Walking Through the Lavender Farm


This is a little more details about the Mayfield lavender farm I visited for my photo shoot amongst the lavenders you can see in my post "In the Lavender Field". I cannot tell you how long I have been waiting for this special day! I have literally been dreaming about this shoot since last summer, ever since my last lavender trip. But of course, I will give you all the details regarding how to make it to the farm via public transport, what to take and what to bring back from the farm, and especially when exactly to visit!

Now, the Mayfield Lavender Farm is located in Banstead, Surrey. It is a 25-acres organic lavender farm that opens from 1st of June all the way until the end of september, 9-6 everyday. The farm is one of the largest lavender fields in UK.



  



Getting there: 

The farm is located on the A2022. The address for the farm is: 

Address:

Mayfield Lavender Farm,
Croydon Lane,
Banstead,
SM7 3BE,
Surrey

Now, the first time I visited the lovely farm was via car so there wasn't much I could tell you about getting there via public transport, however, this year I managed to do my own little trek by means of train and buses that would give you an idea about how to make your way to one of the best must-see places to visit this summer in England. If travelling from the South, the best way is to take the train to Belmont. Once there, bus services are available till Banstead where you will require to change the bus to get to the farm. Now, while at Belmont, we did get a bit confused since there is a destination in the opposite direction to Banstead called "Lavender Field" that has nothing to do with the farm. So, please check before taking the bus. The bus system and charges are similar to oyster card system, if you don't have an oyster card, your debit card should work just fine. It costs about £4.40 for a whole day's trip. The two busses you would require are:

Busses:

Belmont Station to Banstead - S1 
Banstead to Mayfield Lavender Farm -166

Both run very frequently and are easily accessible. The S1 bus stop is by the Belmont train station that goes straight to Banstead town. At Banstead, you need to hop onto the 166 bus service that goes down the Croydon Lane, and the bus stops right at the farm gate. So, pretty easy!


Best time: 

The best time for a visit to witness the bedazzling splendour of the blossoms buzzing with bees and laden with powerful overwhelming scent is between the mid July to mid-August. The pedestrian entry is generally free with parking cost about £1 (starting from mid June till the end of season), which is redeemable with every purchase over £5.

Tips: 

The place is available for hire for commercial shoots and special occasions such as weddings! So take cameras and even props for some fun photo shoots. For my photo shoot, I borrowed the parasol from the shop. Well, they allow you to buy it for the time of the shoot and return it afterwards, provided it is not damaged or scuffed.

White lace parasol from the shop
There is also an annual photography competition (details in the website) that they hold every year. If you have the penchant, I'd so go a for it!

Souvenirs:

Collectors, gather around. All you can buy lavender flavoured goodies like meringues, shortcakes, biscuits, jams, tea, fudge, etc. Home decor items like lovely potpourris, candles, hand creams, lavender essences, attars, and even pots of lavender from the little nursery.

I personally wanted to just stuff my face with everything lavender flavoured, so I bought these cute lavender flavoured heart shaped biscuits, giant lavender scones and a pack of lavender meringues, MMMMMM!

Delicious giant scones
Check out their very own recipes from the farm website at:

I personally thing that the lavender bunches make excellent gifts, and a lovely addition to the house that would keep the room smelling great for dayyyyys.
 
Lavender biscuits and bunches

Apart from the lovely farm itself, the  city of Banstead itself is quite beautiful with lots and lots of places to eat and pub at. So there you have it. Sorry, this wasn't much of a sneak preview of the shoot itself since frankly, there weren't many bloopers or even takes before the shoot. Like I said, I had prepared for the shoot months in advance, spending money on some really delicate and expensive fabrics that was all worth it. But I hope you enjoyed the post and the pics nonetheless...

A scene from Jane Austen's novel... Featuring me :)
So, during the summers, when the sun is bright, the heat just right and the sky copper blue, just drive up or trek to Surrey and pop in to the most beautiful field in the entire country to enjoy the ephemeral resplendence of these little wonders...

With Love and lavenders,


  JB

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