Hitchin Lavender

A 30-acre u-pick lavender farm at Cadwell Farm a few miles north-west of Hitchin (on the A505 toward Letchworth). Long rows of lavender stretch across the hill in deep purple bands from late June through mid-August, with views back over the town; visitors are handed a paper bag and a pair of scissors at the gate and walk through cutting their own bunch.

The same site also has a sunflower field that flowers from late July, a small farm shop selling lavender soaps and oils, and tractor rides at weekends. Admission charged; allow 90 minutes. Closed outside the lavender season.

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A story
Hitchin was an English lavender capital from the late 18th century onwards — the firm of Perks & Llewellyn distilled lavender oil here from local fields until the 1960s. Cadwell Farm's revival of the trade in the 2000s, with a u-pick field open to visitors, rebuilt the connection between the town and the plant after a forty-year gap.

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