Best Pumpkin Picking in the UK 2026

Where to Pick Pumpkins With Children This October

There are certain childhood traditions that seem to have appeared from nowhere and very quickly become something we can't imagine October without.

Pumpkin picking is definitely one of them.

Wellies on. Wheelbarrow acquired. Children disappearing between rows of pumpkins in search of the one — which will invariably be either the largest pumpkin in the entire field or a tiny, peculiarly shaped one that absolutely cannot be left behind.

And we rather love it.

Pumpkin patches now pop up all over the UK during October, from enormous pumpkin festivals close to London to family farms in Wales and fields of pumpkins surprisingly far north in Scotland.

So, whether you're looking for pumpkin picking near London, a patch in the North of England, Wales or Scotland, we've gathered together some of our favourites for 2026.

One small piece of advice before you set off: book first. Many pumpkin patches now operate timed entry and the most popular half-term dates can disappear surprisingly quickly.

And take the wellies. Definitely take the wellies.

LONDON & THE SOUTH EAST

Garsons Farm: Esher, Surrey

A particularly good option for families coming out of London.

Garsons has been growing pick-your-own crops for generations, and its October Pumpkin Parade combines the farm's enormous selection of pumpkins with seasonal displays and activities.

For 2026, the Pumpkin Parade has a circus-inspired theme, with carnival-style games, autumn displays and plenty of opportunities for photographs.

There are thousands of pumpkins in all sorts of peculiar shapes and sizes to choose from.

GOOD FOR: A proper pumpkin-picking experience within relatively easy reach of London.

BINKY TIP: Weekdays are likely to be quieter than weekends and half term. Tickets must be booked before visiting.

Tulleys Pumpkin Festival: West Sussex

If you're looking for the big pumpkin experience, this is probably it.

Tulleys, near Crawley between London and Brighton, has turned pumpkin picking into an entire autumn event.

There are fields filled with pumpkins, huge seasonal installations and endless opportunities for that annual photograph of children sitting amongst approximately 400 pumpkins.

It's considerably more of an event than simply visiting a field to choose a pumpkin — so allow plenty of time.

GOOD FOR: Families who want pumpkin picking to be the main event of the day.

BINKY TIP: This one gets extremely busy. Book ahead rather than deciding to pop in on a sunny October Saturday.

Crockford Bridge Farm: Weybridge, Surrey

One of Surrey's best-known pick-your-own farms and another easy option from London.

Crockford Bridge has been growing crops for generations and its annual pumpkin season has become something of an October tradition for local families.

If your ideal pumpkin outing is more farm than festival, this is one to investigate.

GOOD FOR: A traditional farm experience and families in London, Surrey and the surrounding Home Counties.

Garsons: Titchfield, Hampshire

Garsons also has a second farm at Titchfield in Hampshire, making it a useful option for families further west.

As with Esher, expect proper pick-your-own heritage and plenty of seasonal produce alongside the October pumpkin experience.

GOOD FOR: Hampshire and the South Coast.

THE SOUTH WEST

Pumpkin Picking in Devon & Cornwall

If you're heading west during October half term, keep an eye on the National Trust estates and local farms running seasonal pumpkin events.

One particularly lovely option for 2026 is Knightshayes near Tiverton, where autumn pumpkin picking takes place during the October half-term period.

And really, pumpkin hunting followed by an autumn walk around a country estate sounds like a rather good day to us.

GOOD FOR: Combining pumpkin picking with a bigger autumn day out.

BINKY TIP: National Trust events can operate differently from commercial pumpkin patches, so check exactly what is included before travelling.

THE MIDLANDS

Maxey's Farm Shop: Nottinghamshire

If you'd prefer your pumpkins to come from a genuine working farm, Maxey's is one to know.

The family-run Nottinghamshire farm grows pumpkins commercially and has become well known for its annual pumpkin-picking season.

