Sheffield is a green city and apparently has more trees per capita than any other city in Europe.
And Glasgow has the highest amount off open space.
It's the view I go past every night on the way to my local 12 mile off road route. If you must know, it's Richmond Terrace.
Here's link for you. Careful it's all concrete, no history, no architecture, no character, no culture, no tree, no grass, the water is toxic and the place is full aggressive people that will stab you if you so much as look at them or speak to them. There are high rises everywhere, much like the ones in Edinburgh that I guess don't exist anymore
Hate away:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/image_galleries/richmondhill_gallery.shtml?1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/in_pictures/viewsoflondon/richmond/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/panoramas/richmond_hill_360.shtml
Redcar
Middlesborough
What a pair of depressing sh*tpits
Chunkty - I didn't say London had
no history, no architecture, no character, no culture
You can make a defence of it on those grounds easily.
I know Richmond park. Nice park. Not really countryside tho is it. 🙂 I used to go there to attempt to get a bit of green
So how long to cycle from the centre of London into real countryside? that the major drawback to me. We all have things that are important to us and to me the views and being able to see the Horizon and the access to the countryside are important.
Chunky - where is that view - genuinely I am interested.
Looks like the view down to the Thames from Richmond at a guess (beaten to it!!)
London is not a green city
Other major open spaces in the suburbs include:
* Hampstead Heath, 320 hectares [3]
* Clapham Common, 89 hectares [4]
* Wimbledon Common, about 460 hectares [5]
* Epping Forest, 2,476 hectares [6]
* Trent Park 169 hectares [7]
* Hainault Forest Country Park 136 hectares [8]
* Mitcham Common 182 hectares [9]
* South Norwood Country Park 47 hectares [10]
* Wildspace Conservation Park 645 hectares [11]
* Watling Chase 18,840 hectares [12]
* Thames Chase 9,842 hectares [13]
then the royal parks;
There are today eight parks formally described by this name and they cover almost 2,000 hectares (4,900 acres) of land in Greater London.
* Bushy Park, 445 hectares (1,099 acres) [1]
* The Green Park, 19 hectares (47 acres) [2]
* Greenwich Park, 74 hectares (183 acres) [3]
* Hyde Park, 142 hectares (350 acres) [4]
* Kensington Gardens, 111 hectares (275 acres) [5]
* The Regent's Park, 166 hectares (410 acres) [6]
* Richmond Park, 955 hectares [7] (2360 acres)
* St. James's Park, 23 hectares (58 acres) [8]
* Brompton Cemetery, 16.5 hectares [9]
* Victoria Tower Gardens not listed on the Royal Parks web-site but confirmed by themselves as a Royal Park
and then add on all the little parks and recs.
and it is not easy to get out of.
Todays club run;
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/76890170
we cycled over M25 to Peaslake for tea and cake. 😉
I've never liked Luton and Newport is indeed a dump
I can't be arsed. That view is not Richmond Park. That view takes in major SW London suburbs.
Haven't been to every city in the uk so can't give a fully balanced opinion (much like most people in this thread I'm sure) but Stoke and Newport both stick in my mind as being particularly wretched. The dilapidation and general depression that seems to affect old industrial towns is especially prevalent in both.
Ok - so London is a small city easy to cycle out of in a few minutes and with loads of green space. 🙄 Infact it is smaller more vibrant and has more in it but remains more green than any other UK city
can't give a fully balanced opinion
Pfft, this is the internet, don't let that stop you! 😛
TandemJeremy - MemberOk - so London is a small city easy to cycle out of in a few minutes and with loads of green space. Infact it is smaller more vibrant and has more in it but remains more green than any other UK city
Ignorance is bliss.
London.
+1 for Luton (not a city of course and never will be)
I was born there and couldn't wait to escape.
Also;
Bracknell (ever tried shopping there?)
Leyland (characterless but improved immensely since Tesco arrived)
Tranent nr Edinburgh (OMG awful)
Ok - so London is a city easy to cycle out of and with loads of green space. In fact it is more vibrant and has more in it but remains more green than Scotland
FIFY 😀
Chunky - not ignorance - experience and opinion
More bullshit. I can be in a forest within 30 mins of riding from my house. Jump on a train and I can be in't countryside in about the same, or even less. If I get a train from Waterloo, I can go down to Farnborough, for example, meet Poddy and go for a ride. Train takes 35-40 mins,
He's right you know. That is actual proper factual information you know!
