What do you miss about the town/city/country you grew up in ?

Nothing, as it has changed so much since I lived there, Greenford borders.

I miss absolutely nothing. I miss more from some of the various places I lived in in the first 35 years of marriage.

I moved from North to South and occasionally miss the food, tomato sausages from the market and butter pies, I can order the pies online so that’s a treat but there’s nothing like the food from Lancashire in the South

Marymary62:
Such a lovely post, describing a happy childhood in such a visual way. It's a gift to know you are lucky.

Nothing, a different time and place. I was perfectly happy growing up in the Watford/Bushey area. But I wouldn’t want to live there now.

I miss the family I had (3 brothers ) and the life my parents gave us as we grew up, on a farm in Yorkshire. Lots of animals, a pony, holidays in a camper van in France, very loving parents. I count myself extremely lucky to have had all of that and I knew I was lucky from an early age. Home is where the heart is and I am near my own beloved family now so I miss nothing really .

I am still living near to where I grew up but I really miss the lack of traffic and all the little friendly shops we used to have. We are just about to have another couple of thousand homes built in the last green gap between us and the next village. They have had their gaps between them and the next town filled up too. All housing, no additional infrastructure.
The little village I was born into is completely unrecognisable.

As Granmarderby10 says, most of the small shops and other services have gone from town centres now, so the large village where I grew up is completely decimated.
I live in outer London now and am lucky enough to have two middle sized supermarkets within walking distance, but no fishmonger or butcher anywhere around here.
I think that my life here is better than it would be where I grew up, most people are very friendly and there is a large park very close by.

I was born and brought up in Mauritius, much changed these days. Revisited it in the noughties and found it completely gentrified.
I miss the deep, velvety, star studded. nights; the tropical fruit and the abundant seasonal flowering trees.
I love Britain too now

Absolutely nothing apart from memories of people and friends and wondering what happened to them all.

THE SEA - MISS IT SO MUCH!

Quote ExaltedWombat Sat 21-Jun-25 13:58:36
What we really miss is our youth!

Not me, no matter the age it’s a longing for home, we accept
Hiraeth

I grew up in dirty, West Riding mill town where the birds 'fly backards to keep muck out o' eyes'. So I don't miss it at all but I did still enjoy growing up there with good friends. The mills have all gone now and masses of houses have been built, presumably everyone now commutes to Leeds or Bradford - as I did.

What we really miss is our youth!

I still live in the city where I grew up and most of all I miss the cleanliness. We have lots of tourists visiting the City and when I look around at what they must be seeing I feel very disappointed by the litter and dirty streets.

Grandmabatty

Charleygirl, the West Sands at St Andrews are wonderful.

I was there just last week. Came home to Central Scotland with a sun tan!

Grew up n Brighton now live near Bradford
I miss the sea but that is all because Brighton has changed drastically
I can now enjoy the Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors, great architecture, city of culture, social history , trips to Saltaire etc
Would never go back south to live tbh

amesandJon33 Sat 21-Jun-25 12:57:57
Well said Anniebach My mother, especially never liked where we lived after we moved out of Wales. Both my parents would have moved back like a shot. I think all the Welsh experience hiraeth, I most certainly did, even , as like you I grew up in a small mining village. …I’m glad to be home .

Thank you JamesandJohn yes definitely hiraeth, I chose to move into a nursing home so had choices of where to live,
countryside, city, no thank you , back to the mining village,no collery or slag heaps now but the warmth of the people the same, like you - I am glad to be home

Well said Anniebach My mother, especially never liked where we lived after we moved out of Wales. Both my parents would have moved back like a shot. I think all the Welsh experience hiraeth, I most certainly did, even , as like you I grew up in a small mining village. …I’m glad to be home .

Charleygirl, the West Sands at St Andrews are wonderful.

I lived in the middle of nowhere in Scotland. Great for my friends and me to ride our bikes and have picnics safely. I was not allowed to ride to the nearest town, 2 miles away, because I had no road sense. There were few vehicles on the road and fewer buses.

The one thing I loved was that it was only a two-bus ride from St. Andrews, which was just a few miles away. That is the only place I miss, as well as walking along the sandy beaches.

I have lived in London nearly all of my life and I love it here.

Seapebble

M0nica
Yes! Relating like mad to your post. I simply don't have a "home town" - something most people can't imagine. We left the RAF base where I was born after about three months and then a new place every couple of years. We were the "new kids" at several schools until they sent us off to boarding schools. Sad awful places- in our case anyway. I've lived and worked all over the world but where I live now feels most like home.

10 schools, 8 primary and 2 secondary. I took and passed my 11+ in Singapore, went to the army grammar school there until we returned to the UK then boarding school it was. I didn't mind boarding but didn't particularly like the school I was at.

But if I hadn't boarded I would have gone to 4 secondary schools and I and my sister would have returned to theUK in March, with Alevels and O levels due to be sat that summer. As it was we went to boarding school had a continuous education that led to good A levels, university and a degree - and the rest, they say, is history.

M0nica
Yes! Relating like mad to your post. I simply don't have a "home town" - something most people can't imagine. We left the RAF base where I was born after about three months and then a new place every couple of years. We were the "new kids" at several schools until they sent us off to boarding schools. Sad awful places- in our case anyway. I've lived and worked all over the world but where I live now feels most like home.

Crazy H - definitely not all spoilt by tourism. Can't tell you where they are because then...

Nothing. My parents moved area when I was 6, and 9, and again (over 100 miles) when I was 18.
I have sometimes envied dh whose parents lived in the same London house from when he was a baby, until they were in their 60s.
I never had any such ‘roots’.