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🗺️ Farm Day Trips guide
Things to Do Near the Lavender Farms of Hitchin & North Hertfordshire
Hitchin Lavender at Ickleford and Mentley Farm's pick-your-own field bloom June to August, near Knebworth, Wimpole and Henry Moore's studios.
9 places · updated October 17, 2026
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Updated October 17
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North Hertfordshire is chalk-hill farmland between the market town of Hitchin, Letchworth Garden City and quiet villages like Ardeley and Great Munden. Hitchin Lavender farms the slopes at Ickleford just north of town, with a teahouse in an old barn, and Mentley Farm opens a smaller pick-your-own field near Ware on summer Fridays and Saturdays.
Plan on June to August for lavender. Further east, Finchingfield Lavender in Essex blooms from early July to mid-August, while Cambridgeshire Lavender is replanting and plans to reopen in June 2027. Between farms, you can walk Henry Moore's sculpture fields, meet Shire horses at Wimpole, or tour Audley End's Victorian kitchens. In October, Hitchin Lavender turns into a pumpkin patch. Hitchin has direct trains from London and Cambridge, so the town and its lavender farm also work as a day out without a car.
The lavender farms
- Hitchin LavenderLavender farm · Ickleford
Mid-June to mid-August (weather dependent)
Ticketed summer season with pick-your-own lavender in the Main Field and a free Display Field; tickets booked online. Reopens for a Pumpkin Patch 17–31 October 2026.
- Cambridgeshire LavenderLavender farm · Bluntisham
Pick-your-own lavender field, closed for now and due to reopen in June 2027; workshops, sunset picnics, events and venue hire when open.
- Mentley Farm LavenderLavender farm · Great Munden
June to August
Pick-your-own field open Fridays and Saturdays 11am–4pm, June to August, no booking; workshops and private photo sessions by booking.
- Finchingfield LavenderLavender farm · Finchingfield
Early July to mid-August (weather dependent)
Ticket-only visits with limited daily numbers, pre-booked online, during the summer season; pick-your-own, café, workshops, camping and glamping.
- Nene Valley LavenderLavender farm · Brigstock
Best time to visit
Mentley Farm's lavender field opens Fridays and Saturdays from 11am to 4pm in June, July and August (it reopened June 20 in 2026). Hitchin Lavender opens each June through August, and in 2025 it stayed open into the evenings on weekends. Finchingfield Lavender's wildflower meadow flowers from mid-May and its lavender from early July to mid-August, with limited daily tickets. Hitchin Lavender's pumpkin patch runs October 17 to 31, 2026, and Knebworth's gardens and dinosaur trail open daily October 24 to 30, 2026. Henry Moore Studios & Gardens closes for the season on October 25, 2026, and Wrest Park's Snowman trail runs November 7, 2026 to January 10, 2027.
Places to see nearby parks, trails, beaches and landmarks
- Knebworth House🏛️ Historic site · Knebworth · about 10 mi, 20 min drive
A country house with gardens, a dinosaur trail, an adventure playground and parkland; the Christmas Fair runs November 27 to 29, 2026.
Gardens and dinosaur trail daily October 24 to 30, 2026; see their opening calendar for the house
- British Schools Museum🏛️ Museum · Hitchin · about 2 mi, 5 min drive
Victorian classrooms in central Hitchin, including an 1837 monitorial schoolroom the museum says is the last one left in the world, plus the headmaster's house.
Limited opening days; check their website before visiting
- Wrest Park🌷 Garden · Silsoe · about 8 mi, 20 min drive
An 18th-century Great Garden with a long canal, a Chinese bridge and temple, and a bath house, in front of a French-style mansion whose rooms appeared in Bridgerton.
Daily 10am to 5pm, last entry 4pm (as listed October 2026); Snowman trail November 7, 2026 to January 10, 2027
- Wimpole Estate🏛️ Historic site · Arrington · about 19 mi, 40 min drive
A grand 17th-century hall with a working rare-breeds farm of Shire horses, pigs and goats, a red-walled kitchen garden and parkland walks to a Gothic folly.
Garden 9:30am to 5pm, hall noon to 4:30pm, farm 10:30am to 4:30pm (as listed October 2026)
Free car park
- Henry Moore Studios & Gardens🏛️ Museum · Perry Green, Much Hadham · about 7 mi, 15 min drive
Over 70 acres of fields and gardens set with Moore's large sculptures, six preserved studios, his tapestries in the Aisled Barn and a new gallery in the Sheep Field Barn.
