Countryside dwellers and townies

[PositronicRay]

RTB said:

Whilst doing my PhD at Manchester University back in 2002 my lab group went to a conference in Ambleside in the Lake District.

We went on a little crawl around the local pubs and at about 11.30pm were looking for somewhere to continue the night. We spotted a group of locals and asked them the best place to go for a late drink..... their response: "Manchester..."

And that is why the countryside is a great place once you've reached a certain age. I'd probably quite like it now.

Clubbing involves planning, late night drinking, either a "lock in" or each others houses.

[Mark Benson]

227bhp said:

They all seem pretty jolly on Countryfile

If anything's going to give you a completely London-centric view of the countryside, that programme is top of the list. Awful show.

In my 20s and early 30s, London was the only place I wanted to be - lot's to do and see (although in common with most Londoners I've made more use of the museums and galleries on visits since I moved 250 miles north than I did when I lived there) and the opportunities for career advancement are all in the SE, at least in my field before high speed communications.

However realising that that what I do, I could be doing from a desk anywhere with decent broadband I moved out of London into Wiltshire about 10 years ago then on to where I live now, North Yorks and for this time of life it's ideal.

The etiquette and norms of both are very different but the only reason someone from one area can't get on with people in the other is if they don't really want to, usually because they harbour a feeling that wherever they came from is superior in some way.

[Kermit power]

tannhauser said:

PositronicRay said:

Kermit power said:

PositronicRay said:

Kermit power said:

PositronicRay said:

Kermit power said:

julianm said:

Lovely spot you have in mind. You can do this :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajue4Z0iJcA
& roll back home for a cup of tea or a pint!

Close, but I have in mind something more like this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzXD5_1iGbM

I feel a bit sorry for the walkers

Why so? Walkers have access to over 3,500 miles of rights of way in Shropshire, the large majority of which are footpaths to which they have exclusive access.

They've every right to also use bridleways like this one, as do cyclists and horsey people, but I'm not sure why you'd feel sorry for them just because they have to let the occasional rider through when they do choose to use a bridleway?

No bells.

This is true, but in my experience, a friendly "excuse me" always works, whereas ringing a bell in a quiet environment like that often comes over as a bit aggressive.

Exhilarating and fast, but little consideration for other users of the track.

Totally agree with this. Riding like agressive tossers!

At what point of the video, precisely? I've no idea who they are - I just picked the video at random to illustrate the type of riding available on the Long Mynd - and hadn't watched the video before posting, but having gone back and watched it a couple of times over, I really don't see where any aggressive riding is supposed to be?

They've said thanks to everyone who has let them pass, and politely called out to someone who hasn't seen them coming. What more do you want? If you're not a mountain biker, please bear in mind that the hydraulic discs on those bikes will stop them on a sixpence, so there's no question of them being out of control or riding too quickly for the conditions that I can see?

If that was a footpath, then I'd be right there with you arguing that they shouldn't be there at all, but they've every right to be riding on a bridleway so I don't see the problem?

[C70R]

ATG said:

Yes, but my point is the variety is actually of little value because hardly anyone takes advantage of it. How many of those museums have you ever been to? How often do you actually go to them? Ditto the michelin restaurants? I reckon I only averaged a couple a year of each, and I doubt that's unusual.

That's an almost impossible one to answer on behalf of the general population of London (particularly given that museums are mostly tourist attractions), but I've been to a fair chunk of those personally. But, if we forget about museums for a second, and think about pubs and restaurants (of all types) as another example - there are 3500+ pubs in London, and 1800+ restaurants, with new ones opening in their multiples every week. The same goes for cool, independent shops, breweries, markets etc. etc.

If you don't want all that choice, then London clearly isn't for you. But I'm not letting you have the "oh yeah, but what good is all that choice when there are only 7 days in a week?" argument in favour of the countryside.

[ATG]

C70R said:

If you don't want all that choice, then London clearly isn't for you. But I'm not letting you have the "oh yeah, but what good is all that choice when there are only 7 days in a week?" argument in favour of the countryside.

That's not an argument I made. Nor did I say life in the country was better. I said people like the idea of all the choice, but (a) don't appreciate that the time required to access it isn't so different in the sticks and (b) rarely actually take advantage of it anyway.

I work just off Fleet St 3 days a week and from home in mid Wales the other 2, so I continue to have a foot in both camps. I'm not anti-London. I enjoy being there. The buzz is fun.

[Kermit power]

Sure, city life may present you with lots of places to shop and eat, but everything is a financial drain!

I want to live somewhere that I can bung a couple of sandwiches in a backpack and walk all day from my doorstep in peace and quiet, without inhaling traffic fumes the whole time.

[Hard-Drive]

Country for me, any day.

The early morning view from my bathroom this time of year...



And turn right out of my driveway and within 150 yards this becomes the road to the pub...




Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the city...I work in London a fair bit and enjoy the hustle and bustle and madness. For about two days...maximum. But sunglasses and rucksacks on the tube, no change from a tenner for lunch, general unfriendliness and all the pretentious BS that some people tend to lap up wears down cynical old me pretty quickly. Climbing through a fridge door after saying the password to go and drink gin at nearly a tenner a pop is not my idea of a decent pub. Ironically, some of the "advantages" of a city seem to be a bit lost in London...sometimes even trying to get a beer after midnight is some epic quest across town and then seats and tables are seen as status symbols and territory that must be defended at all costs...not a chance to socialise with new people. I see people running at lunchtime, dodging traffic and people and bikes and genuinely question where the fun or the chance to lose yourself would be in that...I'll take my usual lunchtime route up the canal thanks.

