So much beauty in one day. It may not be the south of France, but the Mayfield Lavender Farm in Surrey is worth a day-trip. Like anything seasonal and so beautiful, it was quite crowded on a Sunday afternoon in late July, but there were enough rolling mounds of lavender for everyone to enjoy.
If purple isn’t your thing, look away now, because you’re about to be inundated with it.
Even with a bit of apiphobia (fear of bees), the girls were mostly great sports, letting me snap semi-candid photos of them in the fields.
In the gift shop, there was a notice asking kids to collect rosemary beetles in jam jars. Afterwards, they could hand in the jar, in exchange for a piece of candy. Rosemary beetles can turn lavender brown, so this was a very clever idea. Kids love a mini-beast hunt, especially in exchange for a piece of candy!
Rosemary beetles are actually quite pretty…like a rainbow, metallic ladybug.
If you go, I can highly recommend the lavender cream tea followed by a nap, or a little reading, under the big tree.
The scent of lavender is calming. It flooded the car and clung to our clothing all the way home, and we left in a peaceful, zen-like state.
It always amazes me how easy it is to escape London. You don’t have to drive very far, and the urban buildings melt away and open up to rolling countryside.