Why tourists are obsessed with a lavender farm near Croydon
The pair have been planning their trip to a lavender field for months, and are wearing cream and white floaty dresses — according to Parichaya, 'a good contrast with the lavender' — pink lipstick and dark sunglasses. They spent hours snapping photos among the purple shrubs that meander over the countryside's undulating hills.
This is not the south of France. I'm just outside Croydon, at Mayfield Lavender Farm in Banstead, Surrey.
As lavender comes into bloom this August, thousands of social media-savvy influencers will take up one of the UK's increasingly popular photo opportunities. Last week Cotswold Lavender, a 45-acre farm in Snowshill, Worcestershire, reported a 42 per cent increase in ticket sales last year compared with the year before. British lavender is a hit on social media.
Praewpat, 32, a dentist, discovered the family-run Mayfield farm on YouTube in a video about visiting the UK. She and her friend are on holiday here, and travelled two hours by train and bus from their hotel in London to see the 25 acres of fragrant shrubs.
'A friend recommended that we come as the lavender looks best this month,' says Parichaya, 30. 'It took quite a long time to get here but it's such a nice change from the city.'
Lavender fever shows no sign of abating. In the fields in this otherwise untouristed corner just south of London are visitors from China, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and India, carrying phones, hand-held cameras, tripods and selfie sticks. Each has paid £6.50 for entry. The farm offers professional photoshoots ranging from £60 to £150.
Many lavender farms in the southeast of England turned their fields purple to diversify their operation due to declining prices for other crops, and initially just produced essential oils.
Now Mayfield's gift shop stocks everything from lavender gin and vodka liqueurs (£15.95) to lavender-scented teddy bears (£15).
Lorna Maye, who opened Mayfield Lavender Farm in 2006, says that in the beginning most visitors were locals who found it a bit of a novelty. Then in 2011, when the field was recommended on Weibo, the Chinese social media platform, Maye says Chinese tourists began 'coming in busloads'.
Maye spotted the potential. In 2013 she installed a 'quintessentially British' red telephone box she found in a reclamation yard. A few years later, VisitBritain swooped in, using her field in advertisements. As a result, 2019 was Mayfield's best year for visitors, closely followed by 2020-22, after an explosion of social media interest during the pandemic.
The farm is set to have another record year, but Maye won't tell me specific numbers: lavender farming is a competitive business. 'So many other lavender farms have popped up across the country,' she says.
The 140,000 plants are weeded by hand and Mayfield's biggest source of income is the entry fees, but those alone aren't enough to keep the business lucrative. Mayfield sells £6 lavender oils, £30 gift sets, plus scented soaps, teas, honey, chocolate and jam. The outdoor café serves lavender-flavoured ciders and iced lattes.
Climate change is presenting a challenge. Lavender season lasts usually until late August but, as the country gets hotter earlier in the year, the lavender blooms faster. This year the season came two to three weeks early.
On the farm, I find orderly queues for photos outside the phone box and other props, including a tractor, hay bales and a heart-shaped bench.
For Angeline Ang, a 25-year-old airline employee from Malaysia, fitting a day at the lavender fields into her itinerary was non-negotiable. Ang, posing among the plants with two colleagues and equipped with a selfie stick, tripod and digital camera, says she discovered the fields on TikTok. 'We do it for the 'gram,' she says, laughing. 'We planned our outfits especially.'
Maye says many of her customers are cabin crew who 'work for Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific and come straight here from the plane. We have to remind them not to drag their suitcases through the lavender.' Royalty from Saudi Arabia also come back every year with their entourage 'and are very generous. They buy lots in the gift shop and give £50 note tips to employees,' Maye says.
She receives many eclectic requests about photographs. Recently, someone asked to bring their horse and visitors have turned up with ferrets, parrots, rabbits, a hedgehog and a tortoise. One woman would do an annual shoot with her white Samoyed dog, whose tail was dyed purple for the occasion.
