The photo opportunity of the summer in the Cotswolds
Cotswold lavender - Credit: stocker1970 / Shutterstock
The iconic lavender fields in the Cotswolds are open again for another summer season.
Hill Barn Farm on the outskirts of the village of Snowshill, not far from the National Trust Property Snowshill Manor, has become an unexpected tourist location in recent years.
Pre-covid, the farm attracted around 30,000 visitors a year, and has seen the birth of thriving business in its own right, with a wide range of lavender products produced and sold from here.
For owner Charlie Byrd, growing lavender was originally intended to be a way of diversifying the output on his family-run farm.
In the age of selfies and searching for that perfect instagram shot, the lavender fields are now the most important and lucrative part of the estate.
The lavender season is a small window of time in the year, in a typical English summer, the lavender fields start to come into flower mid June, with the best time to see them early-mid July but it can differ year to year with the weather.
Harvest usually starts around mid to late July and takes about two weeks, but the expanse of the fields is so vast that there will be plenty of lavender for you to see even when the harvest process has begun.
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For the 2022 summer season, the lavender fields will reopen on Wednesday 15th June until Sunday 7th August, opening daily to the public from from 10am - 5pm, standard entry tickets will not be available to pre-book and you will be able to purchase your ticket on arrival.
July is the peak season and tickets cost £7 for adults and £3 for children (5-15), if you go in June or August, then the adult ticket is £5 and the children ticket is £2.50. Children under 5 will have free entry throughout the summer.
To see the creativity of the visitors to Cotswold Lavender Farm, go to instagram and search for #cotswoldlavenderfarm to see some stunning photography.
The Cotswold Lavender Farm is also the cover star for our Summer Special edition. It's packed full of ideas for the summer holidays or the perfect staycation within the region.
Cotswold Life - Summer Special 2022 - Credit: Archant
Available in all good stockists until the autumn - store finder seymour.co.uk/storefinder
Or you can order online at https://magsdirect.co.uk/magazine/cotswold-life-summer-special-22
