Westward Ho! Only place in UK with a !
TOURIST VISIT: Only place in the UK with a ! as part of its name.
On my virtual, and actual, travels around an often neglected countryside, every so often I am reminded of little anomalies that make up this great Great Britain of ours. Last time it was the place with the longest name (Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch), this time it is the only place in the UK with a ! in it’s name.
I did a day trip and I can confirm:
Westward Ho! really has got a “!” as part of its name.
I thought it was the only place with any special character, but then I was reminded that there are plenty of hyphens around, Ashby-de-la-Zouch for one. (As an aside, the first time I heard someone say they were from Ashby-de-la-Zouch, I asked what part of France was it in, and I’m sorry to say I was serious.)
I found two signs proclaiming entry at either end of the town.
Westward Ho! is a seaside town found on the north Devon coast. It is facing west, so is aptly named. Named after the historical novel, of the same name, written by Charles Kingsley. The book, published in 1855, starts its story in nearby Bideford during the reign of Elizabeth I, and is full of adventure and melodrama, and pirates.
Naming the town Westward Ho! after the book, some ten years later, was a marketers dream. Undoubtedly creating a buzz and attracting tourists and commerce to the area. Since it is still being talked about, more than a hundred and fifty years later, it was very effective.
There are plenty of direction signs and this is just one example I stopped to take a photo of.
The photo above taken about 7:30pm mid July gives some indication of how sandy and flat the beach is. The more usual photo is shown below.
There may be more photo sightseeing, soon.
