Welsh venue among the UK’s most-loved lavender fields

The most-loved lavender fields across the UK have been revealed, with one location in Wales which sells its own popular home-made products featuring in the all-important top ten.

Despite lavender season not officially beginning in the UK until mid-June, many of us across the are craving a sense of calm and colour when thinking ahead to the summer months, with 1.8 million views for #lavenderfields in the past week alone.

With this in mind, Bloom & Wild was intrigued to find out which spots are among the most-loved lavender fields in the UK to visit ahead of lavender season beginning, with Farmers Welsh Lavender being named as one of the best.

Top 15

Bloom & Wild can reveal that the UK’s most-loved lavender field, is Castle Farm, based in Shoreham, Kent, where entry is £15 per adult and £8 per child.

Operating since 1982, Castle Farm is a family-run farm. Not only has it been deemed as the most-loved lavender farm, but it is also the UK’s oldest. Throughout summer, Castle Farm runs family events and activities, including breathwork and wreath-making workshops, but be quick, with 71,000 Instagram followers, this location is on a lot of people’s radar.

Welsh entry

Coming in at number 8, and doing Wales proud with a Google Review Rating of 4.7 and Instagram followers at a respectable 7,600 is Farmers’ Welsh Lavender.

Tickets for adults are £5, Concessions £3, while children can enter for free.

Bill Newton-Smith and Nancy Durham founded Farmers’ Lavender Farm back in 2003.

Located in the wild, windswept high hills north of Bannau Brycheiniog, the farm is home to spectacular views in all directions. According to the farm, the best time to see lavender is during July and August.

The story of Farmers’ and Wales’ first lavender farm begins in 2003 with the Oxford philosopher, Bill Newton-Smith, and international journalist Nancy Durham, wondering how their sheep farm might be put to new use under the blustery, grey skies of Wales.

One fine spring evening in Wales, Nancy thought of the lavender hedge in their Oxford garden and wondered if she might be able to grow one on the farm.

Never mind the hedge, by September that year an entire field of lavender had been planted. This is how the philosopher and the journalist became farmers, distillers of lavender oil and creators of lavender gifts.

Bill sadly died in April 2023.

Sustainability

Business is booming, as more people wake up to the benefits of kind, local products with sustainability at their heart which the thriving business sells via their website and in select stores across the UK.

Nancy writes on their website: “Our farm itself is a prime example of a sustainable business. We are creating work for today and future generations. We are experimental and interested in diversity.

“In 2003 we became the first to grow lavender in Wales on a field scale. As a result of our lobbying, the Welsh Assembly now recognises lavender as a crop. We have paved the way for other growers.

“Our farm is open to all and is often used as a place of learning. We are heralded as a viable example of a successful rural enterprise. Black Mountains College uses our farm to teach coppicing and regenerative horticulture.

“We work in partnership with local makers to produce a range of sustainable goods and promote their work through our summer and winter markets.”

Kiera Kay, plant expert at Bloom & Wild said: “I’ve always been a fan of lavender – not just for its calming aroma, but for its beautiful flowers and many uses.

“In my view, taking a day to visit one of the lavender fields on our list is a true act of self-care, one I encourage everyone to consider this summer. After a walk through a breathtaking sea of purple, I suspect you will leave feeling calm, relaxed and instantly happier.”

The full list of all 15 most-loved lavender farms can be viewed here.