For others, the lavender represents something more sentimental. 'Lots of people ask to scatter a family member's ashes here — which we do allow — or ask for bunches of our lavender to give at wakes,' Maye says. The fields mean a lot to people.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
25 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘Unlike anywhere else in Britain': in search of wildlife on the Isles of Scilly
At Penzance South Pier, I stand in line for the Scillonian ferry with a few hundred others as the disembarking passengers come past. They look tanned and exhilarated. People are yelling greetings and goodbyes across the barrier. 'It's you again!' 'See you next year!' A lot of people seem to be repeat visitors, and have brought their dogs along. I'm with my daughter Maddy and we haven't got our dog. Sadly, Wilf the fell terrier died shortly before our excursion. I'm hoping a wildlife-watching trip to the Isles of Scilly might distract us from his absence. One disembarking passenger with a cockapoo and a pair of binoculars greets someone in the queue. 'We saw a fin whale,' I hear him say. 'Keep your eyes peeled.' This is exciting information. The Scillonian ferry is reputedly a great platform for spotting cetaceans and it's a perfect day for it – the sea is calm and visibility is superb. From the deck, the promontory that is Land's End actually seems dramatic and special, in a way that it doesn't from dry land. There are several people armed with scopes and sights who are clearly experienced and observant. The only thing lacking is the animals. Not a single dolphin makes an appearance, never mind the others that make regular summertime splashes: humpbacks, minke, sunfish, basking sharks and, increasingly, bluefin tuna. Arriving in Scilly by ship is worth the crossing: wild headlands, savage rocks, white sand beaches, sudden strips of transcendentally turquoise ocean interspersed with the bronzed pawprints of kelp. Of course, it can be thick mist and squalls, but we're in luck, the islands are doing their best Caribbean impersonation. Hugh Town, the capital of St Mary's, is built on the narrow isthmus between two rocky outcrops. It's a quirky, independent town with the kind of traffic levels our grandparents would recognise. Up the hill, from the terrace of the Star Castle Hotel, we can see all the islands spread out around us, and handily there's a lady with a friendly labrador who gives us a pithy summary of each. St Martin's: 'Beach life.' Tresco: 'The royals love it.' St Agnes: 'Arty.' Bryher: 'Wild and natural.' Bryher is our big wildlife destination because the plan is to rent kayaks there and paddle to the uninhabited Samson island, which is a protected wildlife area. I'm banking on Samson for wildlife now that the whales didn't show up, but first we're going to explore St Agnes with Vickie from the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust. After a short ferry ride from St Mary's quay, we stroll around St Agnes and across a short sand spit, a tombolo, to its neighbour, Gugh. Vickie leads us up a heather-covered hillside next to an impressive stack of pink granite boulders. 'St Agnes and Gugh used to have a rat problem,' she tells us. 'There were an estimated 4,000 that had destroyed the breeding populations of both Manx shearwaters and storm petrels. We're pretty sure we've eradicated them now and the bird populations are rising fast.' She leans over a small burrow under a lichen-crusted rock, and sniffs. 'Yes, that's storm petrel – they have a distinctive aroma.' Using her phone, she plays a series of cackles and squeaks down the hole. No response. I ask Vickie about the archipelago's endemic species. The Scilly bee? 'Hasn't been seen for many years.' She chuckles. 'What makes the islands special is often what we don't have. There are no magpies or buzzards, no foxes or grey squirrels. Those absences are important.' What they don't have in terms of fauna, they certainly make up for in flora. The lanes and paths of St Agnes are a ravishing spectacle: agapanthus and honeysuckle, huge spires of echium and smooth succulent aeoniums from the Canary Islands. In this frost-free environment, all kinds of subtropical plants thrive, making the islands quite unlike anywhere else in the British Isles. Dotted among all this fecundity are artists' studios, galleries, a pub and a community hall where there's a wonderful display of shipwreck souvenirs: East India Company musket parts, skeins of silk, porcelain and perfume. Back on St Mary's, we swim and spot a seal. But if we imagine our luck is changing, it's not. Next morning we are down on the quayside, bright and early for the boat to Bryher. 'It just left,' says the ticket seller. 'We did post the change last night. Very low tide. Had to leave 15 minutes early.' 'When is the next one?' 'There isn't one.' The islands, I should have known, are run by the tides. Be warned. Without any time to think, we jump on the Tresco boat. A fellow passenger offers sympathy. 