I consider 'The North' to start as you leave Staffordshire
and
cross into Cheshire.

When you drive north you regularly see road signs saying "The
North" but
you just keep going, they never tell you when you have
arrived, so
confusing!

"The North" is like chasing rainbows you never reach it.
Joe
That's because north is a direction, not a place. Without a
qualifier, like 'the North of England' or 'the North of
Scotland', 'The North' doesn't exist. Neither, of course, does
'The South', which also appears on road signs. 'The South of
England' or 'the South of France' or even 'the South of
Scotland' all exist.

I regard the North of England as comprising Cheshire,
Lancashire, Yorkshire, Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmorland
and County Durham. Being a survival of a bygone age, I don't do
these newfangled modern counties.

:-)

Anne