Mayfield Lavender Fields

Rows of lavender

Last month a friend at work visited the lavender fields just south of London and on Sunday afternoon we decided to go and check them out before the season ended.

We caught the train from Brockley to Woodmanstern and then had a largely rural half an hour walk across to the lavender fields. Arriving by a public footpath we saved the £1 entry fee as there was only someone collecting money on the main gate where all the cars were coming in. Whoop!

The lavender field is just that, a big field. The field is planted with three different type of lavender, two of which had already been harvesting meaning there was only around a quarter of the field left to enjoy.

There were bees everywhere

You are free to wonder up and down the rows of lavender and taking photos of the lavender and / or bees seems to be the main activity. There were a surprising number of international tourists from India, Japan and China at the lavender farm so I suspect it must be tipped in a few guide books to the UK. It was a pleasant afternoon, but I'm not sure if it would be on the top of my to do list during a two week visit to the UK.

 

Lavender field selfie

In one corner of the field they've set up a café and shop which is open in the summer months. We were both up for buying some lavender themed gifts, but thought the shop was a missed opportunity as the range was quite small and the prices high (catering to the tourist market).

The café had long queues and limited seating so we headed over the road to the Oaks Park Tea Room in a nearby park for a drink and slice of cake before popping back into the lavender field for a final look round before walking back to the station for the lavender express back into London.

Mayfield Lavender Field

Croydon Lane
Banstead
SM7 3BE