April 1 to October 25, 2026, Wednesday to Sunday and bank holidays, 11am to 5pm
Tickets booked online; Hoglands house tour £7 extra
- RSPB The Lodge🌲 Preserve · Sandy · about 13 mi, 30 min drive
Bedfordshire's largest stretch of heathland plus woodland and peat-free gardens, home to nightjars, hobbies and natterjack toads; follow the Skylark Trail.
- Shuttleworth🏛️ Museum · Old Warden, near Biggleswade · about 11 mi, 25 min drive
Historic aircraft and veteran vehicles in six hangars, plus the nine-acre Regency Swiss Garden in Old Warden Park.
Standard tickets allow return visits for 30 days
- Audley End House and Gardens🏛️ Historic site · Saffron Walden · about 14 mi, 30 min drive
A great country house with a recreated 1880s service wing, stables with resident horses and Capability Brown parkland.
Daily 10am to 5pm, last entry 4pm (as listed October 2026)
20% off tickets bought on site when you arrive by bus, train or bike
Where to stop: farms, food and stays
- Halsey's Deli & EateryCafé or coffee shop · Hitchin
A deli in a Tudor building on Hitchin's Market Place, trading since 1854, for breakfast before the fields.
- Church Farm ArdeleyU-pick farm · Ardeley
A not-for-profit working farm with a farm trail, butchery shop and cafe, open every day of the year.
- Pearce's Farmshop & CafeFarm stand · Buntingford
A family farm shop and meadow-view cafe on the A10, growing strawberries since 1978.
- Six Hills BrewingBrewery or taproom (21+) · Stevenage
An Old Town Stevenage taproom pouring its own beers seven days a week.
A one-day plan
- 9:30 AMHalsey's Deli & Eatery
Breakfast on Hitchin's Market Place; about 45 minutes.
- 10:30 AMHitchin Lavender · about 10 min drive
About 10 minutes north to Ickleford. Walk the lavender rows in June to August; about 90 minutes.
- 12:25 PMChurch Farm Ardeley · about 25 min drive
About 25 minutes east. Lunch at the farm cafe and a walk on the farm trail; about 75 minutes (book a day pass online if you want the farm trail).
- 2:00 PMMentley Farm Lavender · about 15 min drive
About 15 minutes south to Great Munden. Pick your own lavender on a Friday or Saturday (open until 4pm); about an hour.
- 3:20 PMHenry Moore Studios & Gardens · about 20 min drive
About 20 minutes southeast. Walk the sculpture fields until the 5pm close; studios close at 4pm, so see those first.
- 5:45 PMSix Hills Brewing · about 35 min drive
About 35 minutes west to Stevenage Old Town for the taproom; plan a designated driver.
Tips
- Mentley Farm Lavender is only open Fridays and Saturdays, 11am to 4pm, in June to August, so plan the day around those days.
- Finchingfield Lavender sells a limited number of tickets each day, does not allow dogs or outside picnics, and takes afternoon tea box orders up to 48 hours ahead.
- Henry Moore Studios & Gardens allows only assistance dogs, and Wimpole allows dogs in the parkland but not in the hall, gardens or farm.
- Hitchin has direct trains from London and Cambridge, so the town and Hitchin Lavender work as a car-free trip.
- Book Hitchin Lavender's October pumpkin patch ahead; the farm says tickets sell fast.
Checked in October 2026 against official park, tourism and business websites. How we check listings
Questions
When can I see lavender near Hitchin?
Hitchin Lavender opens each June through August, and Mentley Farm's field opens Fridays and Saturdays in June, July and August.
Can I pick my own lavender?
Yes, at Mentley Farm and at Finchingfield Lavender, which supplies scissors, a bag and a bucket. Hitchin Lavender has also offered pick-your-own.
Is Cambridgeshire Lavender open?
Not in 2026. The farm says its field will reopen in June 2027.
Can I bring a dog to the lavender farms?
Mentley Farm welcomes dogs. Finchingfield Lavender does not allow dogs because it is a no-dog campsite with poultry.
What is there to do in October?
Hitchin Lavender runs a pumpkin patch from October 17 to 31, 2026, and Knebworth opens its gardens and dinosaur trail daily from October 24 to 30, 2026.
🪪 Collect a stamp at every stop
The free Lavender Passport keeps a stamp for each farm and stop you visit, in real life and in the Lavender Farm Simulator. At the farm, play Field Quest to collect plant varieties as you walk, climb the leaderboards and unlock sponsor rewards.
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