Spend the October weekend or Halloween half-term at your ideal pick-your-own pumpkin patch and find the perfect Jack-o-lantern.
Grab your wellies, your children or grandchildren and make a day of it. Some of the farms are simple pick-your-own affairs in tranquil countryside; others provide an exciting range of activities, from barrel ghost trains to scary theatre performances.
Here are 10 of our favourites...
Best places to go pumpkin picking
Cairnie Fruit Farm, Cupar, Fife
One of Scotland’s top fruit farms, Cairnie’s also claim to be the original Scottish producer of pick-your-own pumpkins, celebrating 25 years. Choose from 20,000 pumpkins – all shapes and sizes. Alongside the pumpkin patch, the Funyard and Halloween Torchlight Maze provide entertainment for all the family. Lose yourself in the shadowy labyrinth located over six acres with a few scary surprises along the way.
Website: cairniefruitfarm.co.uk
Craiges Farm, South Queensferry, Edinburgh
The Sinclair family are fourth-generation farmers who have recently diversified from beef and dairy farming to a thriving fruit and vegetable business. Beside the excellent deli, farm shop and cafe, their Pumpkin Festival offers pick-your-own pumpkins, a monster bale trail, Halloween-themed photo opportunities, paintball target shooting, a barrel ghost train, and an After Dark haunted maze. This is surely one of the best places to go pumpkin picking in Scotland.
Website: craigies.co.uk
Streamvale Open Farm, Belfast
Choose your pumpkin and carve on site with the help of experts in the marquee (they will clear up the mess too). From the Broomtastic Disco to the Haunted House experience, tractor and barrel rides, there’s plenty of entertainment. Just thirty minutes from the city centre, pick a morning, afternoon or evening session from selected dates in October.
Website: streamvale.com
Bell’s Pumpkin Patch, Boston
For a more traditional farm experience, head for the east of England’s largest pumpkin patch and carve your chosen pumpkin on site. Buy a ticket for the Pumpkin Master Blaster (firing up to a quarter of a mile). Little ones can jump from walls of haybales into a straw pit or take a tractor ride. There’s an old-fashioned funfair, and for adults, the opportunity to peruse the Makers Market. Catering onsite.
Website: bellspumpkinpatch.com
Pembrokeshire Pumpkin Farm, near Cardigan
A ten-minute drive from Cardigan into the beautiful Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, you can choose from an array of pumpkins with intriguing names like Polar Bear and Munchkins. Children can explore the woodland play area, play hide-and-seek in the Halloween-themed straw bales and explore the ‘spooky barn’.
Website: pembrokeshirepumpkins.co.uk
Avon Valley Pumpkin Patch, near Bristol
On the edge of Bristol in Keynsham, the pumpkin farm offers a great day out beside the River Avon. Apart from picking the perfect pumpkin, children and their charges can enjoy theatre performers and fire shows. For an action-packed day try Pumpkin Paintball, Seasonal Slingshot and Fire an Apple Cannon.
Website: avonvalley.co.uk
Rogate Pumpkin Patch, Petersfield
A third generation run farm, the emphasis here is very much on the youngest members of the family. New for 2024, the ‘Smash, Crush, Sling, Chuck’ activity provides cattle with winter pumpkin feed, while adults and kids alike can get rid of pent-up energy. Explore the Halloween-themed locations and activities: Merlin’s Wood, Dracula’s Estate, the Hubble-Bubble Witch and Pumpkin Skittles. With the South Downs National Park close by, why not make a weekend of it.
Website: rogatepumpkinpatch.com
Hall Hill Farm, Lanchester, Durham
This petting farm and play centre pulls out all the stops to entertain – and scare – in the October Half Term. Join the Haunted Sheep Race, the Trick or Treat Treasure Hunt and climb aboard the Spooky Spider Barrel Train. Look out for giant scarecrows and creep through the Mini Monster Maze.
Website: hallhillfarm.co.uk
Poynings Pumpkin Patch, Brighton
Just twenty minutes from the sea, combine coast and countryside at Poynings. An old-fashioned pick-your-own pumpkin farm, it’s primarily about the PYO experience. Choose from organic pumpkins, ideal for cooking, or pumpkins best suited for carving. The catering on site is very much pumpkin themed. Roast pumpkin and feta crepe, pumpkin fritters, pumpkin fries, pumpkin soup anyone?
Website: facebook.com/poyningspumpkinpatch
Pick Your Own Pumpkins, Ashford
Located on Cheeseman’s Green Lane near Sevington, south of Ashford in Kent, the farm’s pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes, and if you’re lucky you might land on the Golden or Silver Pumpkin and win a free pumpkin of your choice. Apart from a few Halloween-themed Instagram spots, it’s all about the picking. Friendly and welcoming staff. Don’t forget wellies.
Website: facebook.com/pickyourownpumpkin
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