Pumpkin Picking at Hadsham Farm

A trebuchet launch is not standard pumpkin patch equipment, and it sets the tone for a festival with rather more in it than picking and paying. Alongside it there is a goblin hunt, a craft area, a sensory trail and scarecrow building to work through.

The pumpkins come out of the field, and a grocer's display sets out what has already been picked, so a child who would rather choose from a laid-out selection than hunt along the rows can do that instead. Carving happens in a barn on site. Pumpkins are charged on top of entry and priced between £1 and £10 each depending on size.

For younger children there is a bale maze, a sandpit and an outdoor playground, and a cafe for when everybody has had enough. The main barns and the toilets are on hard standing and wheelchair accessible, which is worth knowing given the state of the rest of the site in late October.

That is the main thing to plan for. The pumpkin field is likely to be muddy, and the farm is clear that wellies or boots and coats are needed. All tickets must be pre-booked apart from those for under twos, so this is not a turn-up-and-see visit. Well behaved dogs on a lead are welcome, which is less common than you might expect at a working farm in the middle of the season.