Pumpkin Picking at Down at the Farm

Pumpkin Week is the last stretch of the season at this 20-acre animal farm outside Houghton-le-Spring, and the farm says as much itself: these are the final days of the year and they get very busy, so book online in advance.

The pumpkin patch is charged separately from farm entry, at £3.50 for up to two people, and that £3.50 is redeemable against whatever pumpkins you buy. Photo opportunities are set up through the patch, and once you have your pumpkin you can carve it or paint it at the farm, or simply take it home as it is.

There is a good deal going on beyond the pumpkins. Children can make their own real-life scarecrow, the barrel rides run through a spooky graveyard, a Dino Maze is open at Halloween, and a spooky farm hunt sends children looking for the creepy things with a prize at the end. Face painting with Barbara runs every day of the event.

Child farm entry includes a barrel ride as well as admission, which is a sensible piece of bundling for younger visitors. The rest of the farm is running as usual, with outdoor play, tractor rides and animal activities across the 20 acres.

Dress for the end of October in the north east. The farm recommends warm coats and wellies, and given the weather it can get, that is worth taking literally.