h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In Ramsgate, Kent, there is a path that has always been called Dead Donkey's lane, for no reason that anyone can accurately recall. The apocryphal story runs that a farmer was driving his horse and cart down the lane, when the horse collapsed and died. It blocked the route, and so the animal was chopped up and buried there.

When I lived in Streatham, London there is a Penistone Road, which constantly has the T painted out. It hasn't been renamed yet, but the Council is ed off with constantly repainting the T back in again.

And let's not forget London's famous Threadneedle Street (formerly known as Gropecunt Lane).

RF

Last time I was in Streatham, after a few jars, I amused my friends by draping my scarf over the -tone of Penistone Rd

Along with 'The Mint', there is a Deadman's Lane in Rye (Sussex), right near the school I used to go to. There was an apocryphal tale to do with that as well - the town gallows was there or summat.

>...draping my scarf over the -tone of Penistone lane <

In Wantage in Oxfordshire there is a 'Canal Close' that some wag keeps whitewashing the first 'C' from. Manys the time i've wondered how many people that has tempted up the wrong route.

Also near me is a road known to all the locals as 1066 (Ten sixty-six), it's not it's route number, and it's actually un-named, but i can't discover why. Surely William the Conquoror would have been hard pushed to begin his Invasion of Britain in Oxfordshire?

Hi,

In Hull there is a street called "Land of Green Ginger" and there is a local (East Yorkshire) village called "Land of Nod". But the most likable village name for me is "Thrapston" in Cambridgeshire I just love the way it rolls off the tongue.

The Shambles is probably the most famous street in York and a major tourist attraction, try this http://www.britainexpress.com/cities/york/shambles.htm

You can probably guess that I live in this area and I love it.

Canal Street in Manchester being a more famous and appropriate version of this; it is often altered to 'Anal Treet'.

>>Surely William the Conqueror would have been hard pushed to begin his Invasion of Britain in Oxfordshire?

Unless Montgolfier went back in time or something, yes. Meanwhile, over in 1066 Country: historians are pretty sure the invasion kicked off on Pevensey Beach. And the Battle was actually fought in Battle, 6 miles inland from Hastings

Well yeah, but by the end of 1066 they'd routed most of the country.

If we're getting into village names then I challenge anyone to top the Piddle Valley in Dorset.

Upper Piddle, Lower Pidde, Piddletrendide, Tolpuddle (famous one there) etc.
And they have a sponsored walk ever year called the Piddle Valley Plod

Is the puddle at the bottom of all those piddles?

If memory serves, there's a Needless Alley somewhere in Birmingham city centre.

And slap in the middle of Leicester is Every Street. Of which the only significant occupant is the Tourist Information Centre. Which I really wanted someone to ask me for the location of while I was there, just so that I could tell them that "There's a Tourist Information Centre on Every Street in Leicester".

Sadly, no one ever asked. A bitter disappointment, that.


Geggs

>>If memory serves, there's a Needless Alley somewhere in Birmingham city centre.<<

Correctamundo, just off New Street in fact.

It does make you think, if it really is a needless alley, why was it made in the first place? What is it for?


Geggs

Getting pissed mostly, it's got several pubs on it. Some would say that's needless...

Actually Kelli you are right, Puddletown, Topuddle and other puddles are downstream on the Piddle and I forgot about Piddlehinton

Oddly enough very nearby there is that Chalk Giant on the hill, he's well known for his tackle being out, maybe we have the solution...

42nd Street in New York.

Seaman St in Boston, USA ends at Cumming Ave

Orcus.
You mean the Cerne Abbas Giant

There are 2 other places near there called Under Wallop and Over wallop

Yep that's the one

Just looking the area up on the map there is also a Lower Puddle Bottom

Around Bristol and the outlying areas we have:

Zed Alley - always liked that, but never could understand why they actually spell out "Zed"!

Featherbed Lane

Catbrain Lane

Oh and Christmas Steps!

As has been mentioned a number of times, there is Pratt's Bottom and Green Street Green, near Orpington, Kent.

Just saw another one today - 102nd Infantry Regiment Way, New Haven.

I saw Pocket Handkerchief Lane a few weeks ago. Aww.