It seems everybody whos anybody has been flocking to Lavender fields this summer! With many of us understandably wanting to spend more time in the great outdoors Lavender fields have become the perfect place to spend a sunny afternoon, and get some cracking photos for the gram while we're at it!
Last week I too bit the bullet and visited Cotswold Lavender - a beautiful field full of various species of the sought after purple plant. The fields are located just outside Broadway which is a very pretty chocolate box village and another perfect location for anyone hoping to fill their feed with cottage core content.
Visiting Cotswold Lavender
Hill Barn Farm, Snowshill, Broadway, Worcestershire, WR12 7JY
Entrance Fees: £4 for Adults, £2 for Children under 15 years, Free for Children under 5
Opening times : 10am - 5pm daily
Cotswold Lavender is currently open until 26th July
More information on visiting the Cotswold Lavender fields can be found on their website.
On entering the Cotswold Lavender fields I was greeted with the most beautiful view of sprawling lilac fields as far as the eye can see (or at least as far as I could see, the eyes aren't quite what they used to be!) and a smaller patch of a wonderful yellow crop. Walking through the field I spied several types of lavender at various growth cycles. Each variation of the Lavender was beautifully kept in its own row, with several rows being quite spaced out to make the fields accessible for all, I assume.
Whilst it's very easy to social distance in the Lavender Fields they do get incredibly busy and even just minutes after opening the fields were filled with people (and their dogs) hoping to get the perfect shot. It is possible to take photographs without other guests in the background however, you likely won't achieve the same people free photos you see on Instagram without some editing - so I'd just recommend enjoying being there and worry about priming your photos when you return.
I'll admit I started my day a little upset that it was so tricky to take a snap without a stranger wandering around in the background, but I didn't let it ruin my day. Soon enough I found myself enjoying prancing about in a field of beautiful crops (maybe Theresa May was onto something?) and breathing in the fresh country air which came with a hint of sweet Lavender goodness. For an hour or so I found myself remembering what my life was life before the pandemic and I was just happy to be out of the house and exploring again.
If nothing else I left the fields with a clear mind, a lifted mood, and just a pinch of sunburn, the photos I came home with were just a bonus (although can we all agree they are banging after I spent hours editing rouge children out of them!).
Other UK Lavender fields you can visit right now...
Somerset Lavender
Horsepond Farm, Faulkland, Somerset, BA3 5WA
Entrance Fee: a donation
Opening times: Wednesday - Sunday 10am - 5pm
You can find more information on visiting Somerset Lavender fields on their website.
Mayfield Lavender Farm
1 Carshalton Road, Banstead, SM8 3JA
Entrance Fees: £4 for Adults, free for Children under 16.
Opening times: 9am - 6pm daily
You can find more information on visiting Somerset Lavender fields on their website.
Hitchin Lavender
Cadwell Farm, Ickleford, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 3UA
Entrance Fees: £6-£7 for Adults and Children, £4 for Disabled people, free for under 5's, family tickets available.
Opening times: 9am - 8pm daily
You can find more information on visiting Somerset Lavender fields on their website.
Castle Farm Lavender
Castle Farm, Redmans Lane, Shoreham, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN14 7UB
Entrance Fees: £4.25 for adults, £2.75 for Children, free for under 5's.
Opening times: Wednesday - Sunday and Bank Holidays 10am - 5pm
You can find more information on visiting Somerset Lavender fields on their website.
Lavender Fields Hampshire
Hartley Park Farm, Selborne Road, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 3HP
Entrance Fees: £3 for Adults, £1 for Children
Opening times: 10am - 4pm daily
You can find more information on visiting Somerset Lavender fields on their website.
So if you've not managed to visit a Lavender field just yet and you'd like to, hurry up because the season is drawing to a close. You don't want to have to wait another year to live your best Lavender filled life do you?
Have you been to a Lavender field yet this summer?
Thanks for reading!
x
If you liked this post don't forget to click here to follow me on Bloglovin!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for more content?
Here are some popular posts below!
* The items in this haul were gifted in exchange for an Instagram post
Believe it or not, Summer has arrived in the UK, and when the seasons change the skincare products I use will sometimes change too. When I was asked to pick out some skincare goodies from the Body Shop I jumped at the chance and ordered myself a few summer-specific treats, and a few everyday essentials.
So here are the skincare products I chose from the Body Shop...
