Pumpkin Patches in the UK: Where to Pick Your Own This October

Pumpkin picking has gone from a handful of farm fields to one of the busiest family days out of the autumn. Most patches open for a few weeks in October, the best ones sell their weekend slots well ahead, and what is on offer varies a great deal: some are a field and a wheelbarrow, others add maize mazes, tractor rides and evening events. This guide groups the pumpkin patches and Halloween events we list by region, with a link through to each one.

Before you go

Book a slot. Many farms now run timed entry, and half-term weekends go first. Dress for a field: wellies and old clothes, whatever the forecast. Go early in the season for the widest choice of pumpkins, or on a weekday for the quietest field. Opening dates change every year and depend on the crop, so check the patch's own page before setting off.

South East

The South East has the densest spread of patches. Tulleys Farm near Crawley is one of the best known, rated 4.7 from over 1,500 Google reviews, and Crockford Bridge Farm in Addlestone is a long-established pick-your-own farm in Surrey. In Kent there is Pumpkin Moon near Maidstone, Four Winds Farm near Tunbridge Wells and Stanhill Farm in Dartford. On the edge of London, Hewitt's Farm in Chelsfield is an easy trip from the south-east of the city, and East Sussex has Stonehill Farm at Horam.

East of England

Essex is pumpkin country. Hatters Farm at Takeley is rated 4.8 from over 700 reviews, and Otto's Pumpkin Patch near Braintree scores 4.9. Around Wickford there are two side by side, Hurley's Farm Pumpkin Forest and The Pumpkin Field, with Farmer Scott's in Brentwood and Cobbs Farm at Maldon not far away. Colchester has The Pumpkin Patch, its after-dark version Pumpkin Patch Nights and a sister site at East Bergholt. Over the border in Suffolk, Farmer John's near Ipswich pairs its patch with a maize maze.

Midlands

Staffordshire has several big farm attractions that turn over to pumpkins in October: the National Forest Adventure Farm (4.6 from over 3,400 reviews), Canalside Farm and Secretts at Milford. Near Wolverhampton there is Essington Farm, and in Warwickshire Lower Clopton Farm and Pumpkins R Us.

In the East Midlands, Mr Pumpkin near Derby is rated 4.8, with Bates Farm at Risley and Village Pumpkins at Barlow also in Derbyshire. Leicestershire has Cattows Farm at Heather and Redhouse Farm; further east are Maxeys Farm Shop near Newark, Bell's Pumpkin Patch near Lincoln and Saxby's Cider at Grange Farm, Wellingborough.

North of England

In Yorkshire, Spilmans near Thirsk is the best-known patch, rated 4.6 from over 900 reviews. East Yorkshire has The Pumpkin Patch at Bewholme, Sandy Bottom Farm near Hull and Tyrrells Farm at Holme-on-Spalding-Moor.

Across the Pennines, The Dunham Pumpkin Patch is the closest big patch to Manchester, Church View Farm at Lydiate serves Merseyside and Ridgeway Farm the Fylde coast. In Cumbria, Walby Farm Park near Carlisle adds pumpkins to an established farm park, rated 4.6 from over 1,500 reviews.

Scotland

Cairnie Fruit Farm near Cupar in Fife is a big day out in its own right, with a maize maze alongside the patch. Near Stirling there is Arnprior Farm, one of the first Scottish farms to open a patch; East Lothian has Balgone Estate near North Berwick; and in the Highlands, Loch Ness Pumpkins at Corrimony Farm is one of the most northerly patches in the country.

Wales and the South West

In south Wales, The Black Cat Pumpkin Patch and The Great Welsh Pumpkin Festival at Gower Fresh are both near Swansea, and the capital has the Cardiff Pumpkin Festival. In the South West, try Bath Pumpkin Patch or Dorset Country Pumpkins near Blandford Forum.

Northern Ireland

Belfast's pumpkin patch at Crumlin Road Gaol puts the patch inside a Victorian prison, which makes it one of the more unusual settings in the UK. Out of the city, Mountpanther near Downpatrick is rated 4.6 from over 1,000 reviews and Laganvale Farm in County Antrim runs pumpkin days on a working farm.

Beyond the patch: Halloween events

For something other than a field, Gandeys Circus tours a Halloween show, the Spooktacular, with dates at Trafford, Merry Hill and Trentham. In Surrey, the Sandown Park Fireworks Spooktacular combines Halloween with an early fireworks night, and in the capital the London Halloween Afternoon Tea Bus is exactly what it sounds like.

Making a break of it

October half term is the natural time to pair a pumpkin patch with a couple of nights away. Our guides to half term staycations, autumn staycations and staycations for families with young kids have ideas for where to base yourself, and if the forecast turns, rainy day staycations covers the places that work whatever the weather.