One of our absolute favourite places to visit for easy outdoor fun on a weekend is our local Pick-Your-Own fruit farm. It's a perfect example of diversification, as not only does Hendrewennol have all the usual berries to harvest during the Summer months, but it also has a themed maize maze (this year in the shape of Wales with famous Welsh castles scattered throughout), large sandpit, and a hay-bale maze. You can visit for free to enjoy the play areas, entry to the maize maze is just a few pounds each.
Last year we discovered that they also grew PYO pumpkins, and I may have gone overboard with the 14 that we ended up taking home. This year we were determined not to get so carried away!
It turns out that we were late to the game and there weren't many pumpkins left, so I didn't need to be worried about becoming carried away. Apparently on the one day of the year that the owner thought they'd be quiet, they sold hundreds of pumpkins within a few hours! However, we were able to pick some nice green specimens which were on the turn to orange; meaning they'll be perfect for the 31st.
We were told that we wouldn't need a cutting implement (just as well as I'd forgotten our pen-knife) as the pumpkins would just snap off. Not quite if you're only five years old, and so The Boy set to work pulling, twisting and eventually stamping on the stalks. The funniest moment was when he'd been twisting the stalk for so long without it giving, that he was on the verge of admitting defeat. I picked up the pumpkin to help him and we discovered it had already been snapped off the plant and just had a really long stalk!
Afterwards, Mr. TBaM decided to try and teach The Boy how to play chess which gave me an opportunity to go and explore the shop and goodies inside; I even managed to bagsy some nice props at a cut-down price.
It was then that I