I've lived in London (well, Ilford and Canning Town) for the best part of a year and it was fine. As far as I can see being a Midlander who moved South, this unfriendly attitude that people go on about with London and the South East is down to THEM not the locals. There's no difference apart from the accent. And I've been around a bit.
I love London. I love being 45 mins on the train from the centre of the greatest city in the world. My favourite day out is to do something touristy, a meal in Soho and tickets to a West End show or Hecklers. It's brilliant.
If I wasn't on the phone I'd post a few of the shots I took on our London urban ride. The City can also be just as beautiful as the hills..... 🙂
My bit of London is ace, just got back from a day at London zoo with the kids, we took the train to Brighton yesterday. Where we live has a really good community feel about it. Certainly aware of the drawbacks,and from most of the main thoroughfairs it looks like a toilet, but it's SO big you can't judge it all like other cites. I'm from teeside, then Leeds and I nominate them and would much rather bring up a family down here. Bloody expensive though!
Stoke, such a shame that Brian Rourke is located there, about the best thing going for the place.
I love London. I love being 45 mins on the train from the centre of the greatest city in the world. My favourite day out is to do something touristy, a meal in Soho and tickets to a West End show or Hecklers. It's brilliant.
People always say this - it's funny though cos none of the people I know in London EVER do anything of the sort. They always go to the same pubs/bars/restaurants in their own little area, and very rarely bother to venture to a different part of London - so might as well live in a small town, which would be much less expensive.
If London people are being honest - I suspect the number of times they really go to a great art gallery/museum/show or whatever is very very minimal - probably a similar number to people who take the occasional day trip to London from somewhere nicer. 😉
I don't know why people are voting for London so much, I love this place. Never boring.
My vote would have to go to Blackpool.
People always say this - it's funny though cos none of the people I know in London EVER do anything of the sort. They always go to the same pubs/bars/restaurants in their own little area, and very rarely bother to venture to a different part of London - so might as well live in a small town, which would be much less expensive.
Maybe some people you DON'T know do do it though.
Just a wild theory but, well, you never know.....
london
PP I'm not suggesting it doesn't happen of course - I just don't think it happens half as much as people like to make out when they go on about how great London is.
I think i would throw Bradford into the mix, ok for me it's the gateway to the dales and beyond. It pains me every time i drive through, so much so that if there is a shop/dealership nearest to me and it's in Bradford i will go to the next furthest shop/garage so i don't have to go near Bradford. I even chose my last house on the basis it didn't have a Bradford Postcode which was both cheaper and bigger than our current pile.
*shrugs*
It's all irrelevant to me, as I choose to live somewhere amongst the houses in this pic.
[img] 
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Sheffield is half an hour in one direction, Derby half an hour in the opposite. Manchester is an hour away.
That's as close to living in a city as I fancy, thanks
Just got back from that cultural midlands gem that is Birmingham, can I add that to my list!
PP I'm not suggesting it doesn't happen of course - I just don't think it happens half as much as people like to make out when they go on about how great London is.
True, but either way it makes no difference to how great the city is either! 🙂
I love London.......... the greatest city in the world.
This is of course [b]FACT[/b]. Fact based on quantitative data and the author's personal experience enabling him to compare it against every other city in the world.
Or it could just be old bollocks.
Where's dd ? we've another entry for his book.
London.
I think Middlesbrough are hoping to get city status. When they do then it's a shoe in for the title.
I can think of no redeeming feature for the place. It might be near some nice places but Boro itself is a hole.
London.
Isn't the city of London actually quite small and couldn't possibly contain all the museums, clubs and whatever else that people are making claims about?
Hull, Middlesbrough, Sunderland. All east coast and fortunate that Newcastle makes up for them.
[url= http://www.birminghamitsnotshit.co.uk/ ]Birmingham its not sh*t[/url]
As a Londoner, for those who think its bad, Jealousy is a cruel mistress.
Wow, no-one has mentioned Hull. While not my worst city as it's my home city, it tends to top "worst city in Britain" books. While not a city, my most hated town is Bournemouth. Completely lacking soul imv (I lived there). Very glad to leave.
As a Londoner, for those who think its bad, Jealousy is a cruel mistress.
This is another hilarious argument. If I actually loved London, why wouldn't I just move there? It's particularly funny for people on a mountain bike forum to go on about how great London is.
