Admitted, the title of this post is a bit misleading: you do need to leave London if you want to visit these Provence-like lavender fields, BUT given that it’s not more than a 1 hour journey from the heart of the city, which is about the average Londoner’s commute, you might as well just still be in London 😉
So, what am I talking about? Hitchin Lavender is a flower farm just outside London in Herfordshire and is renown for its gorgeous, fragrant lavender fields. It’s actually one of several lavender farms near the capital – others include Mayfield Lavender in Surrey and Kentish Lavender in Kent. At less than an hour by train from London, they are all perfect escape-the-city getaways.
I visited Hitchin Lavender last summer and thought it was a brilliant (half) day trip. Although the fields of lavender were not as large as I expected, being surrounded by the fragrant purple flowers and hearing the continuous buzzing of the bees was enough to make me feel as far away from hectic city life as possible. Yes, one could almost – just almost – imagine being in the Provence (if only the temperatures were a bit higher). Oh, and it’s also THE best place to take that fancy new Instagram profile picture of you wondering through the endless fields of flowers, staring unassumingly into the distance.
And what’s best: you get to take as much lavender as you want home with you. Ideal for your wardrobe!
Hitchin Lavender is open daily from May to September (from 10am to 5pm) and can be reached by train from London King’s Cross (and then a short taxi ride). Entrance is £5 and comes with scissors and a bag for you to cut your own lavender (and they also grow sunflowers), whooop!
Make sure you visit between June and August, when the fields are in full blossom!
The Posh Backpacker 