August has arrived, late summer beckons and here in Northern Ireland the sunflowers are in bloom. I’ve always wanted to visit a sunflower field. And at the weekend I finally managed to tick that off my bucket list. So in this post I thought I’d share some photographs from a visit to see the sunflowers at Hillstown Farm.
Hillstown Farm
The farm is located in the village of Hillstown in County Antrim. It’s approximately a 40 minute drive or so from Belfast and lies just a few miles beyond the town of Randalstown. It’s home to not only a farm, but also a well stocked farm shop and adjacent cafe. The cafe is spacious and serves a good range of meals and sweet treats. There’s ample parking on site too.
The sunflower field
After parking, making a few purchases at the farm shop and saying hello to the chickens, off we set for a wander around the sunflower field. The weather conditions were perfect. It was dry underfoot with just a slight breeze. And that elusive sun even made an appearance from behind the clouds. There were sunflowers as far as the eye could see and the field was gently buzzing with the sound of bees and other pollinators.
A pathway had been made to allow you to walk round easily and round every turn the view of sunflowers greeted you. In the distance, you could see Slemish Mountain, the legendary first known Irish home of Saint Patrick. The mountain rises about 1500 feet above the surrounding plain. And it’s actually the central core of an extinct volcano *
Sunflowers at Hillstown Farm
The view across to Slemish Mountain
Pick your own sunflowers
As you wander round, and for a small donation, you can pick your own sunflowers to take home with you. All donations are in aid of the Air Ambulance NI, a very worthwhile cause. Needless to say, I came home with a bunch !
A lovely day out
All in all, we had a lovely morning enjoying the sunflowers at Hillstown Farm. It was the perfect way to spend a Saturday morning. Sunflowers seem to put people in a good mood and everyone seemed to be smiling on their walk through the field. We finished off our visit with breakfast in the cafe and a good strong cup of tea – just how I like it ! Then it was home and time to stake and secure some of my garden flowers before Storm Floris arrives tomorrow.
Thanks for stopping by,
Paula
Useful Links
You can find out more about Hillstown Farm here
A Patch of Sunshine: Sunflowers, Nasturtiums, and Dill in Bloom
* source Discover Northern Ireland – Slemish Mountain – Broughshane – Discover Northern Ireland
Looks like a fun way to spend an afternoon! Beautiful views!
Oh, it was just lovely. Sunflowers are just so cheerful 🌻
It seems to be that time of year when flower fields are opening. I have been to a sunflower field in the Lake District before. Hilltown farm looks particularly lovely with the volcano hill in the distance. X
Yes, there are a few that have opened here in recent years which is nice. Hope you are keeping well x
Thank you I am. Expecting the storm here tomorrow so hopefully it wont be too bad. X
Yes, fingers crossed 🤞