Frome, England

Frome (pronounced “Frume”) is a wonderful little city in England just outside of Bristol in the county of Somerset.  It saw much of its original livelihood in the industries of metal casting, wool and cloth manufacturing, and even printing.  Many of the neighborhoods began as factories, or as homes created for the factory workers.  

Cheap Street, with it's little stream running through the middle.

Frome has a wonderful summer arts festival that has been going on since 2000, where there are many free events and open studios for locals and visitors to view local artists work, as well as take part in workshops of various sorts.  Frome also has a strong sustainable and organic community in it, which is how I found myself there.

Shepherds Barton on a lovely day.

I went WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) for my first time in Frome.  The farm has what’s called a box scheme, where fresh organic vegetables are delivered to it's customers weekly.  

OH YUM

WWOOFing is an agreement where volunteers work on farms in exchange for room and board.  I was lucky enough to find a wonderful first place to WWOOF, where I stayed for a week in a gorgeous little town in the English countryside.  My time was varied nicely with building a shed, packing veg boxes for delivery, and helping with compost piles.  I really enjoyed my time on the land and can’t wait to figure out when I will WWOOF again.   

Lettuce, chard, beans, black currants and a whole lot of compost.

What made this particular experience really great for me was that I lived with an English family for a week.  I was also WWOOFing with a girl from France, who has been teaching me some French (es-tu fatigue?).

The land in the early morning...

Anyone out there do any WWOOFing, in England or beyond?  It's such a great way to experience a new place and culture, and really doesn't hurt the budget at all.  It's a win-win for me!

Goodnight Frome, see you again one day!

My 3 thingsDark blue cloth was a Frome staple.If you have a notebook and a camera people will assume you are a journalist, and will flock to supplement your writing.When buildings are out of order people call them “derelict”.  (You can derelict my balls)