Pumpkin Picking at Lotherton

The pumpkin patch is one part of a much bigger estate day out. Lotherton sits east of Leeds at Aberford and has Wildlife World, the hall and chapel, grounds and gardens, a cafe and a shop, with the patch running in a field alongside all of it. The venue calls it an award-winning autumnal experience.

Entry to the field is charged separately from getting onto the estate, and it includes a pumpkin to take home. Alongside the picking there are photo opportunities set up in the patch, so it is worth having a phone with some room left on it.

The two-tier charging is the thing to get your head round before you arrive. General admission to Lotherton has to be bought to get on site at all, and field entry is then paid on the day rather than in advance. Children under 12 months and carers do not pay to enter the field, although they are not entitled to a free pumpkin and general admission still applies. MAX card holders and one accompanying parent or carer get free general admission.

The patch does not run every day of the season. It opens at weekends from the start of October and adds weekdays later in the month, so check the day you are planning on before you travel. With Wildlife World and the grounds to take in as well, three to four hours goes quickly. Dogs are welcome on the wider estate, which has its own separate guidance.