Pumpkin Picking at Perry Tree Farm

Six seasons in, this farm just outside Banbury has the measure of what families want from an October morning. There are 2,500 or more pumpkins, squash and gourds in the patch, with Casperita, Polar Bear and Racer among the varieties returning this year.

The photo props have become a feature in their own right: a dumper truck, a transit van, a wooden shack and a throne, joined this year by an autumnal tunnel. Around the patch there are two scavenger hunts and carnival games, and chickens and ponies to look in on while you are there.

The spooky woodland walk is included in the entry fee, themed around a carnEVIL and a graveyard, with interactive games, photo opportunities and a scavenger hunt that ends in a sweet treat. Pumpkin carving runs during half term week, and there is coffee, cold drinks and cakes for when the walking is done.

Tickets are booked online for a chosen date, and once you arrive you can stay as long as you like rather than being tied to a slot. Parking is free. Pumpkins are not included in the entry fee and are paid for separately, and the farm is not dog friendly because of the livestock on site, so yours will have to sit this one out.