Up or down?

[MuddyWitch]

A conversation with my eldest set me thinking: (it's ok, I'm taking it r e a l l y slowly )

I regard Leicester 'down' from anywhere, but leaving that ( & any Carry On smuttiness ) aside, I generally think of going North as going 'up' the country, and (obviously) going South as going 'down'. I have a friend in Queen's Park who says if i travel to there then I'm going UP to London as it's 'up' from anywhere in the UK, being the capital.

And what about those of you South of the equator? Which direction, if any, is 'up' for you?

I'll stop thinking again now .....

MW

[Thomzo]

As far as I'm concerned North is up and South is down.

Zoe

[Marc]

Yep, I always think of North as up. It's probably because is always at the top of the map - just seems to make sense. I wonder what the guys down under say?
I think if I lived up north then I'd say 'going down' to London.

[Paul_C]

please do not consider london up north or down south.


please consider it a portal to the gates of hell istelf and thus anything within the m25 should be nuked on general principles.

we wescountry folk despise being lumped in with "the south" as it makes us seem like total fools. we arnt we just like cider.

[oldjerry]

From Cornwall,everywhere else is 'Up Country', and it would be a shame to nuke an area where so many people show others,in more bucolic surroundings, with bigger gardens,acres of foraging etc. what being ishy really is.( personally I rate the Exeter rush hour far more depressing).

[Graye]

I think of North as up and South as down, although I still think of Birmingham as down from where we live now when it is more or less straight across!

Talking of Cornwall, OH's father was a Cornishman. When he left to move to Yorkshire his family described this event as "Ken going to England". So up didn't come into it, he had just gone abroad!

[Milims]

Apparently and techincally you go "Up" to the capital - i.e. "Up" to London. However, when one lives closer to the capital of Scotland than England it begs the question - Which way is Up?

[boboff]

One does not go up to London, one goes to Town.

As for a Cornishperson, I have grown up with the phrase when leaving Cornwall, Plymouth especially as going up the "line"

In my own view you get to the M5 at Bristol, and it's all down hill from there!

[that_sarah_girl]

I grew up in just outside London and now live in Wigan. When I visit my family I always go "down" to visit and they come "up" to visit me.
I find it odd when friends from London say "when are you next coming up?"...it doesn't make sense.

One does not go up to London, one goes to Town.

This is true. I use to say "going into Town" when I was going into central London. I also say "going into Town" now when I'm going into Manchster (my nearest Big city). Although this probably isn't correct.

Also, when I talk about "The South" or "Southerners" in my head I automatically exclude people from the South West.

[mrsflibble]

norht is up. south is down.

the midlands are up from here (essex). kent is down.

[Big Al]

THE diffinitive answer is this.

From My front door in (h)Artlepool going to Peterlee, Sunderland, Newcastle is going north and as such we are hardy northerners with cold newcastle brown ale for beer. Going to Middlesborough, Redcar, York etc is going south and we are likely to chance across those soft southerners, warm larger and funny accents.

Nothing contentious there then!!

BA

[Lost-in-the-Day]

Pretty much everywhere in the UK is up from Jersey. Back when I lived in Durham I went up to Newcastle and down to Somerset so going to have to go with up being North and down being South.

[happyhippy]

North is up and South is down.Even driving north up the M6 feels like you're driving up hill?

[Thomzo]

North is up and South is down.Even driving north up the M6 feels like you're driving up hill?

Hmmm, that's very true. When I go to visit my friend in Chester, it always takes longer to get there than to get home. That must mean that I'm travelling uphill on the way there (and nothing to do with the fact that I travel UP there on a busy Friday night and back DOWN on Sunday afternoon).

Zoe

[Millymollymandy]

North up, south down. Used to live west of London but fractionally north of the centre (in South Bucks) so going into London wasn't up nor down. I think we just said we were going into London. When I lived in West London we'd go into Town if we meant the west end.