ONE of the most popular autumn activities in the UK is pumpkin picking, with many farms offering tickets throughout October.

Pumpkin patches have become increasingly popular among families in the UK, where you can not only pick them but have photoshoots and even decorate them.

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Here are 11 of the best from all over the UK for you to visit this year.

Kenyon Hall, Warrington

Tickets for Kenyon Hall are already on sale, with more than 20,000 pumpkins expected to grow on their patch this autumn.

Family photo shoots with professional photographers can be booked on certain days as well, while there’s also a maize maze and fruit picking on site too.

Entry tickets start from £2.95 for adults and children; infants under 18 months go free.

The patch will be open from September 28 until October 31, although there are limited dates left.

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Balgone Barns, North Berwick, Scotland

Scotland‘s largest pumpkin patch promises to let everyone “experience the countryside and Halloween to its fullest”.

More than 60,000 pumpkins are growing on the site across more than 10 acres. Prices for the pumpkins depend on the weight.

There is also a spooky haunted trail stretching 2km around Balgone Barns’ lake, while visitors can toast marshmallows at the Crooked Cauldron.

Visitors should book ahead online, with tickets range from £12 to £15, with select dates throughout October.

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Avon Valley Adventure & Wildlife Park, Bristol

Avon Valley has the ” South West’s biggest Pumpkin Extravaganza” this year.

There’s also a small fairground, as well as theatrical performers and fire shows taking place on site.

Pumpkin Paintball, Seasonal Slingshot and an apple cannon add to the Halloween activities available for families to enjoy.

The patch is open on selected days between September 28 and October 31.

Tickets can be booked online for up to £8.99 per person.

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Tulleys Farm, Crawley, West Sussex

Tulleys Farm declares itself to be the UK’s number one pumpkin festival, with more than a million pumpkins grown across 100 acres of farmland.

Live roaming characters ox wizards and scarecrows can be seen mingling among the pumpkins.

Street food stalls and a pumpkin bar serving cocktails and beers enhance the experience, while live music will be performed at Pumpkin Nights shows.

Tickets are available online for selected dates between September 28 and October 31.

Day time tickets range from £5-8, while evening tickets range from £8-12.

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Mr Pumpkin, Derby

Located just outside of Derby in Morely, Mr Pumpkin has become a favourite for pumpkin pickers since it first opened in 2017.

They have more than 90,000 pumpkins planted for visitors this year from more than 40 different varieties.

A pumpkin trail will also be raising money for the air ambulance, with more than £12,000 raised in recent years.

The event is running on most dates between September 29 nd October 31.

Tickets are £2.50 for adults, kids up to the age of 15 go free.

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Spilman’s Farm, Thirsk

This family-run farm in Yorkshire has more than 125,000 pumpkins ready to be picked on the 25 acre patch.

Tickets, which cost £7.50 per person, will grant each guest £5 to spend on either pumpkins or Spilman’s activities.

It also allows visitors to watch the family-friendly show Fright Delight.

Twilight picking evenings are back for another year too, with live music, a bar, street food and cosy fire pits.

The patch is open on weekends from September 30 until October 31.

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Manorafon Farm Park, Abergele, Wales

North Wales‘ largest selection of pumpkins is also home to a pumpkin carving tent for visitors to decorate their veg on site.

A mad scientist’s trick or treat show, creepy crawly handling, walkabout characters and the “horrid hallows” all add to the farm’s spooky Halloween atmosphere.

There’s also street food, a shooting range, a slime lab and special pumpkin festival nights, with a bar for adults and live music.

Tickets are £15.30 for adults and £16.20 for children if you book ahead, with one pumpkin per child’s ticket included.

Pumpkin fest will be running on a select few dates in October.

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Pumpkin Moon, Kent

Pumpkin Moon has three different locations in Kent – Maidstone, Faversham and Rainham.

There is street food and drinks available, while fancy dress is actively encouraged by those who run the patch.

Everyone needs to book before visiting, with prices from £3.75.

It will run for the weekends of September 5-6 only in Faversham, following by all of the farms from September 12 – October 13, and then October 19 – 31.

