Pumpkin Picking at Broom Leys Farm

Home-grown pumpkins are the starting point here. You can walk out into the patch and choose your own, or take one from the pre-picked display near the entrance, which saves a trek across a field with a toddler in tow or after a wet week.

The event field is where most of the visit goes. There are bouncy castles, farmyard animal rides and walks, a fun fair and vendor stalls, and enough going on that the pumpkin itself can end up being the smallest part of the afternoon.

The season starts on weekends in October and then runs daily through Leicestershire half term, so a weekday visit in the last full week is the quieter choice if you have the option. Tickets are sold in advance through the farm's Beyonk booking shop, and buying online rather than on the day is the only way to get the return ticket offer.

Broom Leys is a working farm with plenty going on beyond October, including a community fireworks display and a doggy daycare with a secure dog exercise field. The pumpkin event is one part of a larger site rather than the only reason the gates are open, which is worth knowing if you end up wanting to come back.