London woman makes 10-hour round trip just to visit Cheshire's Hollies Farm Shop

A woman from London has taken a 10-hour round trip just to visit a popular garden centre in Cheshire, leaving social media users astounded.

The Hollies Farm Shop has emerged as a top destination for enthusiasts seeking their autumn and winter fix, owing to its beautiful decor and unique selection of products. The charming farm shop gained popularity in 2023 when influencer Molly Mae Hague posted a picture on Instagram during her visit, labelling it one of her favourite places.

Since then, the farm shop - located in Little Budworth, Cheshire - has earned the title of the "poshest" in the area, with relatively high prices throughout. Following Molly Mae's endorsement, the shop has seen queues stretching out the door for months as people throng to its cafe on weekends for a day out.

READ MORE: How Russian invasion of Ukraine is having shocking impact on crime in Cheshire

READ MORE: Crewe teenager missing as police 'becoming increasingly concerned'

The queues became so overwhelming that the farm shop had to temporarily shut down its takeaway cafe option in September, "for the well-being of our staff and customers", as cars clogged up roads trying to park. The Hollies is Cheshire's longest-standing farm shop, and one woman was so eager to visit that she confessed to making a 10-hour round trip from London to the popular location.

Claire Pattison, 24, was enchanting in her praise as she detailed her visit to the Hollies on TikTok, referring to it as "magical" and recounting how she and her "Christmas obsessed" friend couldn't wait to see the seasonal decorations that were unveiled over the weekend. The establishment's rise to prominence, affectionately termed the "Molly-Mae effect" by locals, has sparked a nationwide trend that sees droves of Brits make a beeline for the shop, reports the Mirror.

Capturing the festive splendour on camera, a TikTok video shows Claire marvelled at the yuletide decor as she toured the premises. Consequently, the farm shop has had to adapt to the surge in popularity by prolonging their operational hours, now serving food until 5pm and beverages up till 7pm to accommodate the increased customer flow.

However, not all social media users agree with the travel hype; comments poured in encouraging Claire to seek out a nearby garden centre instead. One user queried: "I have about 20 garden centres near me that look like this, am i missing something? " whilst another expressed astonishment: "I live 15 minutes up the road from here and it's so normal to me that it blows my mind people travel to it."

Yet, the attraction has not been without its controversies as locals have voiced their frustrations over congested streets and travel disruptions. Addressing parking woes and queue management, the Cowap family, proprietors of The Hollies, conveyed via an Instagram post the new strategies they're forced to consider, opening with: "To our lovely customers and friends of The Hollies."

"Due to the extremely busy weekends and large volume of visitors, we've had to make the difficult decision to temporarily close our Takeaway Cafe at Little Budworth (CW69ES) on Saturdays and Sundays to ensure the smooth running of the site and the well-being of our team and customers. This is to help alleviate some of the pressure on parking to make it a more pleasurable visit for you."

They added: "We are so grateful for the overwhelming support from all of you that have made the journey to Cheshire to visit The Hollies Farm Shop and other local businesses over the past few weeks and of course our loyal local customers, thank you for your patience and understanding."

NEWSLETTER: Sign up for CheshireLive email direct to your inbox here