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Whitehouse Farm, Morpeth

From October 21-19 this Northumberland farm will be changing its name to Frighthouse Farm and running a Halloween ‘spooktacular’.

As well as pumpkin picking, there’ll be Magic Merlin’s School, with Halloween themed games and prizes to be won.

There’s also a walkway of terror a spider’s lair, catacombs, a bat chamber and an eerie grave yard.

A fancy dress contest will see the winner claim a gift voucher to use at the farm, while visitors can get up close and personal with owls and critters.

Tickets are available for £15.45 for adults and children and the event will run from October 12 to October 31.

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Forage Farm, Glamorgan

This South Wales pumpkin patch comes with pigmy goats, pigs, alpacas, tractor rides, pumpkin catapults, an interactive maize maze and face painting among many attractions.

There’s also a hay bale tower and plenty of other picture perfect backdrops to create lasting memories with.

The patch will be open on select weekends – October 5-6, 12-13, 19-20 and 26-30, as well as October 25 and 31. After dark pumpkin picking experiences are also available.

Daytime tickets cost £9 per car, while evening tickets are £6 per person.

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Arnprior Farm, Glasgow

Scotland‘s “original” pumpkin festival will run for more than three weeks in October this year, with more than 20,000 pumpkins to choose from.

As well as pumpkins, they have a quad pod ride, pumpkin cannon, bale mountain, an indoor hay barn, face painting, bouncy castle, lots of photo opportunities and a polytunnel shop.

There’s also a selection of food and drink each day including Loops and Scoops’ infamous churros, Skinners of Kippen burgers and pumpkin soup, pizzas, hot chocolates, Lous home baking and Gin fizz.

The event runs from October 9-29 and tickets start from £15.70, including a pumpkin voucher.

SPAIN’S Costa Daurada simply translates as the Golden Coast.

It’s named after the colour of the sand when the sun shines along its 50 miles of Mediterranean beaches, running south- west from Barcelona.

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I hadn’t taken the time to explain its meaning to my children while sitting in the departures lounge at Stansted Airport.

But it was the first that thing they exclaimed as they dived into the surf three hours later.

“Daddy, there’s gold in the water!”

They weren’t wrong. Tiny grains of sand floating in the crystal-clear sea shone like a golden twinkling disco ball suspended in the sun’s rays.

My two grew up paddling in the familiar dark-grey murk of the North Sea.

So they were certainly thrilled to be snorkelling in 34C sunshine off Platja dels Pilans.

The beach was just a ten-minute walk from our Eurocamp holiday home at the Playa Montroig Resort, in Miami Platja. And that was just as stunning.

Our Ultimate lodge slept six in comfort — with efficient air-conditioning that came into its own on during our scorching summer holiday.

Outside, comfy patio furniture on the shaded decking was perfect for chilling at any time of day, and the dining table and chairs were great for al-fresco meals.

The beachside resort is a 20-minute drive from Reus Airport, and around an hour from Barcelona.

And it lives up to its 5H rating, with immaculate grounds, three restaurants, a beach bar and round-the-clock entertainment for both kids and grown-ups.

On our first night, a magician sawed his glamorous assistant in half to the wonder of watching children.

The same stage hosted intense-looking exercise classes in the mornings, which were definitely not for the hungover.

And by the afternoon it had turned into a kid-friendly Ibiza foam party with huge cannons coating the dancing crowds in clouds of bubbles.

Gigs on the beach, fireworks, and a swimming pool complex with triple-flume action only added to the fun.

The poshest restaurant on site was the Espai Grill, which offered a full three courses of prime meats, with courtyard entertainment from a Beatles tribute band.

Unfussy and simple

Mid-tier was the Terrassa Restaurant, which served traditional Spanish fare and cold lagers, just a stone’s throw from the main square.

Our favourite was the Tucanamar beach bar.

Unfussy and simple, fresh fish and meat were grilled here over woodsmoke and washed down with copious Del Boy cocktails.

You can’t beat tapas and an ice-cold mojito while overlooking the waves with sand at your feet.

There was a bakery for morning baguette runs, and a decent-sized supermarket which offered the wonderful European adventures of 15 types of chocolate spread and tinned olives.