'Last week we missed the boat from St Martin's and had to spend the night there. It was great.' Sign up to The Traveller Get travel inspiration, featured trips and local tips for your next break, as well as the latest deals from Guardian Holidays after newsletter promotion I relax. She is right. The best travel adventures come unplanned. The low tide means we land at Crow Point, the southern tip of Tresco. 'Last return boat at five!' shouts the boatman. We wander towards a belt of trees, the windbreak for Tresco Abbey Garden. The eccentric owner of the islands during the mid-19th century, Augustus Smith, was determined to make the ruins of a Benedictine abbey into the finest garden in Britain. Having planted a protective belt of Monterey pine, his gardeners introduced a bewildering array of specimen plants from South Africa, Latin America and Asia: dandelions that are three and a half metres tall, cabbage trees and stately palms. Just to complete the surreal aspect, Smith added red squirrels and golden pheasants, which now thrive. Now comes the moment, the adventure decision moment. I examine the map of the island and point to the north end: 'It looks wilder up there, and there's a sea cave marked.' We set off. Tresco has two settlements: New Grimsby and Old Grimsby, both clutches of attractive stone cottages decked with flowers. Beyond is a craggy coast that encloses a barren moorland dotted with bronze age cairns and long-abandoned forts. At the north-eastern tip we discover a cave high on the cliffside. Now the low tide is in our favour. We clamber inside, using our phone torches. A ramp of boulders takes us down into the bowels of the Earth, and to our surprise, where the water begins, there is a boat, with a paddle. Behind it the water glitters, echoing away into absolute darkness. We climb in and set off. Behind us and above, the white disc of the cave entrance disappears behind a rock wall. The sound of water is amplified. After about 50 metres we come to a shingle beach. 'How cool is that?' says Maddy. 'An underground beach.' We jump out and set off deeper into the cave, which gets narrower and finally ends. On a rock, someone has placed a playing card: the joker. Later that day, having made sure we do not miss the last boat back, we meet Rafe, who runs boat trips for the Star Castle Hotel. He takes pity on us for our lack of wildlife. 'Come out on my boat tomorrow morning and we'll see what we can find.' Rafe is as good as his word. We tour St Martin's then head out for the uninhabited Eastern Isles. Rafe points out kittiwakes and fulmars, but finally we round the rock called Innisvouls and suddenly there are seals everywhere, perched on rocks like altar stones from the bronze age. 'They lie down and the tide drops,' says Rafe. 'These are Atlantic greys and the males can be huge – up to 300kg.' Impressive as the seals are, the islands are better known for birds, regularly turning up rarities. While we are there, I later discover, more acute observers have spotted American cliff swallows that have drifted across the Atlantic, various unusual shearwater species and a south polar skua. Next day is our return to Penzance, and it's perfect whale-watching weather. People are poised with binoculars and scopes, sharing tales of awesome previous sightings: the leaping humpbacks, the wild feeding frenzies of tuna, and the wake-riding dolphins. Nothing shows up. I complain, just a little, about our lack of wildlife luck. Maddy is playing with a pair of terriers. 'The thing with Wilf was he was always content with whatever happened,' she says. I lounge back on the wooden bench on the port side, enjoying the wind, sun and sound of the sea. I'm channelling the spirit of Wilf. Be happy. Whatever. It's a lovely voyage anyway. And that's how I missed the sighting of the fin whale off the starboard side. The Star Castle Hotel on St Mary's has double rooms from £249 half-board off-season to £448 in summer; singles from £146 to £244. Woodstock Ark is a secluded cabin in Cornwall, handy for departure from Penzance South Pier (sleeps two from £133 a night). The Scillonian ferry runs March to early November from £75pp. Kayak hire on Bryher £45 for a half day, from Hut 62. For further wildlife information check out the
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Incredible sacrifice of tiny English village that's become a haven for dark tourism 359 years later
