Well I never, that’s where that town is!

[CormoranStrike]

I have spent fifty years - okay, cumulatively probably just fifty minutes - being utterly convinced Exeter was near Cambridge.

Today I had to check it in a map! Who knew? It’s kind of a Torquay/Plymouth way.

My world is tilting in its axel.

Anyone have other random finds like this?

If we're broadening it to countries rather than towns, I used to think that Surinam was in Africa.

When the Argentinians invaded the Falkland Islands I wondered what their interest in Scotland was.

I always imagine Kirkuk in Iraq with an Irish accent.

I can still remember the shock at realising that a map of the world looks different depending on what country you live in.

Axel...……….. lol surely you mean Axis

One with Australia in the middle and one other the USA

@cologne4711 I also thought Leeds castle was in Yorkshire (even though I live in Surrey!!). When first dating my now Ex he bought tickets for the proms at Leeds Castle and I could understand why he wanted to go there and back in the same day 😂😂

So Australia is actually in the Far East!?

I was convinced Nuneaton was in Scotland because it sounds like it should be.

There's one in Northern Ireland too

I always thought Essex was between London and Brighton!

Friend of mine was insistent until quite recently that Gibraltar was an island.

I'm stunned to learn that not only is Gibraltar not an island, but neither is the Rock of Gibraltar! It's a mountain peak

Timbuktu! not in Scotland! Whattttt! In Mali in africa! What!!!!!

@Megan2018 I came on to say Pontefract too. Blows my mind!

Slightly different but i thought that Magaluf was pronounced Malaguff. So when I found out it wasn’t, for a while I thought there were two places with very similar sounding names

I always imagine Kirkuk in Iraq with an Irish accent

No, it's got to be a small church run by a Scottish vicar.

This is the map I have on my wall.

I didn't realise Gloucestershire was as close to me as it is.
I thought Durham and County Durham were 2 different places because I thought County Durham was in Ireland

It frequently surprises me that people writing for TV don't check locations and assume the University of Warwick is in Warwick

We were in Minehead a couple of years ago: me, DP, my friend and her DP. We were looking at the land you could see and me, my friend and her DP were marvelling that you could see the Isle of Wight until my DP pointed out that the land was, in fact, Wales and that we, in fact, are idiots!

Isn't Billericay pronounced 'Biller-ICK-y?

Yes, hence Tricky Dicky from Billericay. 😂

OK, I've learned from this thread there's 2 Bangors! I know the one in Wales as we go every year

I always think of Blackpool as being in the middle of the country - even though I’ve been and know it has a beach/coast line!

I also only realised recently that Norfolk/Norwich is more north than Birmingham!

Drive north from Bath towards Cirencester and you go through Petty France, Dunkirk and Pennsylvania.
In Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen is rather dismissive of Petty France as a rather boring stop off on the journey from Bath to the Abbey.

Without googling, where would you say Rutland is?

Near Leicestershire

We have moved from SE Cornwall to Shropshire. Our beautiful old house overlooked the River Tamar and beyond to the sea. Here in Shropshire my internal compass is shite. Can’t figure out my NSEW. Anyone else have this living inland after living in the coast?