the local shops shut because the second homes are empty all winter and the villages turn into ghost towns.

Londoners have the same issue of being priced out of their local market too

@GreenWheat

I was thinking of starting a thread about country bumpkins that don't know how to use a diagonal pedestrian crossing or navigate the tube. But then I thought, "ooh hang on, people are from different places and maybe instead of being so superior I should help them next time....."

This. Although I allow myself to get cross at the ones who after accepting my help pat me on the arm and ask wide eyed how I can stand to live in such shithole.

If you can’t see why “what’s the difference between a wood pigeon and a clay pigeon?” is funny then I’m not sure I can explain it. Cluelessness can sometimes be amusing, as per the many enormous and very funny MN threads about things we learned embarrassingly late in life.

@JackieWeaverHandforthCouncil while my toddler DD would as it would be more people she can talk to, I'm happy not to have to tell people to move out of the way on public transport.

Blanket unwelcomingness is not nice though. I’m happy to see visitors enjoying my home city/village however sweetly clueless they are.

@NeverTalkToStrangers

If you can’t see why “what’s the difference between a wood pigeon and a clay pigeon?” is funny then I’m not sure I can explain it. Cluelessness can sometimes be amusing, as per the many enormous and very funny MN threads about things we learned embarrassingly late in life.

London foxes and cats like a good fat wood pigeon. They don't like rock doves though...