Pumpkin Picking at Hobbledown Heath

Hobbledown Heath runs what is, in practical terms, the only proper pumpkin patch inside London itself. The patch sits in a green meadow beside the River Crane, about a five minute woodland walk from the main entrance and car park at Hounslow, which means you get a genuine field to walk into rather than a display of pumpkins in a car park.

The season is unusually long. It opens on 25 September and runs right through to 1 November, so it covers the whole of the half term and both of the weekends either side. Pumpkins are charged separately from entry, and you pick them yourself from the field rather than choosing from a crate.

Two things set it apart from the farm patches out in Surrey and Kent. The first is Pumpkin Nights, which run from 18:00 to 20:00 on selected dates and turn the same meadow into something quite different after dark. The second is that you can add the wider Hobbledown Heath park to your ticket, which turns a forty minute pumpkin stop into a full day with the adventure play and the animals.

Around the patch there are seasonal games, marshmallow toasting and themed photo points, with street food vendors and hot drinks on site. Fairground rides are there but charged separately.

It is the most reachable patch on this list for anyone without a car. Feltham and Hounslow stations are both close, Hounslow Central is on the Piccadilly line, and the 117 and 235 buses stop directly outside. Worth knowing before you drive: the site is inside the ULEZ and the car park is run by a third party, so parking is charged.