Pumpkin Picking at Beluncle Farm

Everything in the field at Hoo is grown on the farm itself, and the range is unusually wide: pumpkins and squashes in many colours and sizes, with different areas of the field planted with different varieties so the colour changes as you walk. Multicoloured maize and sunflowers are grown around the edges, as boundaries and as wildlife cover.

This is a picking trip rather than a day out with rides attached. Wheelbarrows are provided so children can push their haul back, there are portaloos in the field, and a snack shop sells cold drinks, chocolate, sweets and crisps. The pumpkins, squashes and corn are paid for separately from the entry ticket.

Tickets have to be bought in advance online, and the farm is blunt about it: no ticket, no entry. One ticket admits one vehicle and is not transferable, which makes this a sensible trip to share with another family in the same car.

Dress for a working field. The farm recommends wellies or outdoor boots, and suggests gloves for young hands because the stalks can be prickly. Dogs are not allowed in the field or the farmyard even on leads, with guide and assistance dogs the exception.

Parking is on a sloped grass field, with marshals directing cars to park facing downhill on a one-way system, so expect to be guided to a space rather than choosing your own. Mastercard and Visa debit and credit cards are taken as well as cash, but American Express is not.