Pumpkin Picking at Dell Quay PYO

Free entry and no booking makes this one of the easier autumn outings to arrange. The farm reopens on 17 October for pumpkin season after closing for the summer, and you pay only for the pumpkins you pick.

Crouchers Farm sits on Birdham Road at Apuldram, beside Chichester Harbour, and it is an all-weather pick-your-own operation rather than a one-off event. Strawberries and raspberries fill the summer here, pumpkins take over in October and Christmas trees follow, so the fields are worked for picking across the year rather than dressed up for a single season.

The pumpkin dates come in two parts. The farm opens on 17 and 18 October, then runs daily from 23 to 31 October, which covers half term and the run-up to Halloween. Because nothing needs booking, you can decide on the morning itself, which suits anyone travelling with small children or keeping an eye on the forecast.

There is a cafe on site, and the farm also runs an online shop. Beyond that the farm publishes very little about opening hours or pumpkin prices for the season, so a quick check is worth making before a long drive, particularly if you are thinking of going late in the day. The farm is a short run out of Chichester, which makes it an easy trip from the city and the villages around it.