Pick Your Own Pumpkins at Rymans, Wall

More than 100 varieties are grown in the patch at Manor Farm, a family-run working farm just outside Lichfield, and you pick your own straight from the rows. Wheelbarrows are provided, so nobody has to carry their haul back by hand.

Entry is a timed slot, morning or afternoon, and the patch is only part of what is going on. Tractor and trailer rides run through the event when the weather allows, there is a carving shed if you want to cut your pumpkin on site, and fire pits are lit for toasting marshmallows. The food cabin does coffee and hot chocolate, toasties and sandwiches, and cakes.

The pumpkins themselves are not part of the entry price. They are priced by size and paid for at the barn, and the range runs from £1 for the smallest up to £18 for the largest, so a family can spend very little or a good deal more depending on what they choose.

Two dates sit outside the usual pattern: pumpkin picking after dark on 9 October from 6pm, and a Smash Day after Halloween for pumpkins that have had their moment. The patch is also closed on several weekdays early in the season, so check your date before setting out. The ground is natural and uneven and can be muddy, and the farm asks visitors to come in wellies and waterproofs.