More of a Labyrinth than a maze, since it has only a small number of very short dead-ends. The majority of the maze can be solved by simply picking a direction at at random, most paths eventually lead to the goal, just with varying lengths.
>A maze is a complex, branching (multicursal) puzzle that includes choices of path and direction, while a labyrinth is unicursal, i.e., has only a single, non-branching path, which leads to the center.
You first statement is not correct. The rule is perfectly useful to solve mazes where the goal is in the center.
The requirement is that the walls should be connected, i.e. that there are no free-standing walls somewhere in the maze not connected to the border walls, for example.
Yes, in a maze without cycles the left-hand rule will take you through every part of the maze, guaranteeing that you reach the goal.
Of course in a maze with cycles you might still reach the goal, but it's not guaranteed. For example there's a cycle in Hampton Court Maze, but the left- and right-hand rules both get you to the goal from the entrance.
They are referred to as "multiply connected" in the literature on mazes. Essentially, this is the mathematical way of saying that there are "islands" of hedge, not attached to the perimeter.
And the biggest is at Longleat, where my wife’s job is to rescue people with a megaphone when they get lost. She also has to go hunting for a surprisingly large number of lost phones.
There are loads of gaps which pretty much ruin the maze. The photos here have been very kind. It's really not worth a trip, I'm saying that as someone who lives 10 mins away and has kids. However, the tiny zoo there is a good visit.
Please come and explain that to my young daughter. Some of the gaps are now arguably new pathways and it's all over in a couple of mins. For everyone else, save yourself the trip.