Balgone Pumpkins at Balgone Estate, North Berwick

Balgone bills itself as Scotland's largest pumpkin patch and the numbers back the claim up: a ten acre patch on a working arable and livestock estate outside North Berwick, planted with tens of thousands of pumpkins and squashes across a wide spread of varieties. It is roughly 35 minutes from Edinburgh, which makes it the default choice for city families who want a proper field rather than a crate of supermarket pumpkins in a car park.

The ticket structure is unusual and worth understanding before you book. Entry is £18 per car, not per person, and that single ticket covers everyone in the vehicle. Walking groups of up to five pay the same. For a family of five that is genuinely good value. For a couple visiting alone it is expensive, and there is no cheaper solo option.

What you get for it is the patch plus the Haunted Trail, a 2.5km spooky walk that loops round Balgone Lakes. The lakes are the estate's real asset and the trail is the reason a Balgone visit runs longer than a straightforward pick and go. Entry is by hourly slot between 9am and 4pm with last entry at 3pm, so arriving late in the day leaves little room for both the patch and the full trail.

Catering is handled properly rather than as an afterthought. Street food traders operate on site during the season, and the estate's own Herd Cafe and the Balgone BBQ are open to ticket holders. Parking is free.

The awkward detail: dogs are not permitted. Balgone has confirmed to DOWTK that it is not dog friendly, which rules out the obvious combination of an estate walk and a dog for a lot of East Lothian visitors.