Pumpkin Picking at Forge Mill Farm

A working farm in Sandwell Valley run by Sandwell Council, Forge Mill grows thousands of pumpkins across several patches, and it has thought harder than most about visitors who find a muddy field difficult. There is an accessible all-weather patch in the farmyard near the entrance, partly under cover in a barn, so a pushchair or a wheelchair does not rule out the picking.

SEND early access sessions open at 9.30am, ahead of the general public, on 24 and 25 October and Monday to Thursday from 26 to 29 October. Those sessions give access to the farmyard, trail and animals from 9.30am, with a SEND Natural Play barn session from 10.00am to 11.00am. There is a SEND after-dark session on 26 October as well.

Farm and patch access covers the animals as well as the pumpkins, with cows, alpacas, pigs and goats to meet along the farm trail. The indoor Natural Play barn can be added on for under 14s. A farm shop sells farm-themed gifts along with fresh eggs and honey from Sandwell Valley, and a pop-up food and drink vendor serves refreshments on site.

Choose your date carefully, because the shape of the month varies. Weekend picking runs through October, quieter term-time weekday sessions run Monday to Friday across the two weeks before half term, and half-term weekdays run Monday to Friday at the end of the month. Evening events sit alongside the daytime patch, including pumpkin picking after dark on 23 and 24 October and a dogs' pumpkin picking evening on 25 October. Tickets are booked in advance.