PYO Pumpkins @ Lower Drayton Farm

Lower Drayton Farm sits just outside Stafford, and come autumn the whole place transforms into a proper pumpkin paradise. You're out in the fields picking your own - orange ones, white ones, warty ones - whatever takes your fancy. It's genuinely good fun, especially if you've got kids who think pumpkins magically appear at the supermarket.

The farm does the whole seasonal thing well. Beyond the PYO pumpkins, there are usually hay bales to clamber on, animals to see, and a farm shop selling the usual suspects - apple juice, preserves, that sort of thing. Expect to spend a couple of hours here if you're doing the full tour, though you could easily be in and out in an hour if you just want to grab a pumpkin and go.

It works brilliantly as part of a broader Staffordshire break. Stay at Pillaton Hall Farm just down the road - it's only 2 miles away and honestly the easiest pit stop if you're basing yourself nearby. If you're after something slightly bigger, Oakland Holiday Park isn't far either at five miles. Both are proper family-friendly setups that make this sort of thing their bread and butter.

Go in late September or October for the full effect. Earlier and the pumpkins won't be ready; later and they pick the best ones. It's free to wander round, though obviously you pay for whatever you take home.