And the irony is, that I know people who have paid a king's ransom to live in a small house in some crowded suburb an hour up a tube line, where I can go from rural Warwickshire to Euston in about the same time and live in a much bigger house for the same money. Sorry...I just don't get it.

[PositronicRay]

Kermit power said:

At what point of the video, precisely? I've no idea who they are - I just picked the video at random to illustrate the type of riding available on the Long Mynd - and hadn't watched the video before posting, but having gone back and watched it a couple of times over, I really don't see where any aggressive riding is supposed to be?

They've said thanks to everyone who has let them pass, and politely called out to someone who hasn't seen them coming. What more do you want? If you're not a mountain biker, please bear in mind that the hydraulic discs on those bikes will stop them on a sixpence, so there's no question of them being out of control or riding too quickly for the conditions that I can see?

If that was a footpath, then I'd be right there with you arguing that they shouldn't be there at all, but they've every right to be riding on a bridleway so I don't see the problem?

I've no problem with cyclists if they show some courtesy. I didn't see the cyclists give way to anyone, some of the path was quite narrow, people perched precariously on the edge of what looked like a steep drop, children flinging themselves out of the way and the people by the stream being splashed.

Maybe I'm just old fashioned.

[Kermit power]

PositronicRay said:

I've no problem with cyclists if they show some courtesy. I didn't see the cyclists give way to anyone, some of the path was quite narrow, people perched precariously on the edge of what looked like a steep drop, children flinging themselves out of the way and the people by the stream being splashed.

Maybe I'm just old fashioned.

I've just watched it again, and I'll give you the stream splash at the end, that was pretty poor form! For the rest, though, if the walkers are clearly OK to step to the side of the path to let the bikes through, I'm not sure why you'd feel offended on their behalf?

The fact remains that whilst there are over 140,000 miles of rights of way in the UK, over 80% of these are footpaths which are only available to walkers. Is it really unreasonable to hope that walkers might - as the walkers in this video all appear to have done without complaint - take literally a couple of steps to accommodate riders when they're walking on the less than 20% to which riders have access?

The walkers have kindly stepped out of the way to let the riders keep having fun coming down, and the riders have politely thanked them. If everyone in the video has gone away happy and unperturbed after the encounter, what more is needed?

[C70R]

ATG said:

C70R said:

If you don't want all that choice, then London clearly isn't for you. But I'm not letting you have the "oh yeah, but what good is all that choice when there are only 7 days in a week?" argument in favour of the countryside.

That's not an argument I made. Nor did I say life in the country was better. I said people like the idea of all the choice, but (a) don't appreciate that the time required to access it isn't so different in the sticks and (b) rarely actually take advantage of it anyway.

I work just off Fleet St 3 days a week and from home in mid Wales the other 2, so I continue to have a foot in both camps. I'm not anti-London. I enjoy being there. The buzz is fun.

Sorry - I was paraphrasing a little, but I feel like your pro-country argument is too simplistic. I live in a lovely part of SE London (Z2), and have more choice of restaurants, cinemas, pubs and galleries within 10min than most towns in the UK. I don't need to travel an hour to have the same kind of variety as you describe.

Having said that, I'm pragmatic. I don't want to raise children in London, and the family lifestyle I can afford in the countryside is infinitely more fit-for-purpose than I can reasonably afford in London. MrsC and I will probably be relocating our main home to the Cotswolds/Chilterns at some point in the next 12-18mths, because we'll no longer have the free time to take advantage of the cool stuff that London offers. When you compare the family home that £800k buys in these areas with what it buys in Z2, it's a no-brainer.

But, and here's the contradiction, we're going to keep one of our places in London - we'll still want to come and use it (if we don't rent it out), and London property isn't getting any cheaper.

[RTB]

I've lived in cities and lived in the country (I'm a farmers son) and I now live in a small town which seems to be a reasonable compromise.

I would like to live out in the middle of nowhere, have plenty of room around me and not have to see the neighbours. However, my wife, who has a friends and a social life, is less keen, plus I can see me spending several years driving my two sons around when they become teenagers in a few years, so it's probably off the cards until I'm a lot older.

[DonkeyApple]

Frankly, it seems that urban dwellers are quite happy and have no problem with country folk unless they are blocking the escalators shouting about the devil's stairs again yet country folk seem to rant all the time about urban folk. But I guess once you've marvelled at the sun coming up again and chatted about which pig has the sexiest walk there isn't much else to do if the sisters out.

Being serious for a moment, I've lived all my life in both. There are stupid people in the countryside and the city. There are people in both places who are scared of stepping a few feet away from where they live. There are angry and sad people in both and the simple truth is that the majority of both are happy, intelligent enough to know how the other half live and enjoy each other's company for the different perspectives and conversations. But happy when they fk off home.

It's Suburbia that frightens me. Mile after mile of total uniformity. Is it a legal requirement to buy an Audi if you live in suburbia?

[jinkster]

I grew up on the city outskirts and we used to head out in the countryside for walks etc.

When I moved out I moved into the country and moved recently into the Peak District, I absolutely love it and wouldn't change it for the world. Just before Christmas we caught the train to London and stayed just on Park Lane and walked around Mayfair, Piccadilly and St James - it made a real change and I can see why people do like it especially with the buzz of Christmas in the air. I certainly wouldn't move to London but it will not be too long until I visit again.