On all the lists of the UK’s best market towns to visit, one features more often than not.
Swaffham in Norfolk was in the Telegraph’s list of the top 10 market towns this week after featuring in its 2022 list and other rankings released by the likes of Yahoo and Tripadvisor.
The beautiful spot was named alongside Bakewell in Derbyshire, Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk and Stroud in Gloucester and praised it as one of the country’s “most attractive” towns.
It said Swaffham market was “bustling” and praised its food offering.
The article read: “The big square around its Buttercross rotunda only really comes to life on Saturday mornings with stalls including fishmonger GR Bunning and Co, which sells its own smoked fish.
“Try Norfolk cheeses at Son of Christie and homemade jams from Peggy’s Little Products, a popular market newcomer.”
The town also has a street auction held in the Market Place, which the author described as “eBay in real life”.
Swaffham, which is based in north-west Norfolk, is located just five miles away from the historically important Castle Acre Castle and Priory ruins of which the foundations were first laid in 1070.
Historic England considers the castle’s huge defensive earthworks to be “among the finest surviving in England”.
The tiny town itself, which has a population of just more than 8,000, is also steeped in mythology with local legend suggesting Norfolk dog ghost Black Shuck roams its streets.
And who can blame Black Shuck, when Swaffham’s streets contain a number of charming independent cafes and shops.
Independent shops include the likes of Shabbytatt, which offers a wide range of vintage collectables, while one of the town’s most popular cafes is The Tea Pot, which has been praised by visitors on Tripadvisor for offering “beautifully moist” quiche.
Swaffham was even the star of the Kingdom TV series which featured Stephen Fry, doubling as the fictional Market Shipborough, with the programme’s Startled Duck pub actually being the town’s Greyhound Inn.
Visitors can stay in the town’s Strattons Hotel, which costs around £200 per night for a double room.
