Here are all the things that every Southerner in Newcastle can relate to

Newcastle is FULL of Southerners. You might think you're hard, but nothing back in London prepared you for the moment when you pulled into Newcastle station for the first time. Northern people and their habits were weird at first, but now it's a home away from home…

The drinks are infinitely cheaper

Gone are the days of paying £8 for a double vodka coke just to impress that fitty you’ve been chatting up. Trebles, skittle-bombs and cheap cocktails are the order of the day up here, and you don't have to throw away the entirety of your student loan, at least, not all in one go. It’s nice to not have to get completely smashed at pres before even entering the club just to avoid paying ridiculous prices. Obviously, you’re still going to, but the option is there…

Everyone thinks your accent is posh

Meeting masses of new people is fun, but after talking to a few, you’ll wish you sounded less Patrick Stewart and more Paddy McGuiness, mainly because after hearing you speak everyone seems to ask if your Mum shops at Waitrose and if your Dad votes Conservative. You’ll spend many hours trying to explain that it’s just the way you sound and it doesn’t necessarily mean you live in Buckingham Palace and ride a pony to your lectures.

You can’t understand your Northern flatmates

Get used to hearing ‘scran’, ‘youse’ and ‘belta’ all the time. Sometimes it seems like they’re speaking a different language up here. It seems like no-one can agree whether a bread roll is called a bun, a cob or a barm?! Not to mention that last time you checked, ‘mint’ was a plant and not an adjective, but you’ll just have to get used to it.

You don’t understand why Greggs is EVERYWHERE

Everyone likes a sausage roll, but seriously, why is there a Greggs on every corner?! If you had a pound for every Greggs in Newcastle (31) you’d have enough to buy 22 steak bakes. Meaty.

People here eat gravy with everything and it confuses you

Down South, gravy is reserved for Sunday roasts and KFC, not chips and kebabs. As it should be, right? But pretty soon you won't be able to make it through your 3am munchies takeaway without it. Despite thinking it was weird at first, you've learned to love it.

You weren't prepared for how cold it is

Seriously, it's freezing up North, yet apparently there's some unwritten rule about not wearing a coat that you have to adhere to in order to avoid being called soft. Some of the girls you see on nights out appear to be verging on hypothermia thanks to their choice of outfits, but at least you can just hop in a Budget Taxi when it does rain.

The people are extra-friendly up North

Everyone seems so cheerful, chatty and eager to help. Strangers will actually start conversations with you, and seem keen to talk about just about anything (except for when Newcastle United have suffered another loss). Let's not forget the terms of affection people use; it's surprisingly endearing being called 'petal', 'pet' and 'chick' by every lecturer, nurse and barista from around here.

The night life is a hell of a lot better

Whether it’s Digi, Bijoux, Tiger or Soho, it definitely trumps what you have back home. Always lively, always messy, and never far from a kebab shop. The clubs in the North East have a lot more going on compared to the one dingy club in your hometown full of strange old blokes, and that's why you love it here.

Photo Credits: Chris Gray Photography (Soho Rooms)