A stunning market town has never had quite as many visitors as it deserves, unusually, because of a local beauty spot.
Aylsham is a historic Norfolk community that can be found just over a dozen miles north of Norwich.
The town was first mentioned in the Domesday Book, published in 1086, and in the last millennium, it has become known for its material manufacturing.
While the local history doesn’t sound particularly glamorous, the area is notably beautiful.
But it is often skirted by tourists looking for a day on the beach, with the picturesque Norfolk coastline just a few miles away.
Mundesley, the nearest seaside town, is just 20 minutes down the road by car, and Cromer is just another 15 minutes down the coast.
The fact means that the millions of people who visit the Norfolk coast each year tend to skirt Aylsham.
They should give the town a chance, however, as the community of roughly 6,000 people is picturesque in its own way.
Visitors can find quintessentially small-town British lanes lined with gabled buildings, some home to traditional butchers and fishmongers.
Visit Norfolk has dubbed Aylsham a “proper market town” brimming with local heritage and bustling squares.
The market square is owned by the National Trust and serves as the “heart” of the Norfolk town.
Visitors and locals can enjoy local weekly markets, monthly farmer’s markets, and other community events scattered throughout the year.
The town is also home to a tiny railway that takes people between Aylsham and another picturesque local community.
The local narrow gauge steam railway, the Bure Valley Railway, takes people between Aylsham and Wroxham in the Norfolk Broads.
People can travel the nine-mile trips offered by the little railway in fully enclosed upholstered seats between April and October every year, with festive services every December until Christmas Eve.