Tea Tree 3 in 1 Wash, Scrub, and Mask £8.50 - This multipurpose skincare product can be used as a wash, a scrub, and a facemask. Whilst I've only used it as a wash and scrub so far, it's already a product I've fallen in love with. The exfoliating beads leave my skin feeling super smooth and my face always feels thoroughly clean after using this 3 in 1 wash.
Pink Grapefruit Hand Cream £5.00 - I love anything grapefruit scented, but to me, grapefruit is a summery smell so I try to reserve anything like this for the warmer months. This cream smells unreal and isn't as oily as similar hand creams which is great as it sinks straight into my skin.
Vitamin E Moisture Sleeping Mask £11.00 - This sleeping mask claims to ''restore and protect the skins optimum moisture level'' and so far its been doing a pretty good job. I whack the mask on a few times a week and I do feel that my skin is rejuvenated overnight. Occasionally my skin can get a little greasy if I overuse this product, so I just reduce my use if that happens.
Vitamin C Glow-Protect Lotion with SPF 30 £15.00 - Glow protect you say? Count me in! I've been using this lotion most days since it was delivered and I can wholeheartedly say that not only does this product smell amazing, but it also leaves my skin feeling smooth, protected, and glowing! Throughout the summer months, I always try to use an SPF moisturiser as I want to protect my skin but I don't want to lather my face in suncream as it usually clogs my pores, so this is perfect.
Tea Tree Targeted Gel £7.50 - I don't get breakouts a lot but when I do it's usually in the form of one giant spot, so I always have some form of spot zapping product to hand. It's hard to judge this product as I've only tried it a few times but so far I don't think it's the best spot targeting product I've ever used. That being said it does do what it promises so had I not used other products in the past I'd probably be super happy with it.
Shea Body Butter £6.00 - I haven't had a chance to use this yet as I've got about 400 other body lotions on the go, however, I'm sure it will come in handy after a couple of long days in the summer sun!
So those were the skincare products I picked up to see me through the summer months!
Do you have a favourite summer skincare products?
Thanks for reading!
x
If you liked this post don't forget to click here to follow me on Bloglovin!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for more posts about beauty products?
Here are some popular posts below!
Saturday 27th June, I woke up around 4 am freezing cold and covered in sweat. Accompanying this new body temperature was the worst headache I've probably ever had in my life. It started in my temples, ran throughout my skull, and even down my neck. It's got me I thought, it's finally got me. Convinced I was now a victim of the dreaded Covid19 I wrapped myself up tight and tried to get back to sleep despite the pounding in my head.
The next morning my condition hadn't much improved. Although I was no longer drenched in my own sweat, a headache was still very much present, and on leaving my bed I discovered a new symptom - breathlessness. Panic set in as I started to realise how many objects and surfaces in my house I would have previously touched with my infected hands. Now protecting my parents was my main concern. Terrified I warned them against coming near me.
For the rest of the day, I kept myself locked in my room feeling like death and only leaving to go to the kitchen or the bathroom, making sure I thoroughly cleaned anything I touched. I ordered a coronavirus testing kit that afternoon and hoped it would come quickly.
Ordering the Covid19 testing kit was easy. On the government website, you are given the option to order a home testing kit or book a slot at a designated test site. Although going to a site to be tested would have been the quicker option, it would have meant spending time in the car with one of my parents which I wasn't prepared to do - after all, being so cautious over the last few months was purely to protect them and I wasn't going to throw that away by potentially infecting them myself!
The test was finally delivered on Monday night, too late to take that day and so I was to have another night worrying that I had contracted Coronavirus. The next afternoon, following the instructions more carefully than any other similar test I'd taken in the past, I completed the Covid19 test.
The test itself wasn't as bad as I was made to believe. In the days running up to my coronavirus test arriving I'd been warned by several people that it was horrible as you have to stick the swab so far up your nose it hurts. Whilst you do have to insert the testing swab into your nose quite far, and I'll admit it wasn't comfortable, it didn't hurt. For me, the worst part was swabbing my tonsils which set off my gag reflex instantly. The test was uncomfortable, but not unbearable.
Just a day later I had my coronavirus test results back by text message. Considering the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic (or lack of) I was extremely surprised to have my covid19 test results back just 24 hours after they had been put in the post.
The results were negative.
I'll admit I was slightly disappointed by this. I'd hoped that it would be confirmed that I had a mild case of the virus, and because of that, my parents had likely gained antibodies. Whilst I didn't want to be ill, I just wanted to know that my parents might have built up some kind of resistance to the coronavirus that is striking down people left right and centre. But I didn't have it, and as far as we are aware, none of us has antibodies.
