A vast sea of yellow paints the Winchester countryside and is making for the perfect family-friendly outing. As the August bank holiday approaches, a farm just off the M3 has been attracting many visitors.

Silkstead Farm, run by husband and wife Kayleigh and Geoff Venn, started growing sunflowers last year in order to diversify harvest and replace the spring crops which weren’t bringing in a suitable return. The family has been farming Silkstead since 1995, previously harvesting cereals and lambing a flock of ewes.

This year, the fields opened to the public on Friday, August 16 after a late planting window following adverse weather and pests. “We planted them, they all came up as lovely little plants, and then two days later were completely eaten, the slugs and rabbits went mad on it!”, Kayleigh said. Despite the late opening, the sunflowers have attracted the crowds, with 900 people attending the farm for its opening weekend.

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Kayleigh’s fields are one of a handful in Hampshire – others including Sam’s Sunflowers at Stoke Fruit Farm, Hayling Island, and Durleighmarsh Farm Shop in Petersfield.

A maze winds through the 10-acre sunflower field leading to an aesthetic viewing tower. There are plenty of photo opportunities within the labyrinth, including a retro Ferguson tractor belonging to her children’s great, great grandfather.

Additionally, Kayleigh has set up a rubber duck hunt across the farm. After completing the maze and snapping some aesthetic photos, visitors can return to the picnic area to play a giant game of noughts and crosses and have a shot at throwing wellies.

Kayleigh has got several more fun activities lined up ahead of the bank holiday weekend, including: a unicorn pony ride, a circus act, and a bubble show. More than 20 local independent trade stands will be providing food and refreshments which can be purchased throughout the day.

“Everyone was saying how it feels really safe, because we’ve got our big picnic area and they just let their kids run around”, Kayleigh said, making it the perfect place for a family bank holiday outing. Dogs are also allowed providing they remain on a lead.

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But families aren’t the only thing Silkstead Farm will be attracting this bank holiday. The farm is a member of a countryside stewardship scheme committed to growing buffer strips and wildflower strips for an environmental benefit. The 10-acre sunflower field makes for a haven of important pollinators and insects: “We’ve actually got some hives on the farm, Hampshire honey have got some hives and they’re quite close to the sunflowers!” Kayleigh said.

The farm is open Friday to Monday. No closure date has been fixed.

Entrance to the Bank Holiday Sunflower Festival is £7 on the day, which includes a £1 donation to the Friends of PICU charity in Southampton. The ticket also enables visitors to pick and take home three sunflower heads. Tickets can be found on Silkstead Farm’s website.