イギリスのメイフィールド・ラベンダー・ファーム（Mayfield Lavender Farm)について

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※広告

今年は、自宅の庭でも20種類近い品種のラベンダーを鉢植え、地植えの両方で増やしました。

ラベンダーの香りは、品種によってかなりバラツキがあることがわかり、ラベンダーの世界の深さ・面白さをさらに感じてきているところです。

以前、我々日本人にも非常に馴染みのある「イングリッシュ・ラベンダー」というのは、

実際にはイギリス原産のラベンダーというのは存在せず、ラベンダーをあまりにも愛するイギリス人の女性植物学者が、

最も香り高い真正ラベンダー〔ラヴァンデュラ・アングスティフォリア（オフィキナリス）〕に、イングリッシュ・ラベンダーという称号を与えたことにより、その名称が世界中に広がった

ことは取り上げました。以下です。

イングリッシュ・ラベンダーというラベンダーは存在しない？　「イングリッシュ・ラベンダー事件」が招いた混乱とは。

この『イングリッシュ・ラベンダー事件』をご存知ない方は、読んでみることをおすすめします。

今日はそのイギリスにあるメイフィールド・ラベンダー・ファーム（Mayfield Lavender Farm)というラベンダー園を紹介したいのですが、

『イギリスにこんな大きなラベンダー園があったの？』と少し驚きました。

MAYFIELD LAVENDER FARM

Our Farm

Our 25 acre lavender farm with café and shop is located in Banstead (Woodmansterne), Surrey – approximately 15 miles from Central London. Our farm is a popular visitor attraction throughout summer where you can wander through a sea of beautiful organic lavender. The lavender normally starts to bloom towards the middle to end of June and the peak time is July and August however the weather can influence this so be sure to check our website for information (see our frequently asked questions section) before your visit. During the peak of the season it can get very busy on weekends so we recommend that you plan a week-day visit if possible. Please remember that we do not permit picnics anywhere on our farm.

Entry & Opening Times

Our farm is open from June 1 to September 16 (Please not this may change as the heatwave may require us to harvest all the lavender at the end of August. We would then close on August 31 for the 2018 season). We open 7 days per week from 9am to 6pm (Last entry for cars is 5.45pm). Entrance costs £2 per adult. Children 16 and under are free.

Sorry we do not permit picnics on our farm.

Parking

Parking is free to visitors who have paid the entrance fee. Our car park has limited capacity. We try to accommodate as many cars as possible but once the car park is full we must (for safety reasons) restrict entry. On days when our car park is full we direct cars to a friendly local sports club (if they have space available). They operate independently so they may make a charge for the use of their parking facility. 5.45pm is the last entry time for cars to our farm and the gate to our farm is locked at 7pm so all cars must have been removed by then to avoid being locked in.

Coaches

We are unable to permit coaches to enter our farm as there is no space to turn once inside. Coaches: Please contact us in advance and we can advise if alternative parking is available locally. We can be reached on 07503 877707 or by email info@mayfieldlavender.com. This depends on the availability of a local Rugby Club who may not have availability. If available they make an independent charge that we do not influence.

Café & Shop

At our farm you can enjoy a delicious, fresh lunch or snack at our relaxed, al fresco café with picnic tables. Whether you fancy a panini, burger or a piece of our gorgeous home-made cake, we have it covered and much more besides! You can also book a lavender cream tea for an extra special touch or enjoy food from the barbecue during July and August. We are licensed to sell a range of alcoholic drinks including our unique lavender cider! Before you leave, don’t forget to visit our shop to buy one of our lavender plants for your garden, or simply treat yourself to our lavender products including toiletries, culinary treats or a beautiful bunch of fresh lavender.

Please remember that we do not permit food or picnics to be brought onto our farm.

Tractor Rides & Tours & Party Area

Take a tour with a difference! A tractor ride around our farm is a wonderful and effortless way to experience the undulating purple expanse of our gorgeous organic lavender. At the height of the season you will be able to see the three different varieties of lavender grown by us all in bloom, along with our very happy bees and butterflies. Tractor rides cost £2 per person (Babes in arms are free) and there is no need to book as tickets can be bought from our shop or cafe. We generally start from 10.30am and a circuit of the farm takes about 15 to 20 minutes. The tractor runs throughout the day if there is demand.

And did you know that you can hold your own private party in the middle of all this loveliness? Our two gazebos seat 16 people each and are available for hire during opening hours. Private tours can also be arranged, minimum of 12 people. If interested, contact info@mayfieldlavender.com.

Disabled Parking / Accessibility / Toilet

We offer disabled parking which is adjacent to our Cafe and Shop. We also hire specific disabled portable toilet facilities. We are on Metropolitan Greenbelt land so we are not permitted to build a permanent toilet building.. The portable toilets are a pragmatic solution and are cleaned frequently throughout each day.

The shop and cafe are next to the lavender so you can enjoy a lovely view over the farm. There are no steps to negotiate but the surface of our car park is a coarse covering of stone so care should be taken if walking . You can also take one of our popular tractor rides and experience the farm at a leisurely pace. For more information on visiting us please see our FAQs page.

Photography & Video Competition

Each year we run a fun photography competition for visitors to our farm. Entry is primarily for fun but to make it interesting we offer a prize of £200 cash for the entry we like the most. We receive lots of entries each year so to see what it takes to be a contender you can take a look at the previous winners and runners up in our photo competition galleries. Last year for the first time we also ran a video competition and had some wonderful videos submitted. You can see the winning video on our videos page. Remember that while we offer a prize for the winner, we run the competitions for fun so we hope you enter in the same spirit!

Professional Photography

We encourage casual and fun family photos and we do not make a charge for this. If you wish to visit our farm for the purposes of wedding photography, model or landscape photography, library photography or portrait photography or any other commercial photography then you will be required to register at our shop and pay a small fee before you commence.

Details are available on this link: Professional Photographers Registration (Terms and conditions apply)

If you would like to talk to us about commercial filming or other use please email info@mayfieldlavender.comor call us on 07503 877 707.

※メイフィールド・ラベンダー・ファームのHPより