Pumpkin Picking at Mr Pumpkin, Morley

Mr Pumpkin runs from Lime Farm on Mansfield Road at Morley, a fourth generation arable farm about four miles outside Derby and a straightforward run from Nottingham. The headline number is the crop: close to 90,000 pumpkins in more than 40 varieties, from giants down to tiny ones, in orange, white, striped, warty and star shapes.

Unlike a lot of Derbyshire patches, this one publishes a date by date opening schedule rather than a vague 'weekends in October', and the hours genuinely change from day to day. The season opens on Sunday 4 October with a 10am to 4pm day, shifts to 9am to 5pm on the busiest weekends, runs 11am to 6pm on Friday 16 October and 10am to 6pm on Friday 23 October, then opens daily through half term. It closes early on Halloween itself, 9am to 1pm on Saturday 31 October, so do not leave it to the last afternoon.

Pricing follows the same peak and off peak split. Adults pay £3.50 on peak dates and £2.50 the rest of the time, and children aged 3 to 15 are free off peak but £1 on peak dates. A 25p booking fee applies per paid ticket. Under 3s are free and need no ticket at all.

Beyond picking, the farm runs a pumpkin trail, a bouncy castle and a small fairground with teacups and bungees, plus a food stall doing hot and cold refreshments. It is more field and fairground than polished farm park, which is reflected in the price.

Worth knowing before you go: the DOWTK listing records no toilets on site, which is unusual and worth planning around with small children.