There is something we particularly like about visiting somewhere where the pumpkin patch is connected to the actual business of growing food rather than simply being an October backdrop.

GOOD FOR: East Midlands families looking for a proper farm-grown pumpkin.

BINKY TIP: If knowing where your food has actually come from matters to you, ask the children to find out how long pumpkins take to grow before you visit.

YORKSHIRE & THE NORTH

Farmer Copleys: Pontefract, Yorkshire

Farmer Copleys is one of the names that comes up again and again when talking about pumpkin picking in Yorkshire.

Their annual Pumpkin Festival transforms the farm for October and has grown into a sizeable family event, with a huge choice of pumpkins alongside seasonal activities.

This is another one where pumpkin picking is less a ten-minute stop and more of a proper day out.

GOOD FOR: Yorkshire families and anyone who likes plenty going on alongside the pumpkin field.

BINKY TIP: Give everyone a pumpkin budget before entering the field. We speak from experience.

Kenyon Hall Farm: Warrington

Kenyon Hall takes pumpkin choice rather seriously.

Its 2026 Pumpkin Festival has thousands of pumpkins across around 50 different varieties, from familiar orange carving pumpkins to considerably more unusual shapes and colours.

There are seasonal photo spots, a playground, farm shop and café too, making it easy to turn picking a pumpkin into a relaxed autumn outing.

GOOD FOR: Manchester, Liverpool, Cheshire and the wider North West.

BINKY TIP: Advance booking is essential here — and popular weekends and half-term dates can sell out.

PLAN YOUR VISIT →

WALES

There are some brilliant pumpkin patches in Wales — and several have gone well beyond simply putting a few pumpkins in a field.

Forage Farm: Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan

This is probably our pick if you want to make a proper day of it.

At Forage Farm, families take a tractor-trailer out to the pumpkin patch where thousands of pumpkins are waiting to be chosen.

There are farm animals, food and drink, activities and plenty happening around the patch.

For 2026, daytime pumpkin picking runs on selected dates from 3–31 October.

There are also twilight sessions later in the month aimed at older children and adults — although with live actors and a scare maze, we'd save those for the braver members of the family.

GOOD FOR: Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan and South Wales.

BINKY TIP: With younger children, choose the daytime experience rather than the after-dark version.

Vale Pick Your Own: Bonvilston, Vale of Glamorgan

For children who take choosing exactly the right pumpkin very seriously, Vale Pick Your Own is worth a look.

The farm grows around 30 different varieties, so expect considerably more than rows of identical orange pumpkins.

Their daytime pumpkin experience includes seasonal characters and photo opportunities, while separate twilight sessions offer a different experience after dark.

GOOD FOR: Families around Cardiff and South Wales who want lots of pumpkin choice.

Porthcawl Pumpkin Patch: Porthcawl

Another South Wales favourite, and particularly good for younger children.

Alongside a choice of more than 20 varieties of pumpkin, the patch has previously combined pumpkin picking with children's play, face painting and farm animals.

In other words: you should be able to get rather more mileage out of the trip than simply choosing a pumpkin and going home.

GOOD FOR: Younger families around Bridgend, Swansea and Cardiff.

Black Cat Pumpkin Patch: Llanelli

For families further west, the Black Cat Pumpkin Patch brings together pumpkin picking with a maize maze, animals and seasonal activities.

A good one to have on the list if you're looking for pumpkin picking in West Wales rather than automatically heading towards Cardiff.

GOOD FOR: Swansea, Llanelli and West Wales.

SCOTLAND

Yes, pumpkins grow in Scotland.

Rather a lot of them, as it turns out.

And Scotland has some particularly lovely pumpkin patches — from Fife to Stirling and all the way up to the Highlands.

Cairnie Fruit Farm: Cupar, Fife

If we're talking Scottish pumpkins, this is where we'd start.

Cairnie Fruit Farm describes itself as Scotland's original pick-your-own pumpkin producer and celebrates its 27th year in 2026.

