I just love pies and southerners don't get it." – Richard, Manchester Why do you love gravy so much?

The north's exact military strength has not yet been revealed. According to a semi-canon source from 2005, the north can perhaps raise forty-five thousand soldiers, [52] although it takes a long time for armies to be gathered from such a large region. [42] [53] According to George R.R. Martin, the north's military strength is about equal to that of the Vale of Arryn, and Dorne. [53] During Aegon's Conquest, King Torrhen Stark raised an army of thirty thousand men. [54] Nearly twenty thousand can be raised on short notice [13] near the start of autumn, [55] while thousands more might be raised from more distant houses, such as the mountain clans, if more time is allowed. [17] Once autumn is declared by the Citadel, the lords of the north store away a part of the grain they have harvested. How much is a matter of choice; between one fifth and one fourth seems prudent, however. [9] Additionally food is smoked, salted, and otherwise preserved ahead of winter. Coastal communities depend on fish and inland ice fishing is common on the rivers and Long Lake. Poor harvests before winter will mean famine, however. [23]There's the seasonal annoyance, every autumn and winter, where people ask if the wind and rain 'remind me of home'. Or, if being further south at uni is 'practically a holiday' for me compared to the barren wasteland a huge 70 miles north where I come from." – John, Sunderland

As well as poking fun at one another for their accents and slang,they quibble about who is the friendliest. According to research carried out by Cambridge University, people from Yorkshire are the most helpful when asked for directions and Scots are the friendliest. It also found Londoners to be the least friendly. This easily-readable history of the north of England is not a coherent narrative. It reads as a collection of independent, semi-linked chapters rather than a free-flowing, interconnected whole. And it is a reminder that the north of England is not an easily defined entity. There is a real difficulty in writing a separate history of the north, because the north is not separate from England. The connections between the north and the south are too deep for this awkward and simplistic division. On the other hand, regional differences are more genuine, something that the book brings to light. I fear that in some sense the book wants to divide, that the author wants to leave us with uncertainty and open wounds rather than conclude with healing or at least aim towards it. On several issues. Obvious bias aside, I really enjoyed this book. It was well-researched and even more well written. Brian Groom has a clear writing style which conveys information I have never read before. Groom traces the history of England's northern region from the beginning of the Earth to the present day. It is massive in scope, but Groom manages the time equally. None of the book ever felt dull, though, even the periods that do not particularly interest me. It would appear that the notion of a cheap night out isn’t an option in the south, not that we’d spend our weekend down there anyway.

You’re not wearing a coat? We’re going clubbing though…" – Abbie, Newcastle Why are you so friendly to everyone? Northerners also shows convincingly how the past echoes down the centuries. The devastation of factory and pit closures in the 1980s, for example, recalled the trauma of William the Conqueror’s Harrying of the North. The book charts how the north-south divide has ebbed and flowed and explores the very real divisions between northerners, such as the rivalry between Lancashire and Yorkshire. MORE : 25 reasons the North of the UK is way better than the South 7. They don’t understand the chips and gravy hype The first night was allowed in the north until Queen Alysanne Targaryen convinced King Jaehaerys I Targaryen to abolish it. [34] Some northern lords still discretely practice it, however. [39]

Some northmen live in remote, distant areas where they act as little more than clans and tribes. These remote folk, such as the crannogmen, the northern mountain clans, and the Skagosi, are still vassals of the Starks, however, and are allowed to maintain their own ways and traditions as long as they remain loyal to Winterfell. Some maesters believe the blood of Cape Kraken's people is closer to that of ironborn than northmen. [32] The Denver Post: “Game of Thrones” author George R.R. Martin on sex, violence and T.V., updated April 30, 2016 Bath doesn't have an 'r' in it you know." – Will, Hull Do you want a cup of dinner with your tea lol Hornwood, the seat of House Hornwood, is in the Hornwood forest north of White Harbor and south of the Dreadfort, the seat of House Bolton. The Dreadfort lies near the Weeping Water, which flows east to the Shivering Sea. Northeast of the Dreadfort are the forested lands of House Karstark. East of their castle, Karhold, are the Grey Cliffs. [11] In the Bay of Seals are several islands, including Skagos and uninhabited Skane. The largest, Skagos, is said to be inhabited by cannibals and unicorns and is only nominally controlled by the Starks of Winterfell. [16]Everything north of London is the North if you think about it." – Will, Hull What do you mean you don't call it a bread roll? If there is the prediction of the slightest chance of even the most minuscule accumulation of sun, your presence is required at the local chemist. It does not matter if you need anything from there, it is just something you're supposed to do. Could you pass me a bread roll?' Not sure what that is but you can have a barm cake." – Jess, Manchester What sets the book apart is the scale and geographical focus. Groom does an excellent job of bouncing around topics, and his skills really flourish in later chapters. When diving into a very particular aspect of the north's history, such as migration, leisure or even sheep farming, Groom's broad historical brush strokes pay off dividends. He gets to leap across centuries and pull together different parts of northern history which a narrower focus wouldn't allow. It makes for a fun read and is perfect for anybody wanting a neat overview of the region. It also embraces the scenery of the north, and Groom's accounts of Liverpool, the Pennines, Northumbria and Manchester are all very evocative.