Halloween and the Pumpkin Village at Bocketts Farm Park

Two Halloween events run back to back here, and they are pitched at different ages. Little Pumpkins Week comes first, from 17 to 23 October, and Wizards & Witches Week takes over from 24 October to 1 November. One thing to settle before you book: the Pumpkin Village is set up for games and the family pumpkin photograph rather than for cutting your own out of a field, so if picking from the rows is the point of the trip, this is not that kind of farm.

What the Pumpkin Village does well is keep a young family occupied. It runs through both weeks, alongside a spooky Stamp Trail around the farm, a Halloween Craft Corner and a Bocketts Disco. The second week adds a Reptile Roadshow with live creatures to meet, plus Science and Slime Shows.

Everything the farm does the rest of the year is included as well, from pig racing and small animal encounters to acres of indoor and outdoor play. That is what makes a three or four hour visit realistic even when the weather turns.

A few things are charged on top of admission, namely tractor rides, pony rides and face painting. Admission itself is tiered by day, so the same family visit costs noticeably more on an event day than off peak, and booking online adds a small fee. An essential companion goes free with an Access Card or a Bocketts Farm Digital Access Pass carrying a +1 or +2 symbol.