Travelling by car, why does it feel I am going uphill when I go north?

This is probably because we see the country like it is on most maps and globes, where north is up, say our readers – but this isn’t the case for all cultures

24 May 2023

Aerial view of car driving on beautiful steep curved road (look like number 3) on the high mountain in Nan province, Thailand.; Shutterstock ID 1815816242; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: - — Boyloso/Shutterstock

When travelling by car, why does it feel like I am going uphill when I go north and downhill when I am heading south?

Hillary Shaw
Newport, Shropshire, UK

There are several possibilities. The most obvious is that we imagine the world as it is drawn on maps, where north is always up. Another, given that the questioner lives in Bexhill on the south coast of the UK, so will usually travel north, is that journeys away from home are often perceived as getting slower the further you go, which may be translated as more arduous and so more…