Pumpkin Picking at Doddington Hall

Over 30 varieties of pumpkin, squash and gourd, all of them grown on the estate in Doddington's own Kitchen Garden, and nothing at all to pay to walk among them. You pay only for what you decide to take home.

The patch is open every day right through October, which makes it something you can fold into a trip rather than a day that has to be booked and built around. Halloween fancy dress is encouraged for the whole month, not just the last week of it.

Hidden through the rows during October are golden-bottomed pumpkins. Turn one over and find gold on the base and you keep the pumpkin, and you also win a family ticket to Christmas in the Hall and a 4ft homegrown Christmas tree.

Wellies are essential, because the patch can get properly muddy and this is a working kitchen garden rather than a car park with pallets on it. Dogs are not permitted in the Pumpkin Patch itself, although they are welcome on leads through the Kitchen Garden. Both cash and card are taken at the patch.

The Grain Store Restaurant and Bar and the Farm Shop share the same site if you want to make more of the visit, and the Hall and the Gardens are separately ticketed attractions on the estate for anyone with a longer afternoon to fill.