A LOT of historic sites are shrouded in suffering and death, but one UK town is known entirely for its tragic past. Eyam in Derbyshire suffered mass casualties during the Black Death, establishing itself as a haven for dark tourism centuries later. 4 The Peak District village lost a staggering 260 villagers in just 14 months as the plague spread across England. Given the town at the time only housed 350 residents, this loss was felt all the more by those in the area. After the spread of the Black Death in the 1660s, Eyam earned the title of "plague village". The bubonic plague first wreaked havoc worldwide in the 1300s before another outbreak in England during the 1660s. It claimed over 68,000 lives in London alone during this period. The deadly disease eventually made its way north, reaching Eyam in the summer of 1665. In a bid to shield neighbouring villages, Eyam's inhabitants bravely chose to isolate themselves after symptoms of the plague were reported within its borders. A boundary stone, which remains to this day, was erected between plague-ridden Eyam and the nearby unaffected town of Stoney Middleton. Eyam's residents would make their way to this stone to deposit vinegar-soaked money in exchange for food and medical supplies, left by Stoney Middleton's inhabitants. Today, visitors to Eyam can witness the lasting impact of the plague outbreak on the village. English seaside town to transform abandoned beach shelters into new attraction There are numerous graves scattered throughout the village and surrounding fields as families were urged to bury their deceased near their homes instead of in the church graveyard. These stringent rules were established by Reverend William Mompesson and Puritan minister Thomas Stanley. They also opted to move all church services outdoors and ensured no one could enter or leave the village. A recent visitor to Eyam shared a heartbreaking love story that has become part of the folklore surrounding the plague-stricken village. "In 1665, the plague hit Eyam and they locked down the village, separating Emmott Sydall from her fiancé Rowland Torre," the tourist said in an Instagram post. Eyam during the plague The Black Death is thought to have first arrived to the village in September 1665. Historians have hypothesised the disease was brought to Eyam via a parcel of cloth delivered from London to a local tailor. The cloth is believed to have been infested with plague-carrying fleas. During the 14-month voluntary quarantine, 75% of the town's residents passed away. One resident, Elizabeth Hancock, buried her husband and six children with her own hands within eight days. Plague cottages, where victims lived and died, still stand in the town today. "Emmott and Rowland would meet at the village boundary once a week, keeping their distance so he wouldn't contract the disease. "One day, Emmott didn't show up, when the lockdown was lifted, Rowland was among the first to enter the village in search of Emmott." A plaque indicates that Emmott was one of the village's many victims of the black death. The romantic rendezvous of the two at the village boundary has been immortalised in a stained glass image visible in Eyam's St Lawrence's Church. More on dark tourism Plus, the stunning paradise island with WW2 wrecks that has also become a haven for dark tourism. And the darkest and weirdest weekend breaks across Europe. Dark tourism has reached all corners of the globe, with many visiting suicide forests and nuclear disaster zones. Some thrillseekers even risk death in the world's most dangerous countries. 4 4
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
New night routes and earlier starts for Bristol's buses
A number of changes have been announced to bus routes in Bristol, including the city's first ever 24-hour Bus said it was also adding earlier journeys onto some routes and extending the length of others to improve its operator said it was also boosting services between the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England, the city centre and student changes will come in from 31 August, when the m1 metrobus service will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a new half-hourly overnight service designed "to keep pace with the needs of our vibrant night-time economy", First Bus said. The M1 metrobus operates between Cribbs Causeway and Hengrove 39 and 1 will run overnight services from Monday to Saturday, with the 2/2a, 4, 5, 6, 73 and 74 operating overnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Among the routes being extended are the 16, which will now run from Fishponds to Whitchurch via Temple Meads creating a new link between the south and east of the city, and the 43, which is being rerouted to include Temple Meads 1, 24, 41, 72, 73 and 74 will start earlier on week days, First Bus said, to better serve those working early shifts. George Burton, head of network for First Bus in the West of England, said: "These changes are designed to support people who live, work and study in the city and to keep pace with the needs of our vibrant night-time economy."He thanked Bristol City Council and the West of England Combined Authority for their support for the are advised to check time tables before travelling when the changes come into information about changes to services can be found on the First Bus website.
