Pumpkin Picking at Cobbs Farm

The gates here open for only a few days each year. Cobbs Farm is a working family farm at Goldhanger just outside Maldon, run by the Bunting family, and the pumpkin patch is a short annual window rather than a permanent attraction.

Everything in the field was grown on site at Goldhanger, so the pumpkins have no food miles behind them, and they are still on the vines when you arrive. You walk out and pick your own, choosing between varieties grown for carving and squashes meant for the kitchen.

There is no ticket to buy and nothing to book. You turn up on an open day, park for free and pay only for what you pick, with cash and card both accepted. Tasha's Tasty Treats is on site daily selling homemade cakes and hot savouries.

Come dressed for a farm rather than a visitor attraction. This is a real working field with mud and puddles, so sturdy footwear or wellies will make the difference between a good hour and a miserable one. Dogs cannot go into the pumpkin patch itself, because the crop counts as food, although they are welcome on leads in the car park field. The farm sits between Colchester and Chelmsford and is close to Mersea Island, so it fits into a wider day out along that stretch of Essex.