If you’ve followed Adventures of a Hampshire Family for a while, you’ll know that visiting a sunflower field has become one of our favourite family traditions. We’ve been doing it ever since Mason was tiny, and every summer we make sure we visit one.
Usually, we head back to the same sunflower field year after year, but this summer we thought we’d try somewhere different. Last night we were invited to experience one of Somerley Field's Saturday Sundowner evenings, and honestly, I’m so pleased we did.
First Impressions
The thing that struck me as soon as we arrived at Somerley Fields was that this place has heart and personality.
The owners clearly love what they’ve created here, and rightly so. Whilst it may not be the biggest sunflower field you’ll ever visit, if I’m honest, that’s exactly what I loved about it.
From the moment you walk in, you don’t feel like you’re constantly being sold to. Instead, you’re greeted with a warm welcome and a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere. It’s hard to explain, but it just feels… genuine.
Let’s be honest, as parents during the summer holidays, we all need somewhere that allows us to slow down for a few hours, and that’s exactly what Somerley Fields offers.
So Much More Than Just a Sunflower Field
Yes, the sunflower fields are stunning (I’ll come to those in a minute!), but there’s so much more to enjoy.
We visited during one of their Saturday Sundowner evenings, which run on selected Saturday evenings throughout the sunflower season. The event runs from 5.30pm until 8.30pm and includes live music, delicious street food, access to the licensed bar and, of course, plenty of time to wander through the sunflower fields during golden hour. It really is such a lovely way to spend a summer evening. (Somerley Fields)
For families with younger children, there’s plenty to keep them entertained too.
There’s a tractor barrel ride, a bouncy castle, a pirate themed sandpit and play shop, plus a target game, which my big kid absolutely loved!
One thing I really appreciated was that these activities are all tucked away in their own separate area. It means families can enjoy them if they want to, but if you’re visiting without children or simply fancy a peaceful wander, you don’t have to walk through the play area.
Getting Lost in the Maize Maze
Next, we headed into the Maize Maze, and we all had so much fun getting completely lost!
We’ve visited other sunflower attractions where the maze is an optional extra and costs more, so it was lovely to see that entry to the maze is included within your admission ticket at Somerley Fields.
It’s another activity that makes your visit feel like really good value for money.
The Main Event – The Sunflower Fields
Now onto the main event…
The sunflower fields themselves are absolutely beautiful.
As you’d expect, there are plenty of gorgeous photo opportunities dotted throughout the fields. My personal favourite was the stunning hand painted vintage piano, which looked incredible surrounded by the sunflowers.
There was also a beautiful wooden swing, a hay bale sofa complete with sunflower cushions, a giant picture frame, a giant deckchair and, of course, a tractor just to name a few!
It was so lovely wandering through the flowers on a warm summer evening, taking photographs as the sun started to set. Because we were visiting during a Sundowner event, we could also hear the live band playing from the main area, which created such a lovely atmosphere as we explored.
Picking Our Own Sunflowers
Just like the daytime sessions, every admission ticket includes three Pick Your Own sunflower stems.
What I really loved was that you can pick your flowers from anywhere in the field (using a bit of common sense, of course!).
That’s actually quite unusual. At other sunflower fields we’ve visited, you’re normally directed to a separate picking field, which by this point in the season can often look a little tired.
The sunflowers we chose at Somerley Fields were absolutely beautiful.
Normally, our sunflowers barely survive the journey home, let alone last more than a day or two!
The ones we picked yesterday are currently sitting proudly on my dining table looking absolutely gorgeous, and every time I walk past them they make me smile. That really is a first!
You also have the option to pick your own wildflowers for an additional £4, and if I’m honest, I wish we’d done it! We decided not to because of our previous experiences with cut sunflowers, but now I know how fresh these are, I definitely would next time.
Snippers are available to hire for £2, which we thought was well worth it.
Food, Drinks & Live Music
After we’d finished exploring the sunflower fields, we grabbed a drink from the beautifully converted horsebox bar.
The bar serves a great selection of alcoholic and soft drinks, making it the perfect place to relax while enjoying the live music. Prices were really reasonable too, which was lovely to see.
We found ourselves a seat and spent the rest of the evening listening to the band as the sun slowly disappeared behind the fields. It was proper sing along music that everyone knew, creating such a fantastic atmosphere.
For dinner we chose the loaded fries from Fat Jack’s Shack.
If you visit, trust me… order them!
They were absolutely delicious and the perfect way to end a lovely evening.
Is Somerley Fields Worth Visiting?
Absolutely! Somerley Fields isn’t just another sunflower field.
It has its own personality.
It’s warm, welcoming and beautifully thought out without ever feeling overly commercial. Everything has been created with families and visitors in mind, and that shines through in every part of the experience.
We genuinely had such a lovely evening and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a family day out in West Sussex, a sunflower field near Hampshire, or even a relaxed summer date night.
It’s somewhere we’ll definitely be returning to.
Ticket Prices & Other Events at Somerley Fields
At the time of writing:
- Daytime Pick Your Own Sunflower Sessions start from £6 per adult, with under 5s visiting free. Admission includes entry to the sunflower fields, three sunflower stems, the Maize Maze, play area and photo props.
- Saturday Sundowners are £10 per person, including three sunflower stems, live music, access to the bar and food vendors, and entry from 5.30pm until 8.30pm.
Alongside the daytime sessions and Sundowners, Somerley Fields also hosts a fantastic programme of seasonal events including Friday Night Specials, wine and cheese evenings, Paint & Sip nights, wellness sessions, yoga experiences and wildflower picking, making every visit a little different.
Thank you to Somerley Fields for inviting us along. As always, all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.
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