Never has the gulf between a British booze aisle, and alcohol on the Continent, been so vast.

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You could get three bottles of tip-top rioja and a slab of beers for the price of a petrol station chardonnay back home.

For a spot of offsite culture, we headed to the town of Montroig del Camp, which was famed as the rural retreat of the late Catalan painter and surrealist icon Joan Miro.

He began his painting career here at his parents’ farmhouse retreat and the landscape was the inspiration for some of his most famous works.

Montroig del Camp is overlooked by the remarkable 13th-century hermitage of Our Lady of the Rock, which is itself topped by the 19th-century Chapel of Sant Ramon.

Perched on top of a column of eroded red rock, it defies physics while also offering panoramic views all the way to the coast.

Wildlife and waterfalls

Thankfully, you can park at the top before clambering up to the chapel.

We then took the short drive to Cambrils to see the beautiful botanical gardens at Parc Sama.

It’s like a National Trust stately-home experience parachuted into the Med.

The wonderful 35-acre grounds are packed with wildlife and waterfalls.

You can feed the deer and marvel at the terrapins in the lake where fish will nibble your fingertips.

But it’s the peacocks that are the star of the show.

Chicks beside showboating grown-ups, and even their rare white- feathered cousins, strut among the tourists.

The coastal capital is Tarragona, home to the ruins of a magnificent Roman amphitheatre and an amazing 12th century Cathedral.

But it’s human structures that are the modern marvel — the city hosts the Castells competition, the world’s largest human tower contest.

The gravity-defying, centuries-old Catalan tradition sees incredible towers created from the crowds which stand up to 40ft high.

A wonderful life-size city centre-statue pays soaring tribute to their efforts.

There’s no doubt that the Costa Daurada, with all its sun-soaked family fun and Catalonian culture, delivers a gold-star break.

EATING out with friends and family is always a real treat, but soaring costs can leave a lump in your throat when the bill arrives.

This week, Mel Hunter reveals how to take a bite out of your bill and save money on dining out . . . 

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FAMILIES

EATING out with children is an expensive business unless you know where to find the best deals.

The average cost of a family meal out is around £90, according to Greene King ­— but with some discounts you can treat the family for less than half that.

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Ricky Willis, founder of the money-saving community skintdad.co.uk, says: “There are lots of offers out there, even outside the school holidays, and there are plenty of ways to get more for your money.”

Here, we round up the best.

Tesco shoppers can swap Clubcard points for double their value at Pizza Express, ASK Italian, Prezzo and Zizzi.

Sign up to newsletters and apps to get discounts.

For example, Brewers Fayre gives 25 per cent off your food bill when you join.

With Pizza Express Club, get free doughballs worth about £5.95 on a first visit and collect stamps to get free food on future visits.

Wagamama fans can get a free portion of edamame beans worth around £4.90 when you first sign up and spend over £12.

At Bella Italia, children eat for £1 from 4pm-6pm Sunday to Wednesday and for free Thursday.

Children eat free at Dobbies Garden Centres and for £1 at Hungry Horse pubs every Monday.

Get a free kids’ meal for every £10 spent by an adult at Real Greek restaurants on Sundays.

With TGI Friday’s app Stripes Rewards, children under 12 eat free all day every day when you buy a full price adult meal.

BEST: Dine out as a family for under £15 at a Sizzling Pub on weekdays from 3pm to 7pm. Families of four can enjoy two adult main meals for less than £12 and two kids’ mains for £1 each.

COUPLES

IF you’re heading out for a date night or meeting up with a friend, there are ways to save cash.

Aim for a Monday to Thursday night, as this is when you can gobble up the best offers.

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It is when restaurants run two-for-one deals, which rarely apply at weekends.

A Tastecard is a great source of meal deals. It can cost £7.99 a month, but look out for a free trial.

Myvouchercodes.co.uk is currently offering 60 per cent off annual membership, taking it down from £79.99 to £29.99.

If you work in the civil service or public sector, or used to before retiring, a Boundless membership, from £40 a year, gets you a free Tastecard as part of its benefits.

