Pumpkin Picking at Loddington Farm

Flowers are the reason this one stands out. The patch is a joint venture between Loddington Farm and the flower growers Blooming Green, and both crops are pick your own, so a family can cut a bunch of autumn flowers on the same visit as they choose a pumpkin. That combination is unusual enough to be worth the drive on its own.

The pumpkins are grown on site using regenerative farming methods, on a fifth generation apple and pear farm in the heart of the Kent countryside. Alongside the picking there is a flower safari to follow and field games to join in with, and face painting has been advertised on weekend dates.

Food trucks come on site at weekends only, so a midweek visit needs a little more planning if lunch is part of the trip. The Loddington Tap on the farm serves food and drink as well.

Entry tickets are booked in advance and cost about a pound a head, which makes this one of the least expensive ways to spend an autumn morning with children. The patch opens every day across the second half of October, and an hour or two is enough for most families before the wheelbarrow gets heavy.