Where is the North - South line in England?

[drossall]

The line has now been established scientifically! ...

The AI-based approach places the critical dividing line at which avocado wraps give way to sausage rolls close to the M1 Watford Gap services...

All that effort, and they could just have asked me!

I was always told that the "border" was at Watford Gap.

[VinceLedge]

Yep, the Watford Gap used to be where the North began!

[ANTONISH]

Aah, but when looking for lunch at my nearby town of kendal we often choose Baba Ganoush for food. Either kanteen or cafe. By my reckoning that makes it more southern than pret a manger! Very posh southerner eating establishment. So you can't rely on pret vs greggs. It's not an outlier. Cumbria has possibly the most Michelin stars outside of London too. Food quality or poshness isn't a reliable metric.

Nope! I think down to earth honesty of the locals is a good measure along with the friendly nature is better imho. I had a lot of family in Southampton area and it amazed me how nobody acknowledged a quick hello as my path crossed the locals. I don't think I've ever struck up a conversation with a stranger down south or off I have I find out they're northerners on holiday or visiting someone!

That's a bit harsh - I'll talk to anyone - not on public transport of course.
I lived in Scotland for a few years and of course social norms were different.
As for Northerners - Ill talk to them as well - bearing in mind that line in John Braine's book "room at the top" where describing his father there is a line which goes roughly "beneath that gruff Northern exterior beat a heart as black as any southerner's ".

[Mick F]

It's an East/West line here.

Here in Cornwall, there is a steep valley and river separating us from The English.
Further up, they have Offa's Dyke and Hadrian's Wall.

[Tangled Metal]

Hadrians wall doesn't run along the border with Scotland, offas dyke has the border wiggling either side of the Dyke in the middle with Wales bulging to the England side at the top and bottom sections. But Devon Cornwall has the river in places so at least there's an identifiable boundary there.

I still remember hearing my first eastender IRL in Ambleside. That was a shock! I wasn't quite sure that accent was for real until I heard it. We don't get many in Cumbria. They're welcome of course!

[Paulatic]

I still remember hearing my first eastender IRL in Ambleside. That was a shock! I wasn't quite sure that accent was for real until I heard it. We don't get many in Cumbria. They're welcome of course!

There’s a couple in a tent next pitch to me here near Alston as I type. Unmistakably London, lovely couple chatting to them last night. Keen walkers but the thing I learnt, and was a learning curve for me, was how they interoperate everyday things they come across on their walks.
Totally wrong about most things but if you’re born and bred in London how are supposed to know about things Northern and outwith the city?

[simonineaston]

There's talk of Gregs vs Pret, but I bet there's few southerners know what a parm is & what you do with one...

[Jdsk]

Parm or parmo?

Thanks

Jonathan

[Paulatic]

Parmo

[Tangled Metal]

Round this way the ppl needing rescuing from the estuary tend to be town and city types I believe. Second highest UK tidal range I think but ppp still get caught out by the bore coming in, even with two sirens at 1 hour and 10 minutes before. I've got a few friends operational as coastguard volunteers so hear bit.

My gran got into difficulties but she's a scouser born and bred so how could she know?

[Nearholmer]

There's talk of Gregs vs Pret, but I bet there's few southerners know what a parm is & what you do with one...

I’m intrigued.

Are you going to tell us?

Kevin (southerner, who worked for forty years in and around London, so has a wry smile at some of the things said in this thread)

[Jdsk]

Jonathan

[Nearholmer]

I’m none the wiser

It looks a bit like something that might require the services of medical maggots to clean out the infection and necrosis, so I’m guessing that maybe this ‘parm’ is some sort of specifically northern lesion, something that never inflicts people in the south.

[Jdsk]

"Parmo, or Teesside Parmesan, is a dish originating in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, and a popular item of take-away food in the Teesside area. It consists of a breaded cutlet of chicken or pork topped with a white béchamel sauce and cheese, usually cheddar cheese."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmo

Jonathan

[Nearholmer]

Thank you.

I certainly live and learn.

May I offer a good, southern, calorie-laden comestible in return?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sussex_pond_pudding

We used to get the not-gentrified version, made with currants, as part of school dinners.