Mayfield Lavender Farm - London's Sea of Pretty Purple Farm That's Free Of Charge!

This could easily make you feel as though you're in Provence, France.

But in reality, Mayfield Lavender Farm is only less than an hour away from central London, easily accessible by public transport, and last but not least, admission is completely free of charge!

Tell me why you wouldn't pay Mayfield Lavender Farm a visit?

First and foremost, for those who stumble upon my blog while looking for more information on Mayfield Lavender Farm, here are some things you might like to know:

Mayfield Lavender Farm is located in Surrey, less than 15 miles from Central London, about 25-acre in size, and is a family run farm that grows their lavender organically.  

Opening Hours:
9am to 6pm daily from 1st June to 30 September 2014

Address:
Croydon Lane, Banstead, SM7 3BE

Mayfield Lavender Farm on Google Maps

How to Get There: 

• Take the train to West Croydon.
• Look for the bus terminal (less than 5 minutes walk from the station) and board bus 166. 
• Alight at bus stop "OAKS PARK". (Bus journey is approximately 30 mins)
• Ask the bus driver or alternatively keep a lookout, most people will alight at that stop since Lavender is in bloom now.
• The bus stops directly opposite Mayfield Lavender Farm. You WILL see it.

Ok you didn't need me to show you what West Croydon Station looks like but I wanted to show you anyway.

West Croydon Bus Terminal. 

Admission Fee:
Free to all public! 

Professional photography requires prior approval. 

Parking Fee charged at 2 pounds. 

You will see this when you alight at the bus stop. This banner is right at the entrance of the farm.

Some rules to take note of before entering.

There's a reason why RULE #1 is #1. People just don't obey this, do they? I saw people plucking Lavender and stealing them by putting them in their pockets, with excuses like "Oh, I plan to keep it as a bookmark." or "I'm just taking one to bring home."

Hello, as if the farm isn't kind enough to allow the public free access, you have to pluck their Lavender! Tsk.

Cannot emphasize that further.

It's so pretty!

I know my pictures are nothing like those you find on Google Images or Conde Nast Traveler because they were taken by a very basic canon camera, but these pictures are as real as they can get. No editing done at all. Not even enhanced. That's exactly how the farm looked in mid July!

We were a little worried that it might rain (you know how unpredictable the weather is in UK) but thankfully the sky mostly alternated between dark clouds and bright sunshine. 

The sunshine made a whole lot of difference to my pictures. 

It was so wonderful when the Sun came out from behind the dark clouds we were practically dancing on the fields.

Check out my instavids if you're interested in seeing a pretty girl go ecstatic over purple fields. Hah just kidding.

http://instagram.com/p/qHlHZ4qPsn/
http://instagram.com/p/qHk0YUqPsG/
http://instagram.com/p/qHknaIqPrv/
http://instagram.com/p/qHkhWjKPrj/

My friend was so smart to bring a bubble bottle! Look how the bubbles reflected the prism of colours under the sun!

Summer, Sun, purple flowers, bubbles, girls and a camera.

Yeah, you get it.

The Not-So-Good Side:

To be honest, we had to walk into the fields quite abit to avoid the crowd. The place was really packed with people and it was quite a challenge to take a shot with no one photo-bombing you.

Some tourists will hold onto their umbrellas for forever and umbrellas really really spoil your picture. 

There are a handful of pavilions or benches for people to sit but some families will hog them with their picnic baskets laid all over you might as well forget it. 

The place is mostly unsheltered so we were really concerned when the dark clouds came out. Thank god it didn't rain! 

Toilets were an absolute nightmare. You can't really avoid not going because the farm is slight far out so you would have traveled quite a bit before getting here (and vice versa), so at some point you just gotta go.

The toilets were the portable type and there were only two cubicles with no toilet paper nor water to wash your hands afterwards. 

So do bring along tissue packets with you and a bottle of water to hydrate yourself, and also wash your hands in case you go to the toilet!

But I'd still say Mayfield Lavender Farm is definitely worth a visit. The view is so stunningly beautiful in summer, you're definitely missing out if you decide to skip this. Especially during this AUG period where the Lavender is in full bloom! It's so near central London, and easily accessible by public transport and also free.

The only downside is that there's no free wifi. But hey, what more can you ask for?

Really glad that we made a trip there!

Here #Esthertheexplorer signs off with pictures of the company that invited her along to the farm.

Thank you for the awesome company y'all!