Before fame, this leafy English village offered a small train station with services to Manchester and Crewe, a few local shops, and, near the town, the picturesque Twemlow Viaduct, built 180 years ago on the banks of the River Dane.

But everything changed when a curly-haired teenager, working part-time at the local bakery, auditioned in London for the TV show The X Factor. That young man was Harry Styles, whose journey included being part of the successful boy band One Direction before embarking on a solo career.

Holmes Chapel’s recognition as a point of interest began with One Direction’s 2013 documentary, This Is Us. For Styles’ passionate fans worldwide — known as “Harries” — the places of his youth became revered as new pop culture landmarks.

The viaduct, where Harry Styles had his first kiss and etched his name on the wall with chalk during the documentary’s filming, has become the main pilgrimage site for international fans visiting Holmes Chapel, a village of just 6,700 residents. With around 5,000 visitors each year, traffic safety has become a concern for locals.

A year after the release of a detailed map of possible village walks, the Holmes Chapel Partnership community group launched the “Harry Village Tour” this weekend. The leisurely tour, lasting 2.5 to 3 hours, takes visitors to sites associated with Harry Styles, allowing ample time for selfies and social media content. Guides are trained experts in local history and tales about the artist, some of whom share personal stories of encounters with him.

Jill Booth, 58, a tour guide, fondly recalls her encounter with Harry Styles: “My favorite memory of Harry Styles was when he helped me rescue a baby mole my cats had brought into the house and hidden under the rug.” As a former neighbor with a son the same age as Styles, Jill has known him since childhood, adding a personal touch to the village tour.

There were 150 applicants for the tour guide roles, many of them international. The interview process included an 80-question quiz about the star and his hometown, as well as a practical presentation at the viaduct.

Isabella Boughey, 21, from Stoke-on-Trent, is one of the selected guides and a long-time Harry Styles fan since his early career days. She recalls watching The X Factor with her mother as a child, saying Harry has always held a special place in her heart. “I love how he embodies happiness and positivity.”

The tour begins at Holmes Chapel train station, where station agent Graham Blake welcomes fans from as far afield as Australia and Mexico. Blake remembers Styles at the station during his weekly trips to London for The X Factor. “He was a lovely lad,” he recalls. “Always fashionable and everything. Wore those Calvin Klein boxers with his skinny jeans and a little beanie hat.”

The station agent shows visitors the station’s guest book, now in its sixth edition, filled with heartfelt messages left by fans. Periodically, Harry’s father, Des Styles, visits the station to collect these books of tributes and deliver them to his son.

For Graham Blake, his role as a guide for Harry’s fans has made his job “the best in the world,” allowing him to meet people from all over the globe who come to share their stories.

The station’s ticket office is decorated with Harry Styles-themed memorabilia, including a life-size cutout of the artist. Another 2D representation of Harry greets visitors at W. Mandeville bakery, where both staff and customers seem unfazed by the media buzz, now accustomed to the village’s newfound fame.

Shop windows display Harry Styles coloring books, while bars advertise cocktails like “Watermelon Sugar.” For any residents less enthusiastic about Styles, the town might feel overwhelming.

After buying treats at W. Mandeville, fans often attempt to walk to the Twemlow Viaduct along the busy A305 road, where cars travel at around 50 mph and no pedestrian sidewalks are available.

The safer route to the viaduct, once frequented by Styles and other local children, winds through green fields and follows the river.

Along the way to the viaduct, visitors are briefed on England and Wales’ countryside code, which includes guidelines for navigating private land and interacting with local animals.

However, the presence of a herd of cattle crossing paths with visitors poses a risk, potentially trampling blankets where fans sit making friendship bracelets.

Phoebe Hodges and Mia Tesolin, both 18 and from Canberra, Australia, traveled to Holmes Chapel to explore Harry Styles’ hometown. “I love all the greenery and the houses,” Hodges shares. Tesolin adds, “The landscape is really beautiful.”

Although the tour has not yet been officially endorsed by Harry Styles, Peter Whiers, chair of the Holmes Chapel Partnership, stated that they had reached out to the artist’s management team through his mother.

Peter Whiers, connected to Harry Styles through traffic safety, recalls his earlier link with the artist by supervising his cycling proficiency when he was about 10 years old. Whiers was responsible for preparing local children for the national Bikeability safety program.

One location not included in the tour is the Fortune City Chinese restaurant, recently reopened. Observing its dark windows on a Friday afternoon, it looks like any other eatery in the small town. Yet, in 2012, it was where Harry Styles, then 18, took his then-girlfriend Taylor Swift, 23 at the time, on a date. A photo of the occasion shared on Twitter shows the singer visibly excited next to Swift.

Whiers notes that Harry Styles’ fanbase is predominantly young women, whom he describes as “generally very respectful.” He remarks on the messages left in Graham’s guest book at the station and on the walls, all expressing admiration.

The success of the Holmes Chapel tour is evident, with fans adopting Harry Styles’ song Treat People with Kindness as their mantra. Despite the £20 ticket price, the tourist map offers discounts at local businesses, promising to boost sales of tourist T-shirts in the area.

While small communities worldwide, from Japan to Austria and the Balearic Islands, grapple with surges in tourism, Whiers and the Holmes Chapel community take a positive stance, aiming to make the best of their new reality: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”