Pumpkin Picking at Broadslap Fruit Farm

Free entry is rarer than it sounds at a pumpkin patch. Broadslap charges nothing to come in and nothing to park, so the only money you spend is on the pumpkins you carry away with you. Picking opens on Wednesday 7 October and runs through to 31 October.

The pumpkins are grown on the farm, which runs pick-your-own across the rest of the year too: tulips and daffodils in April, strawberries from June to August, and raspberries, blackcurrants and brambles through July and August. This is a working fruit farm first and an October attraction second.

You book a date and time slot online, or ring the farm to reserve a time instead. Quiet picking sessions are arranged by calling or emailing directly, which is useful if a busy field would be too much for someone in the party. Session times and pumpkin prices are not published on the website; both appear once you are inside the booking system.

There is more on site than the patch. The PlayBarn is an indoor children's adventure space, and there is a farm shop and a gift shop to browse. The cafe is worth pre-booking if you plan to eat, particularly at a weekend. A touring caravan site is run from the farm as well.