Baffled.

[Kenn]

Why do news readers refer to the Aberdeen area as the north of Scotland?
We all know that we are much further north.
I was once told that Caithness is north west Scotland, errrr is n't that the area out beyond The Kyles to Cape Wrath?
Or is it simply a case of anything north of Inverness does n't exist for the media?

[Fluff]

8 time out of 10 when people ask where I am from, it usually follows with "are you from Glasgow/Dundee"

I think people just forget/don't think.

[Bazeye]

[quote=Fluff;635808]8 time out of 10 when people ask where I am from, it usually follows with "are you from Glasgow/Dundee"

I think people just forget/don't think.[/quot?

8 times out of 10 when people ask where Im from, it usually follows with a "When are you going back"?

[joxville]

8 time out of 10 when people ask where I am from, it usually follows with "are you from Glasgow/Dundee"

I think people just forget/don't think.

No. it's because they are ignorant of anything outside of the Home Counties and the South.

[jimbews]

No. it's because they are ignorant of anything outside of the Home Counties and the South.

I remember as a kid overnighting in a B&B in north England somewhere.
We were asked where we were from.
"Wick, near John O' Groats"
Then we were asked if we knew the couple who had stayed the week before and came from Galloway!

Also remember that the English regard Manchester as the north.
Don't know how they define Newcastle.

[DeHaviLand]

I remember as a kid overnighting in a B&B in north England somewhere.
We were asked where we were from.
"Wick, near John O' Groats"
Then we were asked if we knew the couple who had stayed the week before and came from Galloway!

Also remember that the English regard Manchester as the north.
Don't know how they define Newcastle.

I once had a Florida cop ask me where I was from. When I said Scotland, it didnt register with him. When I said Scotland was in Europe, his eyes lit up and he asked if I knew his friend, who just happened to live in Germany.

I usually hear the Aberdeen area referred to as the north east.

[Moira]

Why do news readers refer to the Aberdeen area as the north of Scotland?
We all know that we are much further north.
I was once told that Caithness is north west Scotland, errrr is n't that the area out beyond The Kyles to Cape Wrath?
Or is it simply a case of anything north of Inverness does n't exist for the media?

It all depends which news readers you listen to Lizz. Moray Firth Radio usually get it right as do Caithness FM. The TV channels never do.

For the TV channels, North, North East is Aberdeen and maybe as far as Elgin. The "true-North" is different.

[Phill]

Ahh, Well. It's about geography y'see.

Once upon a time when the world was pink, in the good old days, when wagon wheels were a proper size. Everyone knew their place and London was the centre of the planet and that was all that mattered.

However, in today's modern world we have access to a magnitude of data and information at our fingertips. Satellite imagery of every far flung corner of the globe, GPS tracking and triangulation from mobile phone cells makes the world smaller than ever.

So. The UK looks like this:

South = Laarndun
North = Lu'on
Far North = Barming'um
Dark ages = Mancunia
Dirty, theivin' robbin gitshire = Scousley
Extreme Far North = Monkey hangin' country
Carlisle = Where?
Borders = ain't that a shop?
Glasgow = Base Camp
Perth = Arctic

Oh, and there's Aberdeen. We don't know where it is but it keeps the banks ticking over!

[weegie]

scotland as we know is divided historicaly into north and south. any where north of the firth of forth is geographically defined as highland or northern. indeed in the 13th century the line from aberdeen in the east and inverness was classed as the northern line and all who lived is this area were classed as nothern highlanders, or heilan men/women.

[StacNKel]

Well I am from south west scotland, Dumfries, I met my OH while he was living in Kilmarnock, when he told me he was from Wick tbh I had never heard o it LOL when he said it was near John O Groats i had a rough idea where it is. Most people assume you cant get any further from "Inverness" unless you go by boat haha half my family thought you need to get a ferry to visit me!!

[tonkatojo]

Well I am from south west scotland, Dumfries, I met my OH while he was living in Kilmarnock, when he told me he was from Wick tbh I had never heard o it LOL when he said it was near John O Groats i had a rough idea where it is. Most people assume you cant get any further from "Inverness" unless you go by boat haha half my family thought you need to get a ferry to visit me!!

Aye some people are right at this time of year LOL. (getting past Inverness)

[mumof2]

what bugs me is when i'm expected to pay extra p&p on items as were are not classed as mainland scotland according to some companies!

[Gronnuck]

Even thon skiinny dipstick Magnusson that reads the Scottish News calls Aberdeen and Inverness the north. Any occasional reference to Caithness is as the 'farrrr north' as if we're so far away as to be of no consequence.
It could be argued that we are subject to "Geographic apartheid".

[Kevin Milkins]

When I go back to South Wales to visit and meet up with old friends, the obvious questions are, what are you doing with yourself nowadays, and where do you live?

One old school mate ask me such a question, and I told him I lived in Wick, Caithness, in the far north of Scotland.

His eyes lit up, and he went on to tell me what a great time he had at Murrayfield when he went to watch the Scotland V Wales match?, and did I get down the grass market much?

When I told him it is as far from Edinburgh to Wick, as it is from South Wales to Edinburgh, he could hardly believe it.

[Metalattakk]

In my various online forums I often get asked where I'm from.

I always say 'Northern Scotland', and often end up in conversation with people who have been to Stirling or Aberdeen and them asking if I live anywhere near those places.

I always respond by saying that they can easily find me, simply by walking north. And keep walking north. And keep on walking north. And stop when your feet get wet.

The other favourite is to say to them that I live closer to Oslo than London. Which is actually true.

[Alan16]

When I moved into Uni accommodation in September I ended up in a house of about 60 people - 58 of which are not from Scotland, 55 of which are not from Great Britain. So in the first few days I had to try and explain to 55 mainly continental European students where Wick was. I tried the "Do you know John O'Groats?" line on the possibility that they've heard of it due to LETJOG, but on 55 cases I got a no. Then I went for the "Do you know Inverness?" line. This time, maybe half-a-dozen people said yes, so it's then, "Well it's around 100 miles north of there." For the other 50-odd people it was basically "Go as far north as you can on main land Scotland, then go to the east coast, and you're basically there." I think if anyone now asks me where I'm from I'll just stick with the birth town - surely more people know where Dumfries is... Surely... Ok, I wouldn't bet on it either...

[Bazeye]

When I moved into Uni accommodation in September I ended up in a house of about 60 people - 58 of which are not from Scotland, 55 of which are not from Great Britain. So in the first few days I had to try and explain to 55 mainly continental European students where Wick was. I tried the "Do you know John O'Groats?" line on the possibility that they've heard of it due to LETJOG, but on 55 cases I got a no. Then I went for the "Do you know Inverness?" line. This time, maybe half-a-dozen people said yes, so it's then, "Well it's around 100 miles north of there." For the other 50-odd people it was basically "Go as far north as you can on main land Scotland, then go to the east coast, and you're basically there." I think if anyone now asks me where I'm from I'll just stick with the birth town - surely more people know where Dumfries is... Surely... Ok, I wouldn't bet on it either...

55 out of 60 not British. I find that rather alarming.

[Alan16]

55 out of 60 not British. I find that rather alarming.

How so? The reason there are so many is because it is an international house - in the past it has been where a lot of foreign students have been housed, so the odd thing is really that I am there.