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“How to Make it Up North if you’re a Southerner” The Times 1 July 2026

The Article written by 2 journalists from Yorkshire made me laugh.  They were giving tips for Southerners who might have to relocate northwards for job opportunities if Andy Burnham relocates part of national government to Manchester. In their guide to geography:  “Birmingham and Cambridge are also ‘in the north’.  As one leaves town for the M1 there’s an arrowed sign at Brent Cross that says somewhat vaguely “The North.”  It may as well read ‘abandon all hope’. On social rule breaking: “Ignore a stranger who starts chatting to you in a queue?  Expect a call from the police” There’s no such thing as lunch: “A northerner might say ‘I had me dinner at lunchtime.’ ….All complete gibberish to anyone from Chelsea” Very funny article.  What is lunch, by the way, it will always be dinner in our house, bab!

Martine Guy ● 41d20 Comments

Hello Martine,The UK has amazing places to visit.The problem we have is the weather and the cost.  You have guaranteed sunshine in the Mediterranean or Asia and at a much lower cost.

Ivonne Holliday ● 40d

And convenient for Hadrian's Wall, Martine. We stayed there with some US friends a decade or more ago who wanted to visit the 'Wall; they couldn't believe some of the antics of people partying by the key side :-)

Michael Ixer ● 40d

Is there really a North/South divide or is it a London/rest of the UK divide? My opinion is that there is a London/rest of the UK divide.

Martine Guy ● 40d

We enjoyed Newcastle, too, Michael.  Lots of lovely scenery in the NE countryside.

Martine Guy ● 40d

Not everyone wants to go abroad, I don’t.   I did all my travelling when I was younger and am happy to stay in the U.K.  these days.  Last time we had a fortnight in the Med., my kids enjoyed the pool, but my husband and I were really bored. When we last went to Blackpool, it was part of a holiday to the Ribble Valley.  Stunning scenery and loads to do.  We went to Morecombe too, which is also looking a bit sad, but the attraction there for us was the art deco Midland Hotel. I think more should be done to promote staycations.  This is a beautiful, historic country with loads to see and do.  It’s very sad to see what has happened to some of our seaside towns.

Martine Guy ● 40d

I think the more Departments of our Government are moved north the better understanding they might have of our diverse population.  Dept of Health to Blackpool, Dept of Agriculture to the north east etc.  There is no need whatsoever to have offices in London in my opinion so place the job vacancies where they are needed most.

Robert Wheeler ● 40d

I've worked for a couple of companies where regular trips to Newcastle were required. A great city and they sure know how to party :-)

Michael Ixer ● 40d

Ms Guy'One place up North that could do with investment is Blackpool.  Nobody seems to have a good word to say about it these days.  It is a really deprived town and could do with investment so that it could have a revival.'My relatives on my father's side lived in Lytham a 'posh' (sic) and gentile village south of Blackpool.We went there for our summer holidays every year until I was about 15.Lovely place.Blackpool was considered a bit brash and scary !You say "It is a really deprived town and could do with investment so that it could have a revival."But what does that really mean ?Its only 'industry' is that of a holiday resort and it seems nowdays people want guaranteed sun in Spain or even the USA.Blackpool cannot provide that.It used to have military aircraft production.English Electric was a major British industrial manufacturer that, from the 1950s, also designed and built iconic military aircraft such as the Canberra and the Lightning, before merging into the British Aircraft Corporation in 1960.This then moved south to Weybridge (sic) and Bristol.I am not sure what measures anyone can take to revive places like Blackpool as people's and industry's interests and incentives change.

John Hawkes ● 40d

Sadly, you are right, Martine. Blackpool is a shadow of its former self, used as a bit of a dumping ground nowadays, as are some of the other resort towns around our coasts.  If anywhere needs levelling up it's there.My grandmother, who lived the whole of her 97 years in Bolton, used to go to Blackpool every year for Wakes Week, when all the mills closed and you could see the hills.She went to Manchester once, didn't like it, never went again.  Manchester is 11 miles from Bolton!

Jonathan Callaway ● 41d

One place up North that could do with investment is Blackpool.  Nobody seems to have a good word to say about it these days.  It is a really deprived town and could do with investment so that it could have a revival.

Martine Guy ● 41d

Had a great year working in Carlton ( between Barnsley and Wakefield) when I was 19 after Lyons moved from London to Yorkshire. Every visit to The Walnut tree pub was started with streets of london on the juke box.Came back to London and married a Geordie lass so spent (and still do) great times in Newcastle

Andy Pike ● 41d

I used to go up to Stockport when I was young, my mums brother lived there and her other 2 bothers Chester. I still speak to my cousins in Chester on the Sealand Rd. Must have been when the war finished they must moved up there, one of them was also a boxer. My mum stayed down here, so I was with my dads family. My mums dad died in 1926 and is buried in Sheen cemetery. My mum would be 118.

Barbara Stevens ● 41d

The article mentions shivering southerners and although this is lighthearted, London really is warmer than the rest of the country, it’s one of the reasons I love living here.  I hate snow and being cold and London winters are mild, imo. (Jonathan, I think the English side of my family is from Lancashire originally.  We had a holiday in the Ribble Valley and Lancaster a few years back, I hadn’t realised how stunning the scenery was until then).

Martine Guy ● 41d

This is really going back but my father, born and brought up in Hammersmith, "emigrated" to Liverpool in the 1930s to find work.  After the war he stayed up north and married my mother from Bolton.  After that he was accepted as more or less local but I remember my grandmother using the most obscure Lancashire dialect words to bamboozle him (and the rest of us!).  He never took to black pudding though.

Jonathan Callaway ● 41d

Jonathan, that made me laugh.  When I was growing up in my affluent part of the West Mids., new children would turn up to join our school and they came from all over, including London and The Medway. I wondered why, as it’s usually northerners going south, until I read something recently that shocked me.  1960’s Birmingham economy was booming and doing better than London.  Harold Wilson and his government decided it wasn’t allowable for Birmingham’s economy to be better than London, so they put a stop to all new office building in B’ham.  I am going to watch what Burnham does with interest.

Martine Guy ● 41d

I remember when I was growing up in ‘t north (Cheshire, just south of Manchester) we got new neighbours from, shock, horror, the “South”.  They stood out immediately because they had … suntans!  Not from two weeks on the Costa Brava but from extended exposure to … sunshine!After being initially rather suspicious of them, we and our neighbours found out that they were actually quite normal humans. These were the first people from the south I ever met, until I went to university.

Jonathan Callaway ● 41d

“Northerners may struggle to understand who these nervous new arrivals are.  Why are they shivering?  How come they formed a defensive perimeter with luggage on arriving at Manchester Piccadilly station?”       Very funny!

Martine Guy ● 41d

I call everyone ‘darlin’  - male and female, I don’t discriminate.😸  Hardly ever say ‘love’ but my Mum always did.  I thought ‘duck’ was used oop North?😀

Sue Hammond ● 41d

Thanks Sue for reminding me of that other important meal of the day: tea. Yes, it was dinner at midday and school dinners served up by dinner ladies.  When I got home, mum had tea ready for me. The writers also mention the language barrier and say northerners call you “love”, whilst Londoners say “darlin”.  Not sure I agree with that one, as both words are in use everywhere.  

Martine Guy ● 41d

Very helpful guide and I hope it’s been photocopied and distributed to all the Labour MPs.  Never had ‘lunch’ when growing up it was always school dinners.  Dinner was always ‘tea’ in our house.

Sue Hammond ● 41d