21 Things You Know If You Live On The Welsh English BorderSkip To ContentHomepageSign InSearch BuzzFeedSearch BuzzFeedlol Badge Feedwin Badge Feedtrending Badge FeedCalifornia residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data.Do Not Sell My Personal Information 2022 BuzzFeed, Inc PressRSSPrivacyConsent PreferencesUser TermsAd ChoicesHelpContactSitemapPosted on 15 Mar 2017 21 Things You Know If You Live On The Welsh English Border Wales vs England matches are a considerable source of stress. by Rachel EnglandBuzzFeed ContributorFacebookPinterestTwitterMailLink 1 You make the just popping abroad joke every time you cross the border Steve Daniels / Via geograph.org.uk It’s the law. 2 You re always having to explaining the geography of the area to non-locals Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Getty Images / BuzzFeed "You’re from Herefordshire? Do you mean Hertfordshire?" SIGH. 3 Public transport is hilariously nonexistent Martin Bodman / geograph.org.uk There’s one bus out of your village every day as long as there’s an R in the month and the moon is in Capricorn. 4 And getting to any UK city is a headache Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Def Jam "Hopping on the motorway" is all well and good, but it takes two hours to get to it. 5 You dabble in drug smuggling if you re on the English side Matt Cardy / Getty Images Prescriptions are free in Wales but not in England, so a quick hop over the border can save you £8.40 a time. 6 Young Farmers Barn Dances are epic social occasions Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Comedy Central And no, there’s no line-dancing or gingham, but there’s plenty of WKD Blue and bad decisions made at the bottom of fields. 7 Most people cut their drinking teeth in a field or by a river commons.wikimedia.org After you've walked three miles to meet up, that is. 8 Almost everyone belongs to a specific pub community Flickr: antoskabar / Creative Commons You’re not made to swear an allegiance or anything, but chances are you go to one particular pub regularly and know everyone there. No one will say anything if you venture elsewhere, but eyebrows will be raised and there might even be whispering. 9 Road conditions can change instantly Flickr: funfilledgeorgie / Creative Commons There’s no joined-up thinking between Welsh and English councils, so cross the border in some places and lovely smooth tarmac descends into crumbling potholes in the blink of an eye. 10 And everyone rushes to get home when the rivers flood Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Fox / Via giphy.com Most border towns are near a stream or river that bursts its banks during heavy rainfall. 11 England vs Wales games are extremely stressful Stu Forster / Getty Images You’re never really sure who to root for. 12 Schools usually observe both national days so no one s left out View this photo on Instagram instagram.com 13 People assume you re either a farmer or wear a lot of tweed Flickr: swamibu / Creative Commons There’s a bit of a divide between salt-of-the-earth farmers and the rural gentrified hoi polloi, but not everyone in the area falls into one of these two categories. 14 Local accents are…challenging Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF tumblr.com A weird mashup of Welsh, West Country, and, in the north, Mancunian means the dialect can be baffling to the untrained ear. 15 Everything closes early Everything Flickr: bazzadarambler / Creative Commons Visiting other places with late night amenities is a wonder. A corner shop that's open until 11pm? That’s unthinkable convenience! 16 Festivals bring a deluge of out-of-towners Chris Jackson / Getty Images The area is really popular for arts festivals, which means actual swarms of city-dwelling visitors descend several times a year to coo about how quaint everything is. 17 Renting a property is really hard Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF MGM / New Line Cinema Most of the houses in the area have either been in families for generations or are large family homes. There’s very little provision for first-time buyers and the rental market is sparse, so when something decent becomes available there's a mile-long queue of prospective tenants. 18 It s THE place to live if you like outdoor activities View this photo on Instagram instagram.com Canoeing, hiking, climbing, off-roading – it’s all on your doorstep. 19 It s actually very cultural and historic Flickr: 34517490@N00 / Creative Commons There's amazing history and more castles than you can shake a stick at. 20 Phone signal is rare and precious Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Walt Disney / BuzzFeed It’s merely okay at best in the bigger towns. In the smaller villages, though… lol, good luck. 21 But there s nowhere else quite like it Flickr: s2ublack / Creative Commons Home is where the heart is. Share This ArticleFacebook PinterestTwitterMailLink BuzzFeed DailyKeep up with the latest daily buzz with the BuzzFeed Daily newsletter!This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.