It is not long until Christmas now which means many people will now be knee-deep in festive shopping. We’re past Halloween and Bonfire Night and now shops are now filling up with decorations.
However, for those that want the perfect spot to get all your shopping done in one go, Frome has been named among the loveliest places in the UK for the festive period. The town, which dates back to the prehistoric era, made The Times’ list of prettiest towns for buying festive presents last year.
It is the number of markets that caught the attention of the judges and got Frome onto the elite list of destinations. There are weekly markets on a Wednesday and Saturday from 9am to 3pm.
On Wednesdays, there is also a flea and antique market that runs from 9am to 2pm. Frome also has an independent market that runs on the first Sunday of the month where small businesses showcase and sell a wide variety of handcrafted items.
The town’s Christmas Light Switch On is set to take place on Friday, November 22 from 5pm to 7pm. This year’s theme is Winter Woodland, creations will include mice, deer, foxes and badgers and people are being asked to “get as imaginative as they can”.
A Christmas makers market will take place on November 30 from 9am to 2pm. It says on the website: “A wonderful market for crafts, art, artisan, homemade items and more…”
Frome was also named one of the best places to live in Britain, with numerous celebrities choosing to move there. In 2022, Love Actually and Paddington star Hugh Grant was seen ducking into Parsons bakery in Frome in search of a sausage roll.
Kevin McCloud, presenter of Grand Designs, also chose to move to the town in a converted 15th-century farmhouse. It also offers great transport links, with direct trains to Bristol and Weymouth hourly.
This article was first published in November 2023 and was republished in November 2024.