To me, the 'greatest city in the world™' would have some decent mountain biking nearby that you wouldn't have to drive for 4 hours to get to. 😆
Londonderry / Derry
a) cos it is
b)
[img] 
[/img]
Face of an angel voice of a skip....
And yes that's just the women 🙄
Londonderry / Derry
a) cos it is -
b)
[img] [/img]
Face of an angel voice of a skip....
And yes that's just the women 🙄
You don't choose to live in a city for it's rural delights; you choose to live there for it's cultural diversity, entertainment facilities and transport links.
I realise there's no point (or reason) trying to defend 'that there London' to it's naysayers, but it's certainly the most diverse and varied city in the UK.
Whatever your social class or cultural preferences there's an endless list of things to do, places to go and people to meet.
Like any city it's going to have parts or aspects you don't care for, but IMO this is more than made up for by it's wonderful variety and character.
It does take time to get to know, I lived there for 30 years of my 'adult' life in over 10 different postcodes and still found places that surprised & delighted me with their unique blend of old, new and downright weird.
Is it better or worse than any other city, not for me to say, but if you're prepared to blithely dismiss it as crap then you possibly haven't dug deep enough or you're just not a big town person.
I've lived in other cities, and to be honest found them far less interesting and engaging - I don't want a city I can cycle across in a few hours. I want a city in which I can spend a lifetime getting to appreciate and know it's back roads, alleys, riverside/canalside paths, parks, galleries, museums, street markets, dodgy boozers, fine dining, specialist shops, abandoned buildings, monuments, parades, parties and above all it's people.
London, yeah - it's pretty damn good 😀
[i]emsz - are you actually from Gloucester?[/i]
ermmmmm *hesitates as there seems to be a good chance of being at the butt end of a joke..* yes?
Why?
Yarp......... 😆
I think i would throw Bradford into the mix
I was expecting it earlier but I was sure there would be far better (worse) candidates. At least it still has some great buildings left from it's prosperous past and it's full of curry houses (and close to some great countryside).
to me, the 'greatest city in the world™' would have some decent mountain biking nearby that you wouldn't have to drive for 4 hours to get to.
so you define a great city as one that you can get out of as quickly as possible?
I'm back from the pub now. 😀
This is of course FACT. Fact based on quantitative data and the author's personal experience enabling him to compare it against every other city in the world.
Let's have a look...
http://www.timeout.com/travel/features/362/the-worlds-greatest-cityr
Oh, how odd; I don't see Edinburgh in the Top Ten in that book, TJ. I wonder why that is?
Interesting that New York gets a higher rating than London for architecture; sure, it's got some iconic skyscrapers and is undoubtedly home to some fabulous structures, but it lacks the depth and history of London, by a very long way indeed. And it's got absolutely nothing to compare with St Paul's cathedral, or the Houses of Parliament, or even stuff like Greenwich Observatory, Brunel's stuff or Arnos Grove Tube Station. On that basis alone I'd put it above New York, and I'm sure many people globally would agree with me.
If you don't like it here, then don't come here. Simple really. Then you won't have to moan about it.
I love how TJ bangs on about the countryside, on a thread that talks about [u]cities[/u]. If you love the countryside so much, why don't you just go and live in Russia?
I also love how the haterz can only really come up with the same tired old crap, and the 'unfriendly' people myth. Probbly came here with their grumpy attitudes, and wondered why no-one wants to talk to a miserable sod. 😉
If London people are being honest - I suspect the number of times they really go to a great art gallery/museum/show or whatever is very very minimal
I reckon this is true for every city with museums and that. When I visited Leeds Art Gallery last year, it was dead quiet. The only people there seemed to be 'foreigners'. Certainly din't see hordes of proud Yorkshirefolk wandering around exclaiming 'Ee, in't it grand?'
Speaking of Leeds, I'm annoyed I missed Iration Steppas in Brixton on Friday. 🙁
I wonder how, even if I'd ever bin to Edinburgh, TJ would react if I turned round and said it was crap? He'd probbly cite numerous reasons why it weren't, I'd imagine. Some proper Peer-Reviewed stuff or something.
I don't hate any other British city, simply because they surely all have something positive and unique about them, which I'd rather enjoy than waste time hating. Even Warrington.
Or it could just be old bollocks.
