Farmer John's Pumpkin Patch and Maize Maze, Capel St Mary

Farmer John's sits at Boydland Farm on Old London Road in Capel St Mary, and the pumpkin patch is the autumn half of a site that spends the summer running as a maize maze. That matters on the day, because the maze is still standing in October and your entry ticket covers it. The farm cuts a mega maze and a mini maze, so younger children who would find the full route overwhelming get a shorter version they can actually finish without a meltdown.

The patch is picked from the field rather than laid out as a display, and the farm says it grows around 20 varieties of pumpkins and squash in every shape and size. Entry is £8 per person with under 2s free, and Farmer John's states that price covers all the activities, the maize maze and a pumpkin to take home. Plenty of patches charge entry and then price your pumpkin separately at the till, so it is worth knowing what you are comparing before you book elsewhere.

Beyond the picking and the maze there are go karts and a giant bouncy tractor, which is usually where the older ones vanish to while the adults are still deliberating over pumpkin shapes. The season runs Friday 2 October to Sunday 4 October, Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October, then straight through from Friday 16 to Saturday 31 October, 10am to 4pm.

The less glamorous part: this is a field on a working farm. Expect uneven ground, mud after rain and no hard surfaced paths, so wellies earn their place. There is no booking system, which is a relief when you decide to go at breakfast and less of one when half of south Suffolk has the same idea. Parking is free.