Or is it a myth? Here in London, no one talks to each other etc, maybe the ‘friendliness’ in London means we all mind our own business etc. God forbid you chat with someone on the tube, it won’t end well lol. It’s not only on the tube, everywhere you go in London I don’t feel the sense of friendliness amongst Londoners, and I was surprised when I went up in Birmingham last year, and the people of Birmingham are soo much friendlier it’s unbelievable, they say “good morning” to each other etc, more chatty, random strangers talking to each other on the streets and there’s a sense of community. This was in the midlands lol, not the ‘north’, but I was really surprised about Birmingham or the midlands, and it actually woke me up in terms of how fast paced London is and how unfriendly it is. I was born and bred in London, I love the city but I don’t feel there’s any sense of community and London is a completely a different place compared to the rest of the country.
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Standard disclaimer that London != The South and thus discussions like this should not be North vs South but North vs South vs London.
In my experience it’s not London, it’s as you say the lack of community.
Say you got the same train every morning into Paddington and saw the same people, you might chat to them a bit eventually. But a conversation on the tube will just be small talk and no one can be bothered
Northern England is a gem, I had much better social interactions at Newcastle in three days than I had three years in London.
That being said, being left alone is also quite good and I do appreciate the anonoymity in London.
Not in my experience but I think anywhere in the UK is more pleasant than London which is grim as fuck.
As a Southerner who has lived all over the UK yes!! This is absolutely correct.
I’m in the western isles, once some randoms knocked on the door looking for directions. Mam invited them in for tea and 30 years later they’re “cousins.”
I think it’s different perceptions of what’s “friendly” or polite in different areas and different situations. In London taking up too much of a stranger’s time or otherwise intruding into their life might come across as rude or nosy but in other areas not initiating small talk would be stand-offish. Even in London it’ll vary – in a small one off bakery there might be some small talk but not in a large chain.
SW is pretty chill – so long as you’re not a tourist.
I call bullshit. See this come up time and time again in UK based subs and it’s just total nonsense. It’s always just a massive circlejerk about how northern folks wake up each morning, walk outside, and smile and wave to all their neighbours in the street like they’re Jim Carrey in the Truman Show.
Disclaimer: Northerner living in London.
I’m a southerner up north and it’s a myth, it’s either that or people sense my southerness from afar so they’re less friendly.
It’s a transient population thing.
Live in a student area in Leeds or Sheffield and it’s full of antisocial gits.
Live in a London street far enough from the tube that lots of people have lived there for a decade and know each others kids from the school run, and people stop and chat all the time locally.
You need a critical mass of people willing to stop and have a wee chat – women with small children, retired people, etc. Young busy types don’t, nearly as much.
As a Southener that’s lived in a few places round the country (London, North Wales, Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool) I found that Geordies and Scousers are super friendly nice people. Everywhere else I lived wasn’t particularly. Maybe it’s just those two cities in my experience but I guess that doesn’t equate to the whole of the north being friendlier. I grew up in Reading and people are fairly friendly, as well as visits to Oxford.
Roughly, it’s about right. People say hi in the street, talk in pubs if invited etc.
Dunno about the North but I’m rural South West and everyone says hello as they pass each other and I will have multiple small chats as I go round the supermarket, probably know less than 20% of the folk I talk to. In my experience rural is friendlier than city, probably because the pace of life is less frantic.
Yes, it’s true… but I found Wales friendly too.