Pumpkin Picking at Brechin Castle Centre

Dragontale Hollow, the story world the centre builds its autumn trail around, is invaded this year by mysterious visitors from another world. The all-new adventure runs from Saturday 3 October to Sunday 1 November 2026 in the country park at Haughmuir, on a site that is also a garden centre with a coffee shop, a foodhall and a gift shop.

The trail winds through wooded parts of the park, and nearly everything you come across along the way is covered by the admission ticket. The exceptions are the coin-operated machines and the barrel train, which are paid for separately. Pumpkins are also sold apart from admission, so what the day costs depends on how many you take home.

Entry is by timed slot, with slots released every hour from 10:00 to 14:00. You are asked to arrive within an hour of the slot you book, and after that you can stay until the park closes, which makes a long afternoon perfectly workable.

Booking ahead is treated as essential if you want a particular date and time, and tickets are sold through an outside platform with a small booking fee on top. Parking is free and there is plenty of it. Dogs cannot come, other than fully trained recognised assistance dogs. One thing to weigh before setting off: those wooded sections mean the trail is not suitable for wheelchair users and will defeat some pushchairs, and the centre asks anyone affected to make contact first.