Pumpkin Picking at Tulleys Farm, Crawley

Tulleys bills this as Europe's largest pumpkin festival, and the numbers back the claim up: more than 100 acres, over 1.5 million pumpkins and gourds, and over 100 varieties. You grab a wheelbarrow and pick straight from the fields, then pay by size ring on the way out. New for 2026 is The Pumpkin Valley, a whole new land of winding paths, wooden bridges over gentle streams, ponds, giant pumpkin sculptures, a Pumpkin Farm House, a Hobbit House and banks of chrysanthemums. It is the sort of set piece that answers the real question here, which is whether this is a farm shop with a field or a proper day out.

It is the second. Beyond the picking there is a 33 metre observation wheel, a vintage carousel, a Pumpkin Village of artisan stalls, roaming musicians, street theatre characters known as the Pumpkin Folk, and more than 30 built photo spots. Food is a genuine strength rather than a burger van: pasta, Greek, wood fired pizza, footlong hot dogs, mini Dutch pancakes, doughnuts, cheese roasting, marshmallow roasting and a pick and mix, plus the Pumpkin Bar, the Boozy Cauldron and a coffee house. From 26 September the site reopens after dark as Pumpkin Nights, with illuminated woodland trails, two live music stages, glowing pumpkin fields, cocktails and pumpkin picking by torchlight.

Be honest with yourself about the ground. This is a working farm in October, with uneven terrain, gravel paths and muddy patches, and Tulleys says outright that wheelchair access is limited and it does not lend wheelchairs or mobility scooters. Wellies and waterproofs, every time.