Some days you just need to lighten the lockdown load. While indoor activities are a no-go right now, we’d thought we’d share some great little UK walks with funny place names to have your photos taken next to.
So get out there and grab an obligatory signpost selfie. Because let’s face it, no instagram account is complete until you post a picture of you schlepping through Shitterton, dragging your arse through Scratchy Bottom or perching on top of Brown Willy.
Side smirks at the ready…
The UK’s best Funny Place Names
1. Bell End, near Lickey End, Worcestershire
A delightful hamlet in Worcestershire – Bell End in Lickey End – came first in a poll for the UK’s rudest place names. Download a great little walking guide .
2. Brown Willy, Cornwall
Cornwall’s highest hill, with a summit reaching 1,378 feet (420 meters) above sea level. It looks different from every angle. There are naturally occurring piles of granite boulders around the summit, and one, known as the Cheesewring is composed of five separate rocks which get progressively higher towards the top.
3. Twatt, Orkney
Vist Twatt. Number 4 on the Rude Britain list and location of a former Royal Navy Air Station which shut in 1949. Check out this 8-hour hike along the West Coast of Orkney, featuring dramatic 120 metre cliffs and neolithic settlements:
https://cromwell-intl.com/travel/uk/orkney-west-coast-walk/
4. Nob End, South Lancashire
We love a ‘rewilding’ success story and Nob End is one such place. It’s a prime example of how nature can reclaim a place given time and a little encouragement. This former mill site was used a dumping ground for sulphuric acid and washing soda, but is now home to rare orchids and wildflowers like bee orchid, marsh helleborine, autumn gentian and blue-eyed grass. It’s now an Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
https://www.lancswt.org.uk/our-work/projects/kingfisher-trail/nob-end-sssi
5. Scratchy Bottom, Dorset
This clifftop valley sits between Durdle Door and Swyre Head. The name refers to a rough hollow. Not only is it famous for its unfortunate name, but it also featured in the 1967 film ‘Far From the Madding Crowd’, in which a farmer’s sheep were dramatically driven over the cliff by his sheepdog.
6. Shitterton, Dorset
The residents of Shitterton were so sick of their village sign being pinched, they forked out for a new heavy stone sign which is now firmly cemented into the ground. Shitterton is actually named after excrement; referring to the stream running through it which was once used as a sewer. Thankfully these days, the brook that runs through the village is is clear and sparking and this pretty little place is as unshitty as can be. See for yourself with this 5 mile walk passing through Shitterton and Piddle Wood.
7. Happy Bottom Nature Reserve, Dorset
Part of the Corfe Barrows nature park, this lovely little spot features ancient barrows, Victorian railways and roman roads. A new path and boardwalk makes this a great spot for easy trundles in the fresh air. Happy Bottom, happy mind.
Find out more about the trails here https://www.dorsetwildlifetrus…
More delightfully rude place names in the UK
- Boggy Bottom, Hertfordshire
- Minge Lane, Worcestershire
- Dicks Mount, Suffolk
- Crotch Crescent, Oxford
- Fanny Barks, Durham
- Shaggs, east Lulworth, Dorset
- Scratch Arse Ware, Dorset
What does Land & Wave do when you’re not writing about rude places?
Glad you asked! We’re an adventure company based in Dorset, which specialises in Outdoor Instructor Training. We deliver a 15-week programme which gets people from all walks of life ready for a career in the outdoors. You can find out more here https://landandwave.co.uk/training/outdoor-instructor-trainin
17 November 2020 by Rosie Tanner
