Exploring England: Is it really grim up north?

“It’s grim up north.”

When talking about the north of the UK, you will always hear a southerner use this idiom, no matter what the subject of discussion.

Growing up in the south, I always heard this infamous phrase but I never thought much about it. At least I thought I didn’t. The phrase comes from way back when the north of England was dominated by heavy industry, including mining. Combined with the rugged landscapes and colder, greyer weather than the south, we southerners can’t help but think it must be grim.

is it grim up north

So I never went up there.

Years later, however, many of my friends moved north for university, specific jobs and affordable housing. My boyfriend was even born in the North; one side of his family still live there. And so, finding ourselves back in the UK, we decided to take our backpacks north to visit them and see if it really is as grim as people say.

is it grim up north

Driving through the countryside, rolling green hills lined with free-standing stone fences stretched for miles.

is it grim up north

The National Trust preserve historic sights and land, including Bolton Abbey and the area around.

is it grim up north

Ornate buildings stand proud along the streets of Harrogate.

is it grim up north

In Darwen, they even have emus.

is it grim up north

Liverpool’s old industrial docklands have been regenerated into museums, cafes and bars.

is it grim up north

Football supporters watch a Liverpool match at Camp and Furnace, an industrial warehouse on the city’s outskirts converted into a bar.

It turns out that a backpacking trip across the north had much more on offer than I originally thought. Before heading off, I had some pretty bad preconceived notions of the north of England, most of which turned out to be wrong. The cities and towns of the north have changed a lot since that phrase was coined. Recent regeneration programmes, conservation of historic buildings and the countryside, and an appreciation for arts, means that the north is an unexpected cultural gem for travellers. It’s not all that grim up north after all.

Have you travelled to the north of England? What did you think?