Keeping the kids entertained during the school break can be challenging, especially during the colder months - climbing frames and trampolines have been packed away for the winter, and that valuable outdoor play time is trickier to get. As the spooky season approaches, we want to reveal the UK's best pumpkin patches to visit for the perfect family day out.
While there are plenty of activities for kids this Halloween, whether it be going to a haunted house, a trip to the cinema or a theme park, the whole family getting involved in pumpkin picking is one of the most wholesome experiences - and also one of the most affordable!
To help determine the best patches to pick up your ghostly pumpkins, we will look at entry prices, location, social media popularity and Google search data to help you plan your fun-filled day.
Doddington Hall, Lincolnshire, named the Best Pumpkin Patch in England
1. Doddington Hall, LincolnshirePatch Score: 8.31 out of 10
The pumpkin patch at Doddington Hall, Lincolnshire, claimed first place in the battle of the patches, scoring 8.31 out of 10. Doddington Hall is an Elizabethan manor house situated in the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside. Customers enter through the Gatehouse of the hall and follow a spooky walk to the pumpkin patch, learning some fun facts along the way. The gardens provide a scenic backdrop to take your Insta-worthy photos.
Doddington Hall encourages visitors to wear fancy dress and pick up 30 different varieties of pumpkin, squash and gourd to make your display the envy of your neighbourhood. Entry to the pumpkin patch at Doddington Hall is free, so visitors only need to pay for what they pick! Doddington Hall collected a total of 110,400 TikTok hashtag views and 2,600 Instagram photos. There were 188,900 annual searches in the last year, helping it earn the crown of best pumpkin patch in the UK.
2. Tulleys Farm, Crawley, West SussexPatch Score: 7.44 out of 10
Tulleys Farm placed second in the ranking, scoring 7.44 out of 10. Originating in 1937, the fourth-generation family farm in West Sussex hosts their Pumpkin Festival annually, where families and couples alike can expect a jam-packed day out.
If you choose a daytime event at the Pumpkin Festival, you will have access to the pumpkin fields, photo opportunities and live roaming characters. If you select the nighttime ticket, you’ll have pumpkin field access, food and drink vendors and live music, which ends at 10 p.m. Entry prices start at £5 for both adults and children, depending on the date you visit. Nighttime tickets start at £8 per person. Children under two and carers go free.
Tulleys Farm considers itself the UK’s number one Pumpkin Festival, and our research adds weight to this claim, as the farm was the top trending pumpkin patch on TikTok, collecting a staggering 14.7 million views. There were also 19,000 Instagram mentions and 450,600 annual searches.
3. Garsons Farm, SurreyPatch Score: 6.92 out of 10
In third place is Garsons Farm, scoring 6.67 out of 10. Growing since 1871, the award-winning garden centre and farm shop hosts a pick-your-own Pumpkin Parade event every year, so why not head down, pick up a wheelbarrow and begin the enchanted pumpkin farm experience? Visitors can harvest memories with family and friends and discover dazzling displays and photo opportunities. There’s a host of grown pumpkins at Garsons Farm, where you can collect inspiration and decorate your prized pulps at home, whether you are seeking a mini, grand or extraordinary pick.
Garson Farm Pumpkin Passes are priced at £3 for adults and children (infants aged 0-24 months go free!), which permits entry to the pumpkin farm, while pumpkins are sold separately. Garsons Farm recorded 56,600 TikTok hashtag views, 10,100 Instagram hashtags and 178,600 searches in the last year.
The Best Pumpkin Patches in the UK Where Kids Go Free
We are all looking for ways to save our pennies, and as Christmas creeps up upon us, you may be looking for more affordable activities to enjoy as a family. We have researched and found the best pumpkin patches in the UK, where kids and adults have FREE entry!
We found five pumpkin patches across the UK where kids go free, including our top-scoring Doddington Hall in Lincolnshire and Tapnell Farm Park in the Isle of Wight.
