I initially found this story posted on Facebook about Torpenhow Hill in England. In summary:
When the Saxons arrived and asked the Welsh the name of that hill the
Welsh said “pen” which means “hill” in Welsh. So the Saxons used
their word for hill, “tor”, and called it Torpen (hill hill). Then the
Norse arrived and the same process added their word for the hill
“haugr”. So now it was Torpen Haugr (hill hill hill). Later the
English called it Torpenhow Hill (hill hill hill hill).
Since it was on Facebook, I had to wonder if it was true, and I found this YouTube video debunking it;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUyXiiIGDTo It’s 4 minutes long and not required watching for the purpose of this post, but I thought it was interesting. In any case, when I’m in tourist mode it’s sometimes the useless trivia; fact or fiction that can capture my attention and make for a good story. Another that comes to mind is the balcony in Verona, Italy that has become legendary as the balcony from Romeo and Juliet.
Just to amuse me on a slow Monday, I’m wondering if anyone else can share a place named twice or more, or even a place that is famous despite no shred of truth?