There's nothing quite like a sea of golden sunflowers to brighten your mood - and August is the month when they come into full yellow bloom. Among the sunflower meadows you can now visit across Greater Manchester is one where you can even eat sunflower ice creams as well.
At Dunham Massey Ice Cream Farm they've just opened their sunflower meadow for the summer, with a special family-friendly trail too. There's around 6.000 of the yellow flowers to walk through and admire, and naturally it's a popular spot to get lots of special photos along the way.
The farm is owned and run by Richard Pennington and his family at Dunham Massey in Altrincham. They only started planting the sunflower field last year, and it proved so popular they've created an even bigger one for this year.
Read more : The idyllic Cheshire ice cream farm with wild flower trail
Richard said "We did it last year for the first time and it did really well. This year we have incorporated the wild flowers in among the whole of the sunflower trail as well.
"There's lots of colour to see and lots of activities. For the kids we've put a trail in too, they are given a factsheet and they can come and find all the animals along the way."
The field was sown earlier this year, and Richard has been planting seeds by hand to make sure there's an even spread of blooms across the whole patch which is next to the farm buildings on the site. In the former cattle shed there is now the popular ice cream parlour, where you can get a whole host of flavours - including the sunflower special.
Richard said: "We've got toasted sunflower seeds which are in the sunflower ice cream and it's been really popular this year."
There's a whole raft of flavours to choose from - including marshmallow, chocolate buttons, apple pie and Caramac. Prices start at £2.50 for a small tub and from £3 for cones.
The ice cream parlous was opened up by the Pennington family just before lockdown hit. Richard said they, like many businesses, were worried about the impact of lockdown but once they were able to open as a takeaway they saw a surge in demand.
The site is popular for visitors, opening daily from 12noon on Station Road in Dunham Massey. Entrance to the sunflower meadow is £3 for adults and £2 for children, with the trail taking around half an hour to complete.
The farm is on the Dunham Massey National Trust Estate like many of the properties around the historic villages here. But Richard points out that it's not on the actual NT deer park and mansion site, as some people get confused as to where they are based.
The field was seeded at different times so that the field will have fresh blooms coming through right to the end of August, Richard hopes. Then as the seasons change, the farm will look to the next big hit with families - its pumpkin field.
The farm is well known for the annual pumpkin picking event, which is set to start from early October. They don't take bookings, so you just turn up and wait your turn.
Dunham Massey Ice Cream Farm, 34 Station Rd, Dunham Massey, Altrincham WA14 5SG. The sunflower meadow and ice cream parlour opens daily from 12noon to 6pm.
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