Lose yourself in Exbury’s giant puzzle
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Would-be explorers can test their skills at Exbury’s 2008 Maize Maze which is laid out in the shape of a Mayan temple.
Vicky Scott, who has managed the giant ground puzzle at Exbury since its inception in 2006, has designed this year’s maze, which covers a six acre field  offering families hours of fun as they test their skills and complete the quiz trail in the winding pathways leading to the centre, where a golden temple is hidden.Hundreds of thousand of maize plants are sown in mid-spring and, when they are growing strongly the pattern is marked out in a peg and string grid. Volunteers, led by Vicky, spend days in June pulling out plants to reveal the pathways that make up the giant puzzle.
Vicky, who designed the maze initially on her computer, admitted the task was a tricky one.
“I made lots of changes along the way – I tried to resist the temptation to overcomplicate the design as we want our visitors to enjoy an hour or two in the maze but not to find it so hard that they get lost in there for ever,” she said.
There are also courtyard games and a special mini-maze for younger children.
The maze will also play host to Exbury’s fifth annual Scarecrow Festival over the August Bank Holiday weekend. This actively supports local charities and volunteer groups. Visitors to the maze can vote for the best scarecrow.
Exbury’s Maize Maze opens on Thursday July 24, closing six weeks later on 2 September. It is situated in a large field across the road from the Exbury Gardens car park and steam railway.
A joint admission ticket to the Maze and the Gardens is available
For more information please log on to www.exburymaizemaze.co.uk
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