maize maze & pick your own sunflowers
Puzzle Maize Maze
Spread over 5 acres our puzzle maize maze has obstacles, challenges, lots of paths and of course loads of fun to be had! Answer the puzzles correctly for the easiest route but answer wrong and you may end up going for a long walk! A few red herrings to keep you guessing as well as an element of chance to mess up all the best laid plans!
How It Works:
The puzzle maize maze has a few options for getting through. There is a Munchkin Maze with simpler questions, some fun obstacles, and a few cheeky red herrings to keep you on your toes, aimed at the younger participants or for those who are truly lost and want to get out!
The Maze route has the easy direct route but unfortunately also has a few areas that are not so easy, direct nor quick! Don’t worry as there is a quick escape route if needed but we invite you to work your way through as a team or compete amongst your group to see who can get to the end first and claim the #No1mazeist
£5.50 per person or £20 for 4 (2 and under free.)


PYO Sunflowers
9 varieties of sunflower all growing together with various shades, hues and sizes for you to choose and pick. Single stem, tall traditional yellows to multi stem small oranges and auburns. Come and take a walk through our acres of sunflowers or join us for a yoga session, a cheeky Cheese & Wine evening or have a coffee, a sit down and some 'you time' with nature!
You pay for what you pick or £5 for a bunch of 6
POP UP Escape Room - Age 13+
All aboard me hearties and join our band of buccaneers lead by the, not so talented sailor, Captain Billy Bones, who managed to beach his ship far from the crashing waves into our Maze! Cap’n Billy did though have one talent and that was for finding treasure which he hid aboard his ship The Lucky Clover.
Find the treasure to escape the ship but watch out for the crew who are looking to lock you in the brig and keep the secrets of their shameful and doomed voyage to themselves.


POP UP Escape Room - Juniors
Sweet Designer Required
The New Forest Sweet Company has an opening for a sweet designer based at our Fordingbridge Maize Maze. This highly prestigious role requires a person of great taste and ingenuity to get through our quizzical but highly intriguing interview process.
Interactive interviews will be held in the Maize Maze. Please book to arrange your interview time.
How It Works
This pop up escape room has clues to find, activities and challenges to resolve and codes to unravel. Successful applicants for the role will only be considered if they manage to escape within 30 minutes of entry!
NO parents required, aimed at 8 years to 13 years old and has a 20 to 30 minute average solve time! This is great as a group of 4 to 6.
Art on the Farm
Graffiti Area
Our first year of “Art on the Farm” allows us to bring the very urban world of graffiti to a field near you. Create your tag, your graffiti signature or move onto a throwie, your tag design infilled with colour. For the truly ambitious design a piece, a picture painted with “cannons” (spray cans)! There is so much to learn about this most ancient yet still modern art form.
How It Works:
Express yourself and become a graffitist and add your amazing style and sense of colour to our event.
Step 1- Design your tag, throw-up or piece in the design tent
Step 2- Get covered up, if you want to
Step 3- Choose your canvas and colours – a car, a caravan, a simple fence, or an old bale
Step 4- Get spraying and enjoy!
Step 5- Take the photo and share with us at #pickingpatch


Arts & Crafts
Crafty art is going freestyle at the patch this year with a chance for you to make, create and take while developing your own style. Classical sunflower portraits are par for the course but perhaps go a little avant garde with the bug house frame or a bit BOHO with the bubble wands. Design what you want, how you want it.
How It Works
Have a chat with our Head Crafter and select your project - sunflower vase, egg box flowers, handmade postcard or decorate your bubble wands. Choose your medium - paints, colouring pens, ribbons, stickers or whatever else you can see. Get crafting!
Short on ribbon? decide to alter your style mid project? Then come back for more!
At only £5 for your craft and materials, get crafting!
Games Area
Enter the games and pit yourself against your friends in this most challenging of sporting arena’s. How far can you wang a welly? A spot of camel polo anyone? Are you a potential racing champion, of the duck kind, of course? The munchkin games are no less competitive but will suit our younger “athletes.”
Collect your scorecard from the ticket booth and see what records you and your team can set!


Picnic Pods
Pilates
Pilates at Picking Patch, join our instructors in the sunflowers for a class that is truly different. Breath and stretch in the great outdoors in a sea of yellow. Classes will be multi ability and led by fully qualified instructors.
Flow & Glow with Claire
Clare is a qualified Level 3 Pilates instructor offering group classes in the sunflower fields, with carefully prepared exercises to stretch you to your personal limit. These mixed ability classes are taught with a level of extraordinary care to all and also humour.
Claire is doing a special Pimp Your Prosecco & Pilates night on Saturday 12th Aug.
For more information on Claire see - https://www.flowandglowpilates.co.uk/
Sunflower Classics with Sandie
Sandie holds Level 4 certificate in Classical Pilates. Sandie creates an amazing connection with you that allows for surprising shapes and moves that you may not have thought possible! These mixed ability classes will stretch, strengthen, and mobilise leaving you refreshed, a little tired, but invigorated!


Yoga
Meditative Katie
Katie’s favourite style to teach is Yin Yoga, which is a practice that focuses on stillness, release, and deep stretching. There is a meditative and calming ethos behind how Katie teaches, which she hopes will be enhanced by the natural location!
Katie will be doing a Cacao Ceremony & Yoga special on Thursday 24th Aug. To quote Katie “this supercharged hot chocolate nourishes mind, body and soul” and it seems a perfect way to start yoga to us! Book Here
Please visit Katie's Website for more information- https://www.katiehailey.com
Sun Salutations with Christina
Christina, our American Yogi in Ringwood, offers a flowing session blended with plenty of variety of movements. She offers kind support and encouragement to those just starting as well as a challenge to those in the know! You haven’t lived until you have saluted the sun with Christina, an experience not to be missed!
Please visit Christina’s Website for more information- https://www.activeyoga.co.uk/
Insta Moments


Tasting Events
Wine and Cheese tastings in a picturesque setting of sunflower fields is a truly exclusive evening event this summer. Wines of the world, paired with a selection of local cheeses presented by our good friends from local businesses New Forest Wines and Crow Farm Shop.
Opening Dates & Times:
Dates
Time Slots
PYO Sunflowers
Prices
£5 for 6 sunflowers or £1 each.
The Maize that we planted to make the Maze is not good for people to eat.
A Day Out To Remember
Facilities
Plenty of free parking, lots of space to run around, stroll and play. We have portaloo toilets, disabled toilets.
There will also be food, drinks and snacks onsite.
Please note we do not allow dogs on site except registered guide dogs.
What to bring
All-weather clothes, wellies, umbrellas, sunscreen, sunhat.
Secateurs and gloves for picking and a big bag to take home your sunflowers.
Map & Address
We're located on the A338 between Ringwood and Downton on the edge of the New Forest
Bickton Manor Farm
Fordingbridge
Hampshire
SP6 2HA
What3Words
Car - SP6 2HA
Bus - X3 bus stops right outside!
Click here to check the X3 Bus timetable
Phone - 01425 460679