I don't hate any other British city, simply because they surely all have something positive and unique about them, which I'd rather enjoy than waste time hating.
Some people are just 'haters' who fail to see the joy and wonder in everyday life over their own self importance and vanity.
Hate a city, hate it's people and that's a sad state to be in 🙁
ChunkyMTB, you live just down the road from my parents. Right side of the Thames, too 😀 Last time I was staying with them had a run down the tow path from Kew to there, very green (despite what TJ may think), clear air, interesting views of the river and the bridges and buildings alongside it.
Portsmouth gets my vote, though I can't say I've been there often enough to really hate the place.
So how long to cycle from the centre of London into real countryside?
Who wants to go to the bloody boring countryside when you've got stuff like this to look at?
[img] 
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[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
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I mean, all you'll find in the countryside is a few fields with cahs in them. Who wants to look at cahs for flip's sake? All they do is go moo and shit everywhere.
[img] 
[/img]
So those that say London have you lived in other places mentioned here? Maybe thing with those other places is that you can get out more easily? Also, I think it's fair to say that many people around the world are very keen to live in London - more than would prefer not to I guess. Of course being a wealthy person in London is a different experience to being less well off - I wouldn't fancy being based in some parts of the East End.
Anyway, I used to live near Chiswick and could be riding in the Surrey Hills within an hour - and the Chilterns in half that. I used to like popping over to Richmond Park too.
I wouldn't fancy being based in some parts of the East End.
Nor would I!
Oh...
I hate London AND Edinburgh. Do I get a prize?
How can you live somewhere, where gravy n chips is not an option? flippin southern jessies 🙂
Who need gravy and chips when you can have pie, mash and liquor 😛
elf link fail
that's a list of 75 cities based on subjective data.
my statement upheld, thanks for your affirmation.
in your defence, i think London is a fabulous city, is it the best city in the world ? haven't been to them all but i've been to ones that i prefer over London and ones that i don't.
is it the worst city in the UK ? obviously not - not by any logic.
Yeah but in fairness your onion isn't as valid as mine, is it?
Glad we've got that sorted out. 🙂
Yeah but in fairness your onion isn't as valid as mine, is it?
C'mon Fred, that shallot.....
Anyway, I used to live near Chiswick and could be riding in the Surrey Hills within an hour
That's pretty poor to be honest. In much of the country you can be riding in the hills by the time you get to the end of your street.
😆
Qualitage....
Not read all this but Bradford (or Bratford as the local would say) has to be at the top of list.
Big hole at one end, soon to be piddling little pond full of empty stella cans and used durex at the other. Only shops are pound shops and full of crap curry houses. No contest really.
That's pretty poor to be honest. In much of the country you can be riding in the hills by the time you get to the end of your street.
Not in a city you can't which is the point of this thread. I moved out to Surrey and have a bridleway 100 metres from my house so definitely prefer the countryside.
Chippenham is rubbish.
Not in a city you can't which is the point of this thread.
I beg to differ.
On the outskirts of Cardiff (which isn't very big) you can be in the trails in minutes, from the middle it only takes like 20-30 by bike. And many cities up North I believe. Edinburgh also has handy riding on the outskirts IIRC.
Speaking of Leeds, I'm annoyed I missed Iration Steppas in Brixton on Friday
Small world, I used to know Mark quite well back in the 90's. Does he still wear a Leeds top at every gig ?
Chunky, had a nice pint in the Roebuck last week and recognised that Vista straight away even though I left London 6 years ago. I usually stay in the Petersham whilst down and took the misses along the toe path to twickenham (the white swan) and she couldn't believe it was London.
I generally dislike most cities being an anti-social curmudgeon who feels uncomfortable surrounded by lots of other people.
Originate from Dundee which used to have few redeeming features but has improved greatly of late.
Uni in Glasgow which was fantastic.
Worked near Ipswich, mmm can't realy think of anything stand outabout it other than the tractor boys.
Now live outside Chester, ok quite touristy, walkable round. Can get to Liverpool or Manchester for events etc.
Went to London quite often by train when down south and the museums etc are great. However I would hate to live there. Relatives do and have probably seen less of the attractions than I did in 5 years as you rarely visit what's on your doorstep.
Worst city would be devoid of culture/events, difficult to get out of, have high levels of poverty/crime, have little in the way of redeeming architecture etc. It could be where you experienced a bad time, for me that would be Birmingham (plus that accent really doesn't help!) though if forced to choose between it and London it would be close.
