Few towns in all of England are as fascinating and enjoyable as lovable old Fakenham. This town has all of the quaint charms and rusticated appeal of many of the best English burgs but with a few modern amenities that allow the citizens to enjoy the comfort and peace of technology without all the noise and clutter. Fakenham, perhaps more than any other English village, manages to straddle that line between new town and old town with poise and dignity. True to its roots, Fakenham still has the traditional open air market that it has maintained since 1250. Like many other old Medieval cities, Fakenham depended on this market to keep its livelihood up and even in these days of fast food and superstores it is refreshing to see Fakenham pay due homage to its ancestors.

Keeping with its strict adherence to tradition, Fakenham continues the famed industry that has been its livelihood ever since the 1800s: Printing. These days, of course, printing is nowhere near as lucrative or as feasible as it was in those days thanks to computer technology and the death of classic outlets like the newspaper. All the same, nearly a dozen printing presses still run in Fakenham and visitors to the city often make it a point to stop into each and every one to learn how this beautiful craft was once performed when it was human beings operating the machines.

One of the more recent reports about Fakenham came out of an accidental misprint in a publication known as the "Knowhere Guide". In it, the writer spoke of the fact that Fakenham's pubs and dining institutions closed early on Wednesday and deemed Fakenham during this time to be the most boring place on Earth. This quote was later used by someone else incorrectly and in no time word spread that Fakenham was "voted" the most boring place on Earth. A far cry from the original intent to be sure but, all the same, Fakenham did not appreciate that notoriety one bit. To be fair, Fakenham does not have the healthiest supply of night clubs and amusement parks and none of its pubs are particularly famous but there has got to be at least one place on Earth that is more boring than Fakenham!

One also has to determine what exactly constitutes "boring". Yes, Fakenham is quaint, quiet, and low-key but that is exactly what makes it so appealing to so many people. A walk down the scenic roads of Fakenham may be may be the thrill of the day for a person more in tune with what makes a city tick. Fakenham is without a doubt a town with its own identity and, as such, no town can be boring when it plays to the tune of its own drummer. Anybody who comes to Fakenham looking for a hedonistic wonderland of debauchery should immediately pack up and leave and allow the rest of us to soak up this paradise without being disturbed.

If you run a hotel, guest house or bed & breakfast and would like to be included in A1 Tourism's Hotel & Guest House Directory, please contact us

The Fakenham Tourist Board gives comparable information to this page. If you require more information about Fakenham, you may be able to obtain it from the Fakenham Tourist Board.