the beer thing is bollocks. there are good and bad pubs all over the country and the beer if made with care in a proper brewery is usually good drinking.
the beers i like come from all over the country, east anglia/the midlands/west country produce most of my favorites.

the only beer i don't like is scottish over malted stuff with no hops in but that's just my preference.

not so many nice things to drink in them).

Clearly, you have never been here.

live to work not work to live thats why I live in the Lake District and not commuting at 5am in a hell hole oh and how often do you guys ride in Scotland?

And the South West is like an honorary part of the North*

No thanks.

And the South West is like an honorary part of the North*

eh? get ****.

I take your Keighley and I'll raise you Orpington!

Cheshire is very much not in the north

Damn your impudence, sir. I demand satisfaction!

So, should we all move to the Lake District?

Great. I'm a software engineer, anyone got a job for me?

Anyone?

Oh wait.. hmm..

ahwiles RE : London

Wander around anywhere between Covent Garden and Charing Cross. For a bit of culture after the porn the National Gallery off Trafalgar Square used to be free (check on t'interweb). Waterloo is one tube stop south from Charing X so no rush at the end. Alternatively there is a foot bridge across the river and wander around the south bank where London Eye is. British museum in Bloomsbury (nearer St Pancras) is full of stuff we nicked from around the world and also used to be free.

R

Here, here nettles, the bit of Cheshire we live in is definitely The North.

Amazingly (or not) 2 of our next door neighbours are from that London, came here 27 years ago, loved it so much they stayed. Next door to us on the left, family from Suffolk, loved it so much they stayed, and to the right at the back, a lovely very posh lady from Cheltenham, she moved here over 30 years ago with her family , loved it so much they stayed.

In my mind there is no north/south divide. The south doesnt register as a place really, the only thing I know of it is that millions of dull important people live there, and many of them seem to flock to the lake district to clog up the roads at around this time of year.

And the South West is like an honorary part of the North*

eh? get ****.

+ 1 million.

Oh, and when it comes to the great North/ South beer divide debate some of the finest beers in the UK come from the South and, occasionally, Scotland. I have spent many years and gained much weight from researching this.

The south doesnt register as a place really, the only thing I know of it is that millions of dull important people live there, and many of them seem to flock to the lake district to clog up the roads at around this time of year.

Funny that, because every summer the South West gets clogged up with Northeners. I can only assume it is incredibly dull way up there and they need to go somewhere vibrant and exciting. 😉

In my mind there is no north/south divide. The south doesnt register as a place really, the only thing I know of it is that millions of dull important people live there, and many of them seem to flock to the lake district to clog up the roads at around this time of year.

so are you one of the exciting important people who lives in the north?

In my mind there is no north/south divide. The south doesnt register as a place really, the only thing I know of it is that millions of dull important people live there, and many of them seem to flock to the lake district to clog up the roads at around this time of year.

so are you one of the exciting important people who lives in the north?

No, Im a dull important person who lives in the south. I only feel alive and exciting at around this time of year, when I leave this hell hole and flee to the lake district where I spend a couple of weeks clogging up the roads and pavements as I mooch round outdoor clothing shops in ambleside and bowness.

So davidtaylforth to answer the OP's question I'm assuming you'd say 'Yes'

Which makes me wonder WTF are you doing down here still?

How dare you Eastenders pretend to be the only proper Cockneys. St Mary Le Bow is in Cheapside, not the East End you'd need to be from Southark or the city to be a proper cockney, like what I am.

Anyway, I don't wish I lived up North, I know that when you Bumpkins come to town you get a bit frightened and think everyone is arrogant and up themselves but that's just paranoia. London is the most friendly and welcoming city on Earth , full of kind, giving people with a diverse cultural background who are more than happy that they live there.

It makes me laugh when I see threads about "what to do in that London" what not to do.. everything you could want in a city is here in our great metropolis.

London, quite frankly, rules.

So davidtaylforth to answer the OP's question I'm assuming you'd say 'Yes'

Don't you wish you lived up north?

Unfortunately for me (and many others who live down here), Im your typical southerner. I fail to have dreams, wishes, an imagination or a sense of humour. I dont know what I enjoy in life but Im told and reminded on a regular basis that its shiney things that cost alot of money and the best way to attain them is by living and working down here.