Otherwise, look out for great value on set menus.

We’re impressed with Bill’s two-course meal for £17.50 each, Cote’s Prix Fixe deal for £17.95 and Bar+Block’s £13.95 menu which runs until 5pm.

To get a prime seat at a posh restaurant, look for deals at opentable.co.uk or squaremeal.co.uk, or maybe tuck into a cheap pre-theatre menu, usually served around 5-6pm.

If that’s a bit too early for you, book a date at a restaurant where you can take along your own booze.

With a bottle of house wine costing upward of £20 at many places, this could immediately cut your bill.

Find a list at wine-pages.com/business-directory and search locally as well.

BEST: Want to impress? The Ivy restaurants, with stylish branches throughout the UK, offer a set menu for under £20.

FRIENDS

THERE’S no need to dread splitting the bill if you choose what you eat and where you go wisely.

If you are going out for your birthday, you can bag yourself a freebie (and leave the others to split the bill) by signing up as a loyalty member at many restaurants.

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They will then reward you with a treat at around the time of your birthday.

This might be a free main meal or bottle of bubbly.

Look out for birthday freebies at Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, Las Iguanas, Frankie & Benny’s and Pizza Express.

Even if it is not your big day, there are big ways to save with friends.

Yasmine Camilla, who posts about her journey to get out of debt on TikTok and Instagram (@yasminecamilla), says: “You need to get organised beforehand.

“Use WhatsApp to talk to the group and make sure everyone is signed up to get the same deal before you go out.

“That way, you won’t end up splitting the bill and paying for someone else’s more expensive meal.”

At Prezzo, you can get a code for a free bottle of Prosecco when you sign up for emails and spend at least £25.

At Hungry Horse pubs you can buy one burger at get another free on Fridays.

BEST: At Bill’s you can get a free birthday bottle of Prosecco worth around £29.50, if you sign up for the newsletter at least four weeks before your big day and meet the other terms and conditions.

UNIVERSAL CREDIT FIASCO

ALMOST 900,000 Universal Credit claims were closed before being paid in the last year.

That was the finding of a freedom of information request by Sun Money to the Department for Work and Pensions.

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Between July 2023 and June 2024, 896,000 claims were shut down without payment.

Having insufficient evidence was the main reason that claims were unsuccessful, with 92,000 such cases recorded.

This could include not having a valid UK passport, payslips dated within the last three months or your most recent P60.

These documents are important because the amount of Universal Credit you are entitled to depends on your individual circumstances.

And almost 64,000 cases were ended because the claimant failed the “habitual residence” test.

This can stop someone who has a right to enter the UK from claiming social benefits after they arrive.

Ayla Ozmen, at charity Z2K, said: “We know that people struggle to meet all of the requirements of the claims process, often because of a disability or because they have difficulty using computers.

“This can lead to people missing out on vital income.”

A DWP Spokesperson said: “We support millions of people every year through Universal Credit, and our priority is to make sure people get the support.”

OLIVIA MARSHALL

PENSION MISTAKE RULING

HUNDREDS of thousands of savers could be owed cash in the aftermath of a huge pension mix-up, Sun Money can reveal.

In July, the Court of Appeal upheld that telecom giant Virgin Media had not obtained a legal sign-off from an actuary, a type of financial expert, on changes it made to its company pension scheme several years ago.

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As a result, these changes were deemed invalid, and the court said they should be reversed.

Savers with reduced pension benefits owing to the changes would therefore be owed money.

We have now learned that between 1997 and 2016, many companies made changes to their pension schemes to save money on National Insurance contributions.

Insiders said a number of those firms did not get the required sign-off, like Virgin Media.

These insiders told us that hundreds of thousands of workers’ final-salary pensions could therefore be worth more than they thought.

But we believe these firms are calling on the DWP to remove the past sign-off requirement.

A DWP spokes-person said: “We have been closely following this case. We will consider the wider implications for both schemes and scheme members as we explore the implications of the judgment.”

A Virgin Media spokesman said: “Following the court decision, we are working to ensure the pension scheme is being administered correctly.”

ELLIE SMITHERMAN