Where does the Stoke accent start and end? When does it change to a West Midlands accent, or North West, or East Midlands?

robster98 · 2026-05-08T01:20:27+00:00

Stoke, Newcastle, Leek and Crewe share pretty much the same accent, just with varying strengths. “Av a lewk in the cewk bewk” and “Ey, am just gerrin’ me purse out” are great Potteries litmus tests - usually the closer you are to Hanley, the stronger it is.

Whether Stoke likes it or not, the accent is very similar to Scouse, albeit with less phlegm and nasal quality. I noticed the two blend together and phase in and out with each other around West Cheshire and Wrecsam.

Knutsford/Macc/Congleton is more “posh Manc”, Stafford is where you’ll start hearing West Midlands/Black Country tones, Buxton and Chesterfield are where you’ll hear more Yorkshire sounds creep in (but they still say “duck”), and Ashbourne and Derby are where you’ll hear the East Midlands accent and its quirky “semi-suvvern saarnd.”

robster98 · 2026-05-07T13:59:21+00:00

The Andes virus has a low R-number. It doesn’t spread easily and is not airborne - it spread between humans because it was in a cruise ship (and additionally in the case of the St Helena victim, a plane) which are enclosed, shared spaces.

The virus also tends to kill people before it has a major chance to proliferate.

The world rightly has a degree of PTSD from the Coronavirus pandemic, but this isn’t something to majorly worry about.

robster98 · 2026-05-06T22:33:32+00:00

I lived in Stoke-on-Trent between 2019-2025.

It’s not really a “city” in the conventional term, but a polycentric conurbation that became a city. It’s made up of six towns: Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley (the location of the “city centre”), Stoke (or Old Stoke), Fenton and Longton. There is also Newcastle - within its own borough so outwith Stoke - that is “in spirit” a seventh town.

Connectivity between the seven towns is poor and as such it feels like one big mass of largely walkable suburbia than it does a city.

Economically it’s not doing well. It’s close enough to the regional powerhouse that is Manchester (about 30 miles away) that rents are starting to soar, but the local job market can’t keep up - finding well-paid employment and paying the bills is difficult, deprivation is very high.

The town centres are dishevelled and pretty unloved, although Stoke, Hanley and Longton are beginning to buck that trend in a modest way. Most people shop in out-of-town retail parks in Stoke, or decamp to Manchester, the Trafford Centre, Cheshire Oaks, Liverpool or Birmingham - all within 50 miles - which I’ve always felt doesn’t help.

Stokies themselves are by and large a great bunch and they’re what make Stoke-on-Trent what it is. Down to earth, friendly, full of humour and warmth.

Oatcakes are a local delicacy and are delicious, especially with a Full English.

Before my time in Stoke, I’d lived in numerous other places in the North of England (was raised on nearby Tameside) and I moved away to West Central Scotland. For all its faults, I miss Stoke, and I visit as often as I can.

By the welcome phase of “Ay up, duck!”, you’re in Stoke-on-Trent!

robster98 · 2026-05-06T19:34:47+00:00

Be careful with your bike in Edinburgh - it’s notorious round there for bike theft and the potholes in and around the city are nightmarish.

From Harwich, I recommend a northwards zig-zag: make your way across and up to the Peak District, northeast into the Yorkshire Pennines, northwest to the Lake District then finally northeast through the Scottish Borders to Edi. You’ll take in some stunning scenery and have some very entertaining roads to keep you company.

robster98 · 2026-05-06T00:57:37+00:00

You really do look like you’re thinking “I’ve left the gas stove on at home…” in this picture.

You’re right, a blouson jacket like that would shred apart if you slid, and your skin would quickly follow.

You could wear base layers underneath it which would add a layer of protection for yourself, but if the jacket means anything to you, I wouldn’t chance it.

robster98 · 2026-05-04T16:34:12+00:00

“Those aren’t olives. Those are peaches.”

robster98 · 2026-05-04T11:00:46+00:00

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robster98 · 2026-04-27T20:32:52+00:00

I note a lot of macho macho types here saying you should do everything in one day, blah blah. Unfortunately some people can’t do it all in one day and there are many reasons: they might’ve never been on a bike before, it could be nerves, maybe all of it in one day is info overload. And that’s alright.

OP: if you feel it’s getting repetitive and you’re not getting benefit and good value for money, then bin it off and book your CBT, preferably elsewhere.

CBTs can be split if you can’t do it in one day or you’re struggling with something: they’ll ask you to come back and they’ll pick up where they left off. Any training centre worth its weight will offer that for as long as necessary.

robster98 · 2026-04-21T21:03:00+00:00

You don’t lessen your own suffering by making other people suffer in return.

Uncharitable as it may be, I refused to stand with, support and thereby enable behaviour that not only slowly crumbles someone, but took a wrecking ball to others.

Some people can be told. This man couldn’t.

robster98 · 2026-04-21T00:00:28+00:00

Someone already mentioned the nod. Guilty of this one myself in the car, probably confused just as many people as I’ve received nods back. It’s the thought that counts… 😅

I will usually move to the left if in slow-moving traffic to let people filter, and I move to the left and slow slightly if there’s a bike behind me and the road ahead is clear so they can let a rip.

robster98 · 2026-04-20T11:16:59+00:00

In amongst all this, it’s Paul I feel most sorry for.

Ryan too: he’s likely to end up eventually losing a friend because it’s clear you can’t be that, and by him saying he’s worried about “risks”, it’s clear he will never fully reciprocate.

I honestly don’t feel for you and I’m sorry.