Obviously Sunderland!!!! and coming from Newcastle you can be assured that his view is of a fair considered nature
In my limited experience and entirely subjective view of places I've lived or worked, I'd have to nominate Southampton. It just doesn't seem to hang together very well as a city - somehow forms less than the sum of its parts.
Huge waterfront that it makes not a great deal of, being mostly given over to a container port. Dual carriageway spearing through the heart of it, and quite big in terms of area, making it an unwelcoming place to negotiate on foot. Utterly dreary high street/shopping area that is a triumph of bad post-war town planning. Seemed like a bit of a cultural vacuum, too. That provincial crackle of menace from booze-and-coked-up bams if you're out on a night out.
On the plus side, it has a benign climate for the UK and proximity to other, more beautiful bits of the beautiful south.
And London's kind of too big to generalise about. If you have a certain amount of dosh it can be a great place to live but you do need a fair bit of dosh or live in an OK part of it. There must be millions of Londoners ekeing out a miserable existence in its endless squalid suburbs. Richmond Terrace isn't exactly representative. OK you can visit it but you still have to get back to Crapston Villas, SE69, the bit you can actually afford to live in.
i'd thought about mentioning southampton (6 years down there, uni and working) but I wouldn't call it "bad" so much as "not good". There's nothing much to get excited about, and to quote a scottish friend that lives down there "it's just a loosely connected series of council estates" (the thought of Millbrook still makes me shudder).
Bit of a non-entity as far as cities go, but always reminded me of home (the locals didn't approve of me likening it to "Dudley without the canals and history" - fussy gits).
I would just like to point out the minor technicality that the City Of London is in fact only 1 square mile big so all the comments about stuff outside of this area iz in fact will null and voidz
London.
London has some negatives but it also has positives - that is difficult to argue against even if you yourself do not get invovled in them.
Some cities (like Brum) are almost as big, ugly and smokey but don't have the nice bits or the positives.
I would just like to point out the minor technicality that the City Of London is in fact only 1 square mile big so all the comments about stuff outside of this area iz in fact will null and voidz
That is absolutely correct. Only cities listed as cities here are eligible for nomination: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_status_in_the_United_Kingdom#List_of_officially_designated_cities
Posts relating to Greater London (excluding the City of Westminster) are disqualified.
I notice that no-one has nominated [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichfield ]Lichfield[/url]. This may be because no-one knows where it is.
Portsmouth will be in the top 10!
[i]since the development of Gun Wharf, the knocking down of Tricorn centre and the other new developments, its actually not bad at all anymore[/i]
WHAT? Gun Wharf's no improvement. Just a new place for the chavs to fight.
I notice that no-one has nominated Lichfield. This may be because no-one knows where it is.
Me me - I know where it is.
Its down south somewhere isn't it
No, it's in the Midlands 🙂
See - i WOS RIGHT
I've had the experience of many UK, US and some continental european cities.
For me, I can't understand the negatives on London, it is one of the best cities I have ever lived in with some of the friendliest people you can meet. The cultural diversity, access to so many different show, cuisines, small markets etc is fantastic. I think the negative views of London stem from people coming into Covent garden for an afternoon, if that is the case then no wonder you have a bad perception.
Worst cities, well in no particular order:
Stoke, Wolverhampton, Preston, Dumfries, Portsmouth
Coventry. By far. Spent two years there at college. Nasty, nasty place.
London's shit but I guess it does have a few good points. Coventry has none.
TJ it goes like this, in order of increasing latitude:
South
Midlands
North
Far North
Scotland
It's because all the most interesting stuff happens in London, so all points are relative to there 🙂
Worst city (or maybe it's just a large town - don't know, don't care) for me is Middlesbrough. Nothing wrong with the people, and it's in some lovely countryside, but it's got that 60s concrete brutalism which robs the place of any charm. The grafitti and the poverty obvious in many parts of the town don't help either.
A miserable place.
been to Belfast a couple of times recently and was surprised about what a really nice, friendly place it is with a really buzzy atmoshere.
Just thought this thread needed a bit of positiveness.
However, to cotinue with the negativity - is Holyhead a city?
But Mr TJ you wuzz well rong innit cuz. Eye cud well pedal fasterish then you cud a cross CoL then you cud a cross da Burger