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Take a stroll through any town in the UK and chances are you’ll stumble across a High Street or a Station Road.

They’re among the most common street names in the country, as evidenced in a 2017 study by the University of St Andrews. After all, many towns have a high street with shops and businesses, just as they do a road with a train or bus station.

But what about the streets that never make these lists, with names that really stand out from the crowd? An address which is so out there and interesting, people never fail to forget it?

����tv Bitesize has taken a look at some of the most unusual street names in different countries, and the stories behind them. Because who wouldn’t want to live on Candy Castle Road?

Turnagain Lane, UK

London has a host of playful street names worth looking out for, including this one - which is both a title and an instruction.

Until the 1870s, the River Fleet flowed through parts of the capital. It's fair to say it was not the cleanest of waterways, suffering heavy pollution and resembling an open sewer in parts. It was eventually covered over and now flows beneath the city.

Turnagain Lane, documented in 1603 in John Stow’s A Survey of London, reflects a time when the Fleet was still part of everyday city life. The river - which still flows into the Thames today - ran close to the thoroughfare but there was nowhere to physically cross it from the road. Anyone reaching the water after walking down the lane would have to ‘turn again’ and find a different route - preferably one involving a bridge.

Sausage-Paved Street, France

Although it would be interesting to see, this isn’t a street paved in sausages - which must be frustrating for any nearby dog population.

In France, Sausage-Paved Street is known as Rue Pavee d’Andouilles and it can be found in the medieval village of Saint-Gengoux-le-National in Saône-et-Loire in the east of the country.

The truth behind the name has nothing to do with meat-based products, either. When the streets - and others like it - were paved during the Middle Ages, any stones that weren’t the usual shape, and trickier to navigate than usual slabs, were called andouilles. That’s the same name given to a variety of smoked sausage which is popular in Cajun cuisine.

While there may have been an element of mocking the street when it was first named, time has been kinder to it. Rue Pavee d’Andouilles was restored in 2012 to its original cobbled splendour.

Tragically Hip Way, Canada

It’s not a comment on how ‘cool’ or otherwise a place is, and it’s definitely not about a damaged joint (thankfully) - no, the story behind this street is a musical one.

The city of Kingston in Ontario is home to the successful rock ’n’ roll band The Tragically Hip. In 2012, the city council elected to honour the band’s achievements by renaming a section of street - one that runs past a large entertainment venue - after them.

The band’s lead singer, Gord Downie, said in an email to a local newspaper at the time how the members were “humbled and flattered” by those behind the renaming. Gord passed away in 2017 after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour and the band came to an end after his death. The band was a big part of Canadian life and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was visibly moved when talking about Gord’s passing on television.

Naming streets after pop heroes isn’t a strictly Canadian thing, it happens in the UK too. In the Kensington area of Liverpool, there are roads named after each member of The Beatles; John Lennon Drive, George Harrison Close, Ringo Starr Drive and Paul McCartney Way.

Candy Castle Lane, USA

The USA arguably has some of the most unusual street names on the planet, ranging from California’s Zzyzx Road (which leads to the town of Zzyzx, pronounced ‘zigh-zix’ or ‘zigh-zex’) to Frying Pan Road in Virginia.

But if you have ever wanted an address with a touch of magic about it, consider relocating to Indiana, in the Midwest of America. The town of Santa Claus dates back to 1846 and was originally set to be called Santa Fe until the townspeople realised there was another place in Indiana with the same name.

As well as Holiday World (a theme park with a Christmas and toy theme) and a residential community called Holiday Village, Santa Claus also has street names that bring to mind classic images of the festive season, particularly those in seasonal films from the USA. If that wasn’t enough, sections of the town have thoroughfares named after other notable dates in the calendar, such as New Years Eve Road, Good Friday Boulevard and, perhaps surprisingly, Ides of March Drive - not a phrase with the most uplifting of meanings.

Back on the Christmas side of town, Candy Castle Road (or E Candy Castle Road as it’s listed on the map), connects with Garland Lane, Mistletoe Drive and - in a nod to the Three Kings from the Nativity - Balthazar Drive (Melchior Drive is slightly further north). Candy Castle Lane is also just across the way from Tinsel Circle and Angel Lane. It seems there really is somewhere in the world where it’s Christmas every day!

Goosedubbs, UK

Glasgow is another city full of streets with intriguing names. Slap-bang in the city centre, near to St Enoch shopping centre, is Goosedubbs, the remaining part of a lane which dates back to the early 18th Century.

In Scotland, the Provost is a civic leader, similar to a mayor. In the early 1700s, the Provost of Glasgow, John Aird, lived in a mansion on the same land where Goosedubbs stands. The Provost also had some geese, who were particularly keen on taking a splash through the puddles (also known as dubbs) in the lane behind the house. Put the birds and the puddles together and you get - Goosedubbs.

This article was published in October 2024