Where does northern England start?

Driving up the m1, at what point do you reckon to get into northern England?

Nottingham

watford gap service station

Stoke in the west Sheffield in the east.

When you enter Yorkshire on one side, or Cheshire on the other. Derbyshire’s a tricky one because half is in the north and half in the south. Not sure exactly where the dividing line is though.

Lympstone, Devon

Just south of Sheffield, around about the M18 junction I’d say. Nottingham is definitely in the midlands.

Manchester.

Yeah, Manchester.

Wherever regional accents get to the point that southeners can’t understand them.

M25 if you believe the news

Wherever regional accents get to the point that southeners can’t understand them.

Bristol in that case.

Wherever regional accents get to the point that southeners can’t understand them.

Driving up the M1, I’d say it starts when you can see Emley Moor TV transmitter tower.

To me, it’s a sign of ‘home’.

Rachel

Read this, it contains all the answers you need

Stoke in the west Sheffield in the east.

Nah – Stoke’s in the Midlands. Crewe.

Though on reflection, the South is surely anywhere south of Kilmarnock.

Andy

I live in Poole, all the maps here show nothing north of the M4, apart from “Here be Dragons”

Here you go:

http://sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/maps/nsdivide/index.html

That Stuart Maconie book is pretty good, I’d also recommend it.

Need oxygen when venturing North of St Albans.

+1 for “pies and predjudice”. Having read it I know know why my grandad said that his being northern was as much about state of mind as where he lived.

As a rough map I’ve always though the North was north of Sheffield and the South below Northampton. Everything inbetween is the Midlands.

As a quick guide you could always get on public transport and try talking to someone. If they look at you like you are some kind of sexual deviant then you are in the south. Most likely the south east.

I think of the North/South divide running along a diagonal line between The Wash and The Bristol Channel. It’s where the letter A changes from short to long. The North proper starts just north of Mansfield and Crewe.

maycontainnuts – Member
I live in Poole, all the maps here show nothing north of the M4, apart from “Here be Dragons”

You must have one of those new fangled maps. I’m from Dorset and mine only get’s as far as the A303.

Easily Birmingham . It used to be Birham but some one felt that “ming” should be added.
Quite possibly from Gloucester eastwards. They are all funny buggers north of there.

Anything past Buxton is the south.

Bits of nottingham are northern, bits are southern. i’d say “the north” properly begins at Mansfield.

When you enter Yorkshire on one side, or Cheshire on the other. Derbyshire’s a tricky one because half is in the north and half in the south. Not sure exactly where the dividing line is though.

Cheshire, seriously?

Northern = you’re still bitter/happy about the outcome of the war of the roses. So we’ll accept Manchester, but Crew is definately Midlands.

Does this make Liverpool the kid no one want’s in the divorce?

Newton Aycliffe as everyone south of there talks funny. And Manchester is in the Middle of the country length ways, so is the Midlands.

I’d say anything south of a line roughly drawn between Scarborough and the top end of Morecambe Bay counts as the start of the midlands.

When you cross over the River Wear.

That’s easy it’s well signposted in that Lunnon which is already pretty North, sign then says – Hatfield & The North. So Hatfield must be the border.

No Newton aycliffe is the cheese savoury line

The North South divide is here apparently

from here

North South divide

I’ve developed a meter that measures the levels of seething regional resentment towards our Capital City. It goes from 1 to 10. Once you’re past 5 then you’re officially ‘North’.

When driving up the M6 the needle steadily moves upwards, hovering around the 5 as you hit Stoke.

Once past Crewe it starts to go a bit mad, clear cheshire and it immediately starts bending the needle over the ten mark. Hit Manchester and it explodes. I’m too scared to take it anywhere near Liverpool

I’d say anything south of a line roughly drawn between Scarborough and the top end of Morecambe Bay counts as the start of the midlands.

So Bradford and Leeds are in the Midlands. 😥

I’ve developed a meter that measures the levels of seething regional resentment towards our Capital City. It goes from 1 to 10. Once you’re past 5 then you’re officially ‘North’.

I tend to work on complete indifference in the west country. By the time you get to the lizard, the big stink may as well not exist…

North of Balham, unless there is a middle-England…

If that line is true I must be Scottish.
best get my accent working then.

“Och aye the noo, gis uh a can ee lager eh eel chin yah in the taties”

How’s that?

I thought Yorkshire was an independent nation state, neither north or south. Just ‘other’

I’ve developed a meter that measures the levels of seething regional resentment towards our Capital City. It goes from 1 to 10. Once you’re past 5 then you’re officially ‘North’.

When driving up the M6 the needle steadily moves upwards, hovering around the 5 as you hit Stoke.

Once past Crewe it starts to go a bit mad, clear cheshire and it immediately starts bending the needle over the ten mark. Hit Manchester and it explodes. I’m too scared to take it anywhere near Liverpool

Brilliant. I think that’s this question settled.

M62.

Sheffield is in the Midlands! It’s two hours south of here. That distance again and you can be nearing the M25.

If you live in London then it is the Watford Gap.

If you are a born and bread Geordie then it is the Tyne, The Wear if you are feeling generous.