AUTUMN is here and summer is long gone.

The leaves are changing colour and falling to the ground, the mornings are frosty and the nights are drawing in.

Halloween is just around the corner and that means one thing – pumpkins are ripe for picking!

Farms across Warrington have opened their pumpkin patches ready to welcome families and visitors of all ages to this year’s festivals.

Here are the best places in town to pick up a pumpkin ready for Halloween.

Lymm Pumpkin Patch

Lymm Pumpkin Patch

Lymm Pumpkin Patch, Massey Brook Lane, Lymm

Lymm Pumpkin Patch is celebrating its third year of growing pumpkins.

It will be open from 10am till 4.30pm on Saturdays and Sundays throughout October and daily from Monday, October 21 through to Thursday, October 31.

Opening dates are subject to pumpkin availability and weather dependant on their mini maze.

No booking is required and on site parking is available.

Dogs are welcome on leads and visitors are advised to wear wellington boots due to mud and puddles around the pumpkin patch and in the field.

Mini maze entry is £2 each with under twos going free and there will be daily treasure hunts and pumpkin games as well as tea, coffee and other refreshments available at the gate.

Pumpkins start at £3 each.

For more details go to facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078934066988

Grange Farm

Grange Farm

Grange Farm Pumpkin Festival, Grange Farm, Lowton

Grange Farm Pumpkin Festival 2024 promises to be bigger and better than ever!

This year’s event will take place on Saturday, October 12 and Sunday, October 13 and then from Saturday, October 19 until Sunday, October 27.

It will be a spooktacular day out for families with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes available.

Pick your perfect pumpkin to decorate or carve and don’t forget your wellies.

There will be Halloween entertainment – live performance, games and prizes – as well as bubble shows, fire blowers and stilt walkers.

Character appearances will feature Frankenstein, Dracula and Spider-Man promising to visit.

Rapunzel and Elsa will be there as will Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story.

Little ones can have their faces painted or enjoy a ride on the fun fair.

Families can visit the mini animal farm and meet some of the residents while learning about their habitats.

Fancy seeing the herd of Highland cows or llamas?

Food and drink will be available with Halloween-inspired treats and refreshments and there is a fully licensed bar.

Tickets are priced from £6 per person – under twos go free – and a family ticket of five costs £28.

Please note that tickets do not include a pumpkin.

For more details go to thebarnlowton.co.uk/pumpkinfestival2024

Kenyon Hall Farm

Kenyon Hall Farm

Kenyon Hall Farm, Winwick Lane, Croft

Home-grown pumpkins are ready for picking at Kenyon Hall Farm with thousands to choose from in all shapes, sizes and colours.

The farm has been growing pumpkins for more than 30 years and is Warrington’s original pumpkin patch run by the Bulmer family – Tod and Barbara with sons Simon and James.

This year, the family will be welcoming thousands of visitors to their pumpkin festival with more than 20,000 pumpkins to choose from.

There will be homemade treats available from the café including pumpkin soup, pumpkin cake and pumpkin spiced lattes.

Farmer Tod Blumer said: “We’re Warrington’s original pumpkin patch and have been growing pumpkins here at Kenyon Hall Farm for more than 30 years.

“This year’s Pumpkin Festival is going to be our biggest and best with more pumpkins, more photo opportunities and more Halloween treats than ever.

“We can’t wait to welcome you to pick your perfect pumpkin.”

Tickets for the festival are priced at £2.95 per person with children under 18 months going free and they are open on Saturday, September 28 and throughout October until Halloween.

Advanced bookings are essential to pick from the pumpkin patch but please note that tickets do not include the price of a pumpkin.

For more details go to kenyonhall.co.uk/pumpkins

Bates Farm

Bates Farm

Bates Farm, Warrington Road, Risley

Bates Farm pumpkin patch is back again this October!

There’s the outdoor pumpkin patch as well as a new indoor pumpkin barn, which is bigger than ever.

