The 'idyllic' dreamy UK town where people are desperate to move to

My visit to Frome turned out to be more complicated than I had hoped. I had to cancel my trip on three separate occasions: once due to illness, once due to snow and once due to the aftermath of Storm Bert.

I was starting to think I was doomed to never see Frome. Fromed, if you will. But I'm so glad I made it, because this little town is delightful. Frome is what American tourists think the UK is like, a semi-rural arcadia with centuries-old buildings, cobbled streets and charming independent shops like the ones where rom-com protagonists bump into their soulmates.

Walking from the train station, I was soon welcomed by a friendly grey cat. A good start to a good day. From there, I soon reached Cheap Street, a remarkably well-preserved Medieval alley with a gentle stream running down the centre. I was soon told this is known as a 'leat', a type of guttering from the Middle Ages which added a unique spark to the street.

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On this street alone was an independent baker, bookshop, chocolatier, curiosity shop and your choice of cafes. A kindly shopkeeper then directed me to Catherine Hill and Stony Street, warning me that "I'll get my steps in" but it'll be worth the climb. When you reach the summit of Catherine Hill you're rewarded with yet more quirky cafes and shops to burn a hole in your wallet after burning those calories.

Already smitten, I half-jokingly messaged my boss: "I would like to inform you that I will be needing some leave in the New Year as I will be moving to Frome in the near future and living the dream. Best Wishes, Phoebe".

A few minutes later I hastily sent over another message: "Please ignore my last email as I have just checked the house prices and it now seems I will not be moving to Frome and living the dream. Yours respectfully, Phoebe".

I'm not the only one who's had the idea. Jim, 25, lives out of town but commutes into Frome for work: "I've noticed you get a lot of people who have lived in London and Brighton who are moving here because it is more affordable.

"But then it has a negative impact on the people who have lived here their whole lives. It's getting too expensive for a lot of people. [...] It's not as cheap as it used to be, but I don't think anything is anymore."

Local fashion designer Truly, 46, is a born-and-bred "Fromie". She can see both sides of the debate, but is generally positive about the growing interest in the town: "I think for any town to thrive it has to evolve."

Truly, who owns a clothes boutique near the bottom of Catherine Hill, continued: "The demographic here has changed but it has meant it's inspired people to open up independent boutiques like myself and then it's bought more people here."

Small businesses are another hot button issue for the town. The range of weird and wonderful independent shops is brilliant. For such a small town, business owners have still managed to enchant visitors with the niche-st of niches: a book shop specialising in ecological titles, a curiosity shop specialising in witchy items, a kitchenware shop with a coffee parlour on the side.

The town's charming eccentricities has led The Times to declare Frome one of the prettiest places to go Christmas shopping in the country. But Frome's local MP is concerned for the nation's High Streets and made a point of mentioning Frome in a recent speech.

Speaking in Parliament on Monday, November 25, Liberal Democrat MP Anna Sabine said: "[People] need only take a stroll through Frome to stumble across independent cafés, bookshops and tailors. We know that high streets are the centre of local economies and places for community cohesion.

"They are idiosyncratic to the needs of the communities they serve, and offer local jobs and training opportunities. They also provide social goods. For example, Denude is a zero waste shop in Frome that helps support the local community to live more sustainably."

The MP went on to warn that local shops are struggling: "Businesses I have spoken to over the last few months often use the phrase that they are “only one bad month away from closure. While permanently lowering business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure is a step in the right direction, it is still not enough to help our flourishing high streets thrive again, and we know that many important small businesses fall outside these categories.

"Small businesses can adapt, but not endlessly, and I fear that at the moment too much is being thrown at them with insufficient support."

While their local MP champions the High Street, not everyone is equally supportive. Bogi, 46, has lived in Frome for 20 years and says some people would like to see more chains: "People always complain there are no 'real' shops like Primark but these days people can buy anything online anyway.

"People like complaining about what's not here but if we were another Trowbridge that's not nice either. It's nice to be different."

I was so charmed by Frome that my first instinct was to wonder if I should move here. But having spoken with the town's inhabitants, I wonder if the most respectful thing to do would be to enjoy Frome as a tourist, not a resident.