Pumpkin Picking at Apley Farm Shop

Two quite different visits run under the Haunted Harvest name, and the one you book changes the shape of the day. Pick a Pumpkin is the simpler of the pair: you walk out into Apley's own pumpkin field, grown on the estate rather than bought in, and choose from a range of sizes and colours.

The Full Harvest is the fuller version and runs only in the final week, from 24 to 31 October. It adds a Pumpkin Express tractor ride out through the field, a pumpkin of any size to pick, and carving it once you are back. It is the one to choose if you would rather have the visit shaped for you than simply pick and go.

Both experiences run from 10am to 4pm, and both need booking, as only a limited number of tickets are released. The field is a real one and gets muddy when it rains, so the farm shop asks visitors to wear suitable footwear and clothing. Well behaved dogs on leads are allowed on the pumpkin field.

The field is part of a larger site. Apley Farm Shop is an award-winning shop with a cafe, so there is food shopping and somewhere to sit down either side of the picking, which is useful when the field visit alone would not fill the morning.