8. Frome, United Kingdom

Why

You’ve perhaps never heard of this town at all. It’s worth visiting as its a quaint British town not too far from London. It makes a perfect day trip and also an overnight stay as well. It is pronounced “Froome” as it was actually spelt Froome, then the name changed to Frome, but being the humans we are, we kept the pronunciation. Why was it changed? I don’t know, but that’s your challenge when you go, ask someone who is older :-).

Frome, United Kingdom – Museum

Where

Frome, United Kingdom is located in the county of Somerset, just about two hours by car from from Central London. If you look at a map, it is south of Bath, which is a city with which you are perhaps familiar as its a bit more visited and more famous.

How To Get Here

Being that its Europe, there are a few ways to get here, lets look at them:

Bus

National Express Coach has service to/from Frome from its London Victoria station. It takes a little over 4 hours.

Car

Take about a 2.5 hours drive. The English countryside is quite beautiful, so this will be worth it.

Train

Its a straight shot from Paddington station in Central London on the Great Western Railway. From here it takes about 1:43 to about 2:30. You get to enjoy the countryside and not worry about driving, how fun.

Plane

The closest airport is actually Bristol which has service from Europe. You can also fly into Southampton and of course London-Heathrow (LHR), London-City (LCY), London-Gatwick (LGW), London-Southend (SEN), London-Luton (LTN), London-Stanstead (STN) and take buses or trains into Frome. The London area is served by many airlines so you won’t have an issue flying in at all from almost everywhere. For Bristol the lift is not as large; here are airlines serving Bristol (BRS), from where you can take the train, bus or drive to Frome:

1. Aer Lingus (EI)
2. Air Malta (KM)
3. aurigny channel islands (GR)
4. BH Air (8H)
5. BMI Regional (BM)
6. Brussels Airlines (SN)
7. EasyJet (U2)
8. flybe. (BE)
9. Germania (ST)
10. KLM (KL)
11. Ryanair (FR)
12. Wizz Air (W6)
13. Wow Air (WW)

Where To Stay

There are not a lot of places to stay, but there are enough and they are typically local establishments so you’ll get a feel for the local culture. My favorite is The Cornerhouse; its not located in the center of the city, but its close enough and since the town is small it does not matter. It is a hotel, bar and restaurant. The rooms are located upstairs and the restaurant and bar are at street level. Other places of mention are:

1. The Archangel – one block from the famous Cheap Street, the hotel dates back to medieval times; it actually is much like a barn from its early days
2. The Old Bath Arms – built similar to the Cornerhouse.

Frome United Kingdom – The Cornerhouse

Frome, United Kingdom – The Old Bath Arms

You can find a list of hotels from TripAdvisor here.

Where To Eat

Lots of little shops are available to sample local food. Plus you have the markets listed below that of course all have food. Walking down the main street called Cheap Street also showcases some eateries as well.

Frome, United Kingdom – Cheap Street

Frome, United Kingdom – Sausage for baps on St. Catherine’s Hill

What To Do

Despite its small size, Frome has a few things to do:

• Cooper Hall – This is a swanky concert Hall in the country side with its own outdoor pool. Run by Fay Goodridge and Morag McLaren, a re-knowned opera singer herself. Hopefully there will be something going on when you visit.
  

  Frome, United Kingdom – Cooper Hall

•  Markets:
  1. Frome has a few markets in town to pass the weekend away; there’s the Frome Independent Market which is the first Sunday of the month from March to December  and is open from 10a – 3p. You can’t miss it as its held in the town center.
  2. There’s also the Country Market held at the Cheese and Grain (the name of a place), every Thursday from 8a to noon.
  3. Then there’s the Farmers’ Market the second Saturday of each month.
• Silk Mill Studios – Setup for artists, its a great gallery to visit for local artwork.
• St. Catherine’s Hill – a very winding and steep hill with lots of shops; it used to be the home of the Cobble Wobble, but no more. As the people of Frome they will tell you what the Cobble Wobble is all about.
  

  Frome, United Kingdom – Shoppers on St. Catherine’s Hill

• The Merlin Theatre showcases the performing arts.

Here is a list of things to do from Trip Advisor.

You may also check Viator for additional things to do.