There are more than 20,000 pumpkins in different sizes, shapes and colours, with pre-booked picking sessions.

Cairnie also runs its famous maze, and for older children there's a separate Halloween Torchlight Maze experience.

GOOD FOR: Fife, Dundee, Perth and families travelling from Edinburgh.

BINKY TIP: Dogs are welcome at the farm but aren't allowed into the pick-your-own pumpkin areas.

PLAN YOUR VISIT →

Craigie's Farm: South Queensferry, Edinburgh

Just outside Edinburgh, Craigie's is particularly good if you want to choose how much event you want with your pumpkin.

At the beginning of October there are quieter picking sessions — essentially the pleasure of heading into an autumn field and choosing your pumpkin without lots of additional entertainment.

From later in the month, the full Pumpkin Festival takes over with considerably more going on.

We rather like having the choice.

GOOD FOR: Edinburgh and the Lothians.

BINKY TIP: If your children are small, easily overwhelmed or you simply prefer a quieter outing, look at the early October sessions.

Arnprior Farm: Stirling

Pumpkin picking on a rather impressive scale.

What started at Arnprior with just a few hundred pumpkin plants has grown into one of Scotland's best-known pumpkin festivals.

The farm now welcomes thousands of visitors each October, with acres of pumpkins alongside activities and seasonal food.

And because this is Scotland, you can expect the weather to contribute its own element of unpredictability.

GOOD FOR: Glasgow, Stirling and Central Scotland.

BINKY TIP: This one regularly sells out, so it's not the place for spontaneous Saturday-morning decision making.

Balgone Estate: North Berwick, East Lothian

Pumpkin picking in the grounds of an East Lothian estate already sounds rather good.

Add the possibility of combining it with a trip to North Berwick and you have the makings of an excellent October day.

Balgone's pumpkin patch stretches across several acres, with seasonal activities alongside the picking.

GOOD FOR: Edinburgh, East Lothian and anyone who fancies adding a windswept beach walk to the day.

BINKY IDEA: Pumpkin patch first. North Berwick beach second. Something warm to eat afterwards.

Loch Ness Pumpkins: Highlands

We couldn't make a UK-wide pumpkin guide and stop at the Central Belt.

Loch Ness Pumpkins, near Inverness, proves that the pumpkin-picking tradition has made it considerably further north.

Its 2026 season is particularly limited, running on only a handful of dates, so this one requires planning rather than a spontaneous visit.

GOOD FOR: Inverness and Highland families.

And possibly winning the prize for pumpkin patch with the best surroundings.

TURN THE CHILDREN INTO THE PHOTOGRAPHERS

One final suggestion before you leave home.

Hand the camera to them.

Pumpkin patches are irresistibly photogenic, but rather than spending the entire visit trying to manufacture the perfect photograph of your children sitting nicely amongst the pumpkins, let them take some too.

Give them a little October photography challenge:

The smallest pumpkin
The strangest pumpkin
The biggest pumpkin you can find
Something orange
Something muddy
A wheelbarrow
Someone laughing
Your favourite pumpkin
The best pair of wellies
A picture of your family

The results may not be particularly polished, they'll probably be much more interesting.

BINKY PICK: Explore our edit of children's digital cameras from Hoppstar and The ZooFamily, designed to put the camera into little hands and let children capture adventures from their point of view.

DISCOVER KIDS' CAMERAS →

Before You Go

Pumpkin patches are working farms, fields and outdoor events, which means dates, opening hours and availability can change particularly if the weather has other ideas.

Always check the farm's own website before travelling and book ahead where required.
Wear shoes you don't mind getting muddy.
Take a spare bag for the car.

Binky Tip: establish before entering the field exactly how many pumpkins you're prepared to take home.

Because apparently: “We're only getting two.” is remarkably open to interpretation once children have been handed a wheelbarrow.

Happy pumpkin hunting.

Alexis x
Founder, Binky