Well its riding time again YAHOO ! Me and my northern mates are off out to play up ont moors. Beers on offer at the local tonight !! and we might just discuss how GREAT it is living up north. London ? ok for a visit but who would want to live there.

Is there any singletrack down south ? 8)

why do northerners need to reassure themselves all the time? can't they just get on with being amazing, interesting people and living in gods own country without feeling the need to broadcast it to everyone else?

I'm guessing that because we're all posting on an mtb forum, we all go mtbing,(with the exception of Hora) 😉 So to do this you need hills, mountains, woods, singletrack, bridleways, green fields and man made trail centres.
These things are everywhere of course but you can't deny they are mostly in The North.

These things are everywhere of course but you can't deny they are mostly in The North.

really? i thought wales and scotland would have more?

Isn't the North anywhere after Watford?

North Wales is in the err North 🙂

why do northerners need to reassure themselves all the time?

why do northerners some people need to reassure themselves all the time?

There, fixed that for you.

The answer to the OP's question is NO! I get spontaneous nosebleeds north of Tiverton.

Cheshire is most definitely north – it's north west –

so, in answer to my question: 'London, convince me it's great – what's a chap to do for 4 hours around the waterloo area'

the only 3 answers i've got so far* are:

1) watch some boats**
2) amble round the porn shops (actually a good idea)
3) find me a Londoner, and argue with him/her about how great/crap the north/south is/isn't.

if that's really the best London has to offer, then it seems i shall be keeping my bored-with-london prejudices for a while yet.

(*that aren't; walk around for a bit / use public transport / buy tat)

(**seriously)

(Cheshire really isn't in the North – i'm not even sure Sheffield is)

there's nothing wrong with 'the south' some of it is very nice, but perhaps a little close to London. And there's nothing wrong with London, it's just, er, it's just, that it's exactly as crap or good as everywhere else.

Haringay – that's in London, that makes it great yes?

Tower Hamlets, Peckham?

woods, singletrack

LOADS of that in the South!

South East = crowded but cool
South West = great beaches and crowded but cool
North = barren empty shit

if that's really the best London has to offer, then it seems i shall be keeping my bored-with-london prejudices for a while yet.

The Parks
The Palaces
The Museums
The Galleries
The Wallace Collection
The pubs
The bike shops
The wondrous diversity of cultures
The food
The music
The theatre
The gigs
The coffee shops
The view across the river at sunset
The street markets
The churches (all faiths)
The huge amount of beautiful people
The history
The present
The future
The curry
The beer
The comedy
The willingness to embrace and welcome anyone
The egalitarian nature of housing in the many little villages which make up London
Walking
Cycling
Taking a boat up river
Kew Gardens
The Zoo

And I've barely scratched the surface.

North = barren empty shit

The North? Empty?

Half of it's one great big busy conurbation full of insane drivers, it seems to me.

Ok lose the empty and your there, but its so shit I'm surprised its not empty

CFH. You can never sell it to me.
I remember trying to scrub a bath with so much limescale I got muscles.

Well it could be worse guys…you could live in Milton Keynes a hideous London overspill without the culture and **** all to do but go shopping. I for one wouldn't mind getting out of here for a bit of northern action….if only I could find a job.

South West is like an honorary part of the North* (shit pay

Plenty of money to be earnt in brizzle joe. 😀
I see what you mean in a way, I had never heard of the north/south divide until I left bristol at 18.

Milton Keynes a hideous London overspill without the culture and **** all to do but go shopping

True enough, indeed most satellite towns are awful. Staines, Slough, Croydon, Watford. All the fun is sucked into the city

Bristol's hardly the South West proper tho is it?

(Cheshire really isn't in the North – i'm not even sure Sheffield is)

nope, you're wrong, Cheshire really is in the north, north west to be precise. Hence I'm watching news north west. Where do you suppose it is? Granted it's not as far north as Sunderland but north is most certainly is

Yep 😀
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol

Bristol's hardly the South West proper tho is it?

As far as I'm concerned the north starts on the eastbound hard shoulder of the m4.

davidtaylforth – Member

Unfortunately for me (and many others who live down here), Im your typical southerner. I fail to have dreams, wishes, an imagination or a sense of humour. I dont know what I enjoy in life but Im told and reminded on a regular basis that its shiney things that cost alot of money and the best way to attain them is by living and working down here.

You certainly bitch enough to be a Northerner. Why don't you drive up the M1 and live your dream? 😛