Last week we took our annual visit to Mayfield Lavender Fields. We are lucky that it's not too far from home - so we try and make a couple of trips a year.
Mayfield is located in Banstead in Surrey, around five miles from our home in Caterham.
You cannot miss the beautiful purple haze as you approach from Croydon Lane - seriously, you could be in Provence!
It only costs £1 per adult to enter and children get in for free.
It can get extremely busy as it is a huge tourist attraction, the parking area seems to have expanded since last year. Buses run from Coulsdon and Purley, the 166 bus will take you directly there.
Of course where there are flowers - there are bees, but they tend to mind their own business, they are really only interested in the lavender.
We would recommend walking right to the back of the fields, there are usually less people there so you can attempt to get pictures with out other people in the background.
This year they have a bright red phone box and a chrome little airstream caravan, used as a little kiosk selling food and drinks.
The fields are open daily from 9am-6pm it's close to the end of season now so a lot has been cut back.
The gift shop sells bunches of fresh cut lavender for £4 per bunch, lavender lemonade is £2 per bottle and there are delicious lavender shortbread biscuits.
There are gazebos and benches to sit at by the shop and cafe and also some benches by the airstream caravan.
There are also postcards and greetings cards, we were a bit shocked to find that one of the cards on sale is a picture of our daughter Keira, taken by my brother two years ago.
Mayfield also run a photography competition every year - the first prize is £200 cash.
This year we took Loki along too - well behaved dogs on leads are welcome.
