Pumpkin Picking at Craigbank Farm

Hand-feeding a highland cow is not something most pumpkin patches offer, and at Craigbank it comes as part of the visit. This is a working farm at Dunlop, and the animals are the reason plenty of families stay for the full session rather than picking and going.

Admission covers the pumpkin picking itself plus the fright barn, the straw play area, the pumpkin slingshot, the pumpkin games and the tea tent, where hot and cold drinks, cakes, biscuits and sandwiches are served. Pumpkin decorating supplies, animal feed and pumpkins for the slingshot are bought there separately, so it is worth taking a little extra.

Tickets are sold by the car and cover everyone travelling in it, and each session is capped at eighteen cars. That cap is the thing to plan around: places are limited and everything is booked in advance online rather than paid for at the gate. Three sessions run each day, with two hours the maximum stay in any one of them.

Dress for a field in October. The farm asks for wellies or sturdy closed-toe shoes plus layers and a coat, because there are no heated areas anywhere on site. The ground in the patch is uneven and can be muddy, which makes it hard going for wheelchairs and small-wheeled prams, although the indoor areas and the tea tent are accessible and there is a disabled-friendly toilet with baby change.

Dogs need to stay at home because of the livestock, though guide dogs are welcome. Parking is included with admission and attendants are on hand to direct you in.