At a glance
Open
June–August, until 5pm
Adults
£4 — children £2, under 5s free
Best time
Weekdays, or Sunday 2–3pm
Parking
Free, 1–2 minutes’ walk
Tucked away in the heart of the Cotswolds is the most beautiful lavender field — over 500,000 plants in 40 varieties, established in 1999, alongside wildflowers and chamomile.
We arrived on a late Sunday afternoon in June, which was a great time to go: easy parking and uncrowded rows. It was a little early, though — some plants were still green.
Planning your visit
On site
Tea room, shop and toilets
Tea and cake after the fields; the shop sells lavender toiletries, oils, chocolate and dried bunches.
Time
A couple of hours
They close at 5pm, but you won’t need a whole day.
Picnic
Benches by the wild meadow
Perfect for lunch with a view of the rows.
Bees
Busy, not bothered
There weren’t many, and they were preoccupied with the nectar.
How the oil is made
The lavender is harvested and distilled on the same day — and you can visit the distillery to see it happen.
01
Gather the crop
The harvest comes into the distillery on a trailer — around 5 tonnes at a time.
02
Steam it
A lid is lowered, and rainwater heated to steam is fed through pipes in the floor, to 100°C.
03
Release the oil
The steam bursts the oil glands, and the oil evaporates into the steam, collected in the funnel-shaped lid.
04
Condense
Cold rainwater around the condenser tubes turns the steam back into oil and water.
05
Separate
In the separator tank the oil settles on top of the water, and is collected as the final product.
Make a day of it
Nearby
Broadway Tower & Snowshill Manor
Combine the fields with Broadway Tower, or the National Trust’s Snowshill Manor and Gardens. The lanes are narrow, with plenty of passing places.
Eat
The Anchor Inn, Wyre Piddle
Pub food on the River Avon, with a Sunday roast and massive Yorkshire puddings — plus a burger and pizza shack outside.
