Last Updated on 6 August 2026 by Colette
The sunflower trail at Dunham Massey Ice Cream Farm opened for the 2026 season on Monday 21st July and will run until early September depending on how the sunflowers fair. Because the trail is a seasonal event and runs for a limited time each summer, it’s worth planning in your visit sooner rather than later – we missed it last year so I was really keen to visit as soon as it opened this time!
I would suggest the Sunflower Trail at Dunham Massey Ice Cream Farm is probably best suited to younger families but as a self-confessed cow enthusiast, Amy was very happy with the idea of a nice walk, a cow or two and some ice cream!
What is the Sunflower Trail at Dunham Massey Ice Cream Farm?
The Sunflower Trail and Maize Maze are part of a seasonal offering at Dunham Massey Ice Cream Farm (they also do a pumpkin trail in October). The Sunflower Trail and Maize Maze are two separate fields but your entry price covers both of these and to complete the highland cow themed scavenger hunt, you’ll need to explore both fields.
We arrived on site shortly after opening so were some of the first people to enter the Sunflower Trail. This mean that we enjoyed a really lovely relaxed atmosphere – we had plenty of space to take photos without getting in anyone’s way and didn’t have to hang back when we spotted any of the picture boards for the scavenger hunt. I do think it might be a bit less enjoyable on a busy weekend but I’ve always been a fan of getting up and out when we’re going on an adventure!
Amy and I spent about an hour wandering through the fields, covering just over a mile as we dawdled along taking photographs, hunting out the picture boards to mark off on her scavenger hunt sheet (which you are handily given stickers for so no need to worry about taking a pen!) and just generally enjoying a nice morning outside together.
It’s worth noting that because the trails are in open fields, there is limited shade however there’s a number of picnic tables near the entrance which do have umbrellas for cover.
I’m not typically a fan of a maze – I get claustrophobic and panic that I won’t be able to get out – but the sunflowers are at a height where you can easily see over them and the maize, whilst higher, didn’t really stress me out – this isn’t a complicated maze that you’re going to get lost in!
Ticket Prices
Entrance to the Dunham Massey Ice Cream Farm Sunflower Trail and Maize Maze is priced at £4.50 for adults and £3.50 for children – this is paid at the entrance by card or cash. No booking is required. Parking onsite is free of charge – there is a car park right outside the Dunham Massey Ice Cream Farm shop itself and then an overflow car park (I don’t know how big this is as we were able to park in the main car park when we visited).
Tips for Visiting
- Visit early in the morning or later in the afternoon for the best light and fewer crowds – we were there shortly after opening and were one of the first cars in the car park, by the time we left the first car park was full (don’t worry – there is an over flow car park).
- The Dunham Massey Ice Cream Farm is not part of the National Trust, this venue is completely separate to National Trust Dunham Massey and is situated in Dunham Massey Village.
- Check the Dunham Massey Ice Cream Farm social media pages (facebook / instagram) before travelling to make sure the flowers are at their best.
- The sunflowers are facing the sun – which means at first you will feel like you’re just looking at the back of them, different routes around the trail will give you a better view!
- Wear comfortable shoes – the paths are uneven (it is a field after all). Due to the recent dry weather, they are currently very dry and dusty but would obviously become muddy after wet weather.
- Bring water and suncream on hot days as there is little shade.
- There’s plenty of covered picnic tables if you want to take a picnic or the café has indoor seating for food purchased on site.
- Don’t pick the flowers, walk between planted rows or climb on the hay bails.
- If you’re hoping for photographs, avoid peak times on weekends or the middle of the day.
- The sunflower field is full of bees – who frankly are more interested in the sunflowers than you but it’s probably worth forewarning little ones if they are nervous
- It’s definitely worth getting an ice cream from the shop when you’re done – however if you’re trying to keep the spend down, it’s easy to avoid – you don’t have to exit via the shop or anything like that! (I spent more on two ice creams than I had on entrance to the field itself but they were delicous!)
FAQs
- When is the Dunham Massey sunflower trail open? The trail typically runs throughout August – this year the trail opened on 21st July 2026 and will run into early September if the flowers allow. The trail opens at 10am each morning and closes at 5pm each evening.
- Do you need to book? No booking is necessary, just turn up and pay at the booth at the start of the trail.
- Is it suitable for pushchairs? Yes, the paths are fairly uneven but perfectly navigable with a pushchair (though I antiippcate they could get quite muddy if the weather turns which would obviously make it harder.)
- Are dogs allowed? Dogs are welcome in the cafe and ice cream parlour (they even sell doggie ice cream!) as well as on the sunflower trail.
- How long does the trail take? This is a bit of a how long is a piece of string job – we spent about an hour wandering through the trails and taking photos – this was long enough for us to complete the scavenger hunt and take some photos.
- Is there parking? Yes, parking onsite is free of charge.
- Can you take photos? Yes, you’re encouraged to take photos and share these on social media – there’s plenty of photo opportunities including scarecrows, highland cow hay bales and of course the sunflowers themselves.
- Are there toilets nearby? I would assume there are toilets in the cafe but we didn’t use them.
- When is the best time to see the sunflowers? We visited towards the last week of July when there were plenty of flowers in bloom but also plenty more to come – the trail will only remain open whilst there are flowers to see!
The Sunflower Trail at Dunham Massey Ice Cream is a cute and relatively inexpensive adventure – we had a lovely morning! If there’s anything you want to know that I’ve not covered, just drop me a message below and I’ll try to answer.
Have a read of these articles next:
Free or cheap things to do in Manchester this summer
Where to get the best ice cream in Manchester
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