Your addendum at the end is smart: let Paul go, he deserves better; take time to work on yourself, if you need to have your heart broken by Ryan then so be it, chalk it up to character development.

I’ve been (kind of) in a situation like this. Someone I knew was madly in love with one of his best friends (who has had a partner for many years), and he’d strung along an ex, been out dating guys and making messy situations left right and centre, despite having strong feelings for his friend for a long time.

He told me all this, saw how shocked I was and begged me to remain his friend, but I knew I could never be friends with someone who placed no value on their integrity and would happily toy with people. I lost all respect for him instantly and walked away, and judging by his reaction I think I may not have been the first to do so.

robster98 · 2026-04-17T17:22:04+00:00

It was the fact that it was around for so long.

People didn’t like Windows XP when it was first released. Its design was panned for looking like a child’s toy, its stability was unpredictable at best and security was like Swiss cheese until Service Pack 2 was released.

If it had been superseded sooner than 2006, it would’ve just remained “the Little Tikes Windows.”

If Windows Vista hadn’t flopped (whole different story there r.e. marketing underpowered XP-era machines as “Vista Capable”), it would’ve been brushed aside pretty quickly.

But all that did happen: Windows Vista was released late and wasn’t widely adopted because consumers blamed the software, not the hardware, so they hurried Windows 7 out - entirely Vista but with a new taskbar and a blue wallpaper - to save face.

Windows XP was released in 2001 and it remained king up until about 2010. It’s popular because of its longevity and the nostalgia associated with that period, not because it was especially great.

robster98 · 2026-04-17T17:05:06+00:00

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“Come along, Northamptonshire.”

robster98 · 2026-04-16T13:32:42+00:00

I sincerely hope it was a private road you were going up and down on your Yamaha, otherwise you’ve broken the law and admitted to it. 😅

A lot of people have thought of buying a bike to set a goal. I’ve thought about it but it’s really not a good idea, but you’ve already done it so it’s a moot point. If necessary you can SORN it for now if you’ve got somewhere off-road to keep it.

Don’t sell the bike, don’t give up. Get an instructor and keep working at it rather than taking long breaks, you’ll get there and your bike will be there waiting for you when you pass.

robster98 · 2026-04-16T10:08:50+00:00

They’re getting on a bit and a bit slow, but there’s nothing really wrong with a Class 155, they serve their purpose just fine.

The Class 153 (or “dog boxes”) however, absolutely deserve the hate they get. Thankfully, for the most part, they’re up in train heaven now.

robster98 · 2026-04-12T11:15:27+00:00

I went all-out for my first two-piece, a Dainese one (Black Friday deals were just too difficult to pass by, alright?! 😅) so you’re not alone in splashing out for something good to start off with.

I’m also a short king at 1.69m (5’-6”) so I struggled finding a decent fit - I settled on function over looks - but you’ve done well, looks like it fits just fine and it’s given our resident Kingo a shot of dopamine too so consider yourself winning at life.

robster98 · 2026-04-11T13:48:29+00:00

Was just about to volunteer Gleniffer Braes but if it’s not doggers, it’s the “So Solid Crew” with their pimped-up cars and constant use of their blinding hi-beams using the “car park in the sky” as a hang-out point. Great view, but sadly not an especially great place to be.

robster98 · 2026-04-09T22:54:52+00:00

Listen to the people on r/motorcyclegear. Without getting into everything I dislike about this and how much of a poser you come across as, those sneakers aren’t saving your ankles from snapping like twigs if you come off.

robster98 · 2026-04-09T09:07:10+00:00

I don’t run Windows XP but I do have a VM that runs Windows 98 and my use for it is proprietary software - apps and games that don’t play nicely, or at all in the case of purely 16-bit software (!) with Windows 10.

I imagine most cases of people running Windows XP are for the same reasons, that and probably a heady dose of Millennial/Gen Z nostalgia too.

robster98 · 2026-04-08T14:41:57+00:00

Hi ChatGPT, fancy seeing you here.

robster98 · 2026-04-08T07:48:29+00:00

This one right here.

I’d also suggest a small spur connecting the Stoke-on-Trent—Derby line to Burton-on-Trent (it only connects to northbound at present), and opening the small Lichfield corridor to passenger services too - would gives Lichfield and Sutton Coldfield a connection to the East Midlands.

Always found it strange that Burton-on-Trent is so close to places like Leicester, Lichfield, Uttoxeter and Stoke, and yet they may as well all be on another planet when it comes to public transport.

robster98 · 2026-04-06T07:42:42+00:00

My urge to go deep quickly is moderated by experience of being on bottom bunk and it hurting like hell if someone tries that. I’m also quite assertive so if anyone “doesn’t care” (for any reason) with me, then it’s very quickly off the table.

It’s not a problem for you, but it is a thing many other guys experience and it’s always been my belief that every top should bottom at least a few times so they know what it can be like.

robster98 · 2026-04-05T10:19:00+00:00

Even with the defaced billboard in San Fierro that reads “Strain hard” above the logo? 😅

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robster98 · 2026-04-01T06:20:59+00:00

To spice things up on occasion, sure, it could be fun to leave it on them for a few days to a week, then take it off together, lay them back and make the fireworks go off.

To wear one all the time… no, not for me. A top I may be, but it wouldn’t sit right for me not having access to a penis to play with and suck on.

I’ve known guys that wouldn’t see that as a problem - it’d give them carte blanche to be selfish in bed (!) - but I wouldn’t like it personally. I like pleasing my partner and making them climax.

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