There are two pumpkin patches in Scotland where kids go free, including Charleton Fruit Farm and Broadslap Fruit Farm. In Wales, Gower Fresh Christmas Trees in Swansea and Clearwell Farm between Newport and Cardiff allow children to enter for free.
Of course, you may expect to pay a fee for parking, food and drinks while you’re there and a small fee for the prized pumpkins you have picked, but these are definitely some of the cheapest pumpkin patches in the UK!
Tulleys Farm is the Top Trending UK Pumpkin Patch, with 14.72 Million TikTok Views
1. Tulleys Farm, West SussexCombined TikTok Tags & Instagram Mentions: 14.72 million
Tulleys Farm, the UK’s number one Pumpkin Festival, recorded the highest number of social media mentions, with a combined total of almost 14.72 million Instagram mentions and TikTok hashtag views.
2. Cannon Hall Farm, South YorkshireCombined TikTok Tags & Instagram Mentions: 2.32 million
Cannon Hall Farm is the second most Insta-worthy pumpkin patch, recording 2.32 million combined TikTok hashtag views and Instagram mentions.
3. Stockeld Park, WetherbyCombined TikTok Tags & Instagram Mentions: 675.21K
Stockeld Park, a Grade-I listed country house and estate between Wetherby and Harrogate, is the third-most-popular pumpkin patch on social media, collecting a combination of 675,212 mentions.
Cannon Hall Farm is the Most In-Demand Pumpkin Patch This Year
1. Cannon Hall Farm, South YorkshireAnnual Searches: 654,700
Cannon Hall Farm received the highest number of Google searches (654,700 in the last 12 months), out of 40 pumpkin patch venues across the UK. The award-winning family-run attraction sits in the beautiful Pennine foothills and is packed with animals, a playground, a tube maze, and a farm shop for fresh produce.
From October, there will be 10,000 pumpkins available for visitors to pick, along with expert carvers to help visitors shape those toothy grins. The event also features indoor and outdoor playgrounds and animal talks, making your autumn visit extra special. Even better, every child is entitled to one free pumpkin each, no matter the size!
2. Stockeld Park, WetherbyAnnual Searches: 595,000
Stockeld Park considers itself Yorkshire’s number one pumpkin picking event, and many families agree, as the park received 595,000 searches in the last year. The event has thousands of pumpkins across its meadow ready to be picked. The event allows every child (with a paid ticket) to choose a pumpkin for free up til the 31st of October.
But Stockeld Park is not your average pumpkin patch location, as the park hosts a number of Halloween events, including an enchanted forest, magical maze, tree climb and Woodsands Cove. There is also an indoor playground for children to enjoy, should you visit on a rainy day.
3. Tulleys Farm, West SussexAnnual Searches: 450,600
Our top-scoring pumpkin patch at Tulleys Farm is also one of the most searched, collecting a total of 450,600 searches in the last year. With over 30 photo opportunities at the Pumpkin Festival, it's no wonder it is one of the UK’s most in-demand picks. Visitors can enjoy live music at the stage, conveniently adjacent to the pumpkin bar serving beer and cold beverages, making it an enjoyable visit for adults alike. The woodland walk on your journey to the pumpkin fields adds some spooky flair, and before you know it, you'll find yourself amidst a sea of vibrant orange in the pumpkin fields.
Methodology
We began by collecting a list of the most popular and best pumpkin patches across the UK using websites like Country Living and BBC Good Food.
We collected adult and children's entry prices from each pumpkin patch’s website. NOTE: some prices vary on the visiting date. Therefore, prices were taken for Saturday, the 7th of October, 2023.
The number of TikTok hashtags for each location was taken from TikTok.
The number of Instagram mentions for each venue was taken from Instagram.
The annual searches for each location were taken from Google Keyword Planner for the last 12 months. This data is accurate as of 15/09/2023.
Each pumpkin patch was given a normalised score out of 10 for each of the above factors before an average of these four scores was taken for the overall patch score out of 10.