In the days since my coronavirus test came back negative, I continue to feel not quite right. A sore throat, breathlessness, and occasional headaches, these symptoms have never really gone away.
So what is causing all this? It could well be my ever-worsening anxiety.
I've known since the start of lockdown that anxiety can give you a sore throat, or enhance the feelings of a sore throat. It's also very common knowledge that anxiety can affect your breathing. So it's likely that my continued breathlessness is a side effect of the almost never-ending worry I've faced every day since coronavirus was found in the UK.
But what about my other symptoms? Google 'Can anxiety mimic coronavirus symptoms' and you're greeted with a few articles that agree it can. Even the cold sweat I experienced on the first night can be explained by assuming that I was having an extreme anxiety attack, which I haven't experienced in a good while now.
So whilst I imagine there is a small chance my coronavirus test was inaccurate (there is roughly a 70% chance coronavirus test results are wrong), it's most likely that the frightening presence of a deadly virus has triggered my anxiety to levels I haven't seen for a while. It's also likely that I have a common cold as I've also developed a sneeze. Fab.
Having these symptoms isn't fun, but at least I can now sleep somewhat soundly knowing that the reason behind them isn't going to kill myself or my parents. I thought I was riddled with Coronavirus, but I just have bad anxiety.
I'd love to know if any of you have had similar experiences? Has your anxiety been running wild these last few months?
The contents of a UK coronavirus test kit
For the rest of the day, I kept myself locked in my room feeling like death and only leaving to go to the kitchen or the bathroom, making sure I thoroughly cleaned anything I touched. I ordered a coronavirus testing kit that afternoon and hoped it would come quickly.
Ordering the Covid19 testing kit was easy. On the government website, you are given the option to order a home testing kit or book a slot at a designated test site. Although going to a site to be tested would have been the quicker option, it would have meant spending time in the car with one of my parents which I wasn't prepared to do - after all, being so cautious over the last few months was purely to protect them and I wasn't going to throw that away by potentially infecting them myself!
The test was finally delivered on Monday night, too late to take that day and so I was to have another night worrying that I had contracted Coronavirus. The next afternoon, following the instructions more carefully than any other similar test I'd taken in the past, I completed the Covid19 test.
The test itself wasn't as bad as I was made to believe. In the days running up to my coronavirus test arriving I'd been warned by several people that it was horrible as you have to stick the swab so far up your nose it hurts. Whilst you do have to insert the testing swab into your nose quite far, and I'll admit it wasn't comfortable, it didn't hurt. For me, the worst part was swabbing my tonsils which set off my gag reflex instantly. The test was uncomfortable, but not unbearable.
The swab I used to test if I had contracted Covid19
The results were negative.
I'll admit I was slightly disappointed by this. I'd hoped that it would be confirmed that I had a mild case of the virus, and because of that, my parents had likely gained antibodies. Whilst I didn't want to be ill, I just wanted to know that my parents might have built up some kind of resistance to the coronavirus that is striking down people left right and centre. But I didn't have it, and as far as we are aware, none of us has antibodies.
In the days since my coronavirus test came back negative, I continue to feel not quite right. A sore throat, breathlessness, and occasional headaches, these symptoms have never really gone away.
So what is causing all this? It could well be my ever-worsening anxiety.
I've known since the start of lockdown that anxiety can give you a sore throat, or enhance the feelings of a sore throat. It's also very common knowledge that anxiety can affect your breathing. So it's likely that my continued breathlessness is a side effect of the almost never-ending worry I've faced every day since coronavirus was found in the UK.
But what about my other symptoms? Google 'Can anxiety mimic coronavirus symptoms' and you're greeted with a few articles that agree it can. Even the cold sweat I experienced on the first night can be explained by assuming that I was having an extreme anxiety attack, which I haven't experienced in a good while now.
So whilst I imagine there is a small chance my coronavirus test was inaccurate (there is roughly a 70% chance coronavirus test results are wrong), it's most likely that the frightening presence of a deadly virus has triggered my anxiety to levels I haven't seen for a while. It's also likely that I have a common cold as I've also developed a sneeze. Fab.
My used coronavirus test kit wrapped up ready to be sent back to the lab
I'd love to know if any of you have had similar experiences? Has your anxiety been running wild these last few months?
Thanks for reading!
x
If you liked this post don't forget to click here to follow me on Bloglovin!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for more content?
Here some more posts relating to mental health.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
