England has some of the wackiest place names I’ve ever heard. America is no slouch when it comes to odd place names either, of course, (I mean, my parents live near Tombstone, for pity’s sake). But: Giggleswick? Barton in the Beans? Nether Wallop? If you’re from one of these places, how can you tell somebody where you live without cracking up?

I love unusual place names, by the way, and can spend hours scouring maps for interesting sounding cities and towns. This is, in fact, how we passed some of the time in the car on our way to the concert in Somerset. And in the midst of all the wallops and wicks, we found what is by far the coolest place name ever:

Ryme Intrinseca.

How weird is that? Well, it’s not as weird (or as interesting, I’m afraid) when you know where the name comes from, but still… Ryme Intrinseca. I want to visit there. I want to live there. I want people to start calling me Ryme Intrinseca.

And for further amusement, here is a list of some other funny place names in the UK.

Further reading…