There will be countless varieties of pumpkin and photo opportunities as well as face painting and a pink tractor in aid of Cancer Research.

Visitors can meet the farm animals and hear about farm life from Farmer Fi.

The Wilshaw family will be fundraising for Cancer Research in memory of their dad Michael, who passed away last October.

Coffee and cake will be available throughout the day with stone baked pizzas each weekend from 12pm until 3pm.

Bates Farm is open every weekend in October and during half term.

To book tickets and for more details go to batesfarm.co.uk/pumpkin-patch

The Hayloft

The Hayloft

The Hayloft, Sandy Lane, Bold Heath

The Halloween celebrations at The Hayloft start this weekend with pumpkins galore and a spooky maze.

The pumpkin patch and spooky maze with be open on Saturday, October 5 and Sunday, October 6 and then every day from Friday, October 11 until Thursday, October 31.

The Hayloft will be open on selected dates for twilight sessions.

Pumpkin picking is free – you just need to pay for what you pick in the pumpkin fields – and you can pick your own sweetcorn at £1 per cob.

The maze is £3.50 per person with prizes for completing the puzzle inside.

You can ride the miniature railway or feed the cows and the coffee shop, play area and pedal tractor rides will be open as usual.

For more details go to facebook.com/TheHayloftCheshire

Tatton Park

Tatton Park

Tatton Park, Knutsford

Pick a perfect pumpkin at Tatton Park this October.

Visitors can meet all their farmyard favourites before searching for a perfect pumpkin.

You’ll choose your own pumpkin from the field, so prepare to get your hands dirty!

Pumpkin picking will be available on Saturday, October 19, Sunday, October 20, Saturday, October 26, Sunday, October 27, Tuesday, October 29, Wednesday, October 30 and Thursday, October 31.

Pumpkins are priced at £4 and more details are available by visiting tattonpark.org.uk/events_at_tatton_park/event-listings/2024/october/pumpkin-patch-at-the-farm.aspx

Tatton Park is also hosting a new spooktacular Skellies and Wellies Trail.

Head to the gardens and see them come alive with the rattling fun of Halloween!

As you wander through the 50-acre gardens, keep your eyes peeled for bone-chilling skeleton displays, each one ready to tickle your funny bone with a rib-tickling joke.

Little ghouls and goblins are invited to don their wellies and best fancy dress to join the bony brigade.

Pick up a free activity sheet and prepare for a day of frightful fun with the spooky guests in Tatton Park gardens.

This activity is available from Saturday, October 26 until Sunday, November 3.

For more details go to tattonpark.org.uk/events_at_tatton_park/event-listings/2024/october/skellies-and-wellies-in-the-gardens.aspx

Partridge Lakes

Partridge Lakes

Partidge Lakes Café, Glaziers Lane, Culcheth

Partridge Lakes Café will have an enchanting Halloween lakeside trail.

It promises to be a spectacular journey for all ages.

A mesmerising world of Halloween will come to life around the lakes as the sun sets and the moon comes out.

Visitors will follow a magical trail through woodland with eerie lights, shadows of witches on broomsticks and cauldrons as well as spiders coming out of trees.

The trail will be open Friday, October 4 and every Saturday and Sunday throughout October as well as October 23 and 24, and October 28 to October 31.

There will be food and drink stalls and a firepit to toast marshmallows.

For more details go to halloweenlakesidetrail.co.uk

Arley Hall and Gardens

Arley Hall and Gardens

Arley Hall and Gardens, near Appleton Thorn

Any little ones wanting to try a spooky afternoon tea should pop along to Arley Hall and Gardens.

Children can enjoy spooky sandwiches, mummy dogs with vampire blood and dug up worms in chocolate mud as well as monster mash cupcakes, all served with a witches’ brew.

The Halloween afternoon tea is available from midday on Tuesday, October 29, Wednesday, October 30 and Thursday, October 31.

Tickets are priced at £11.95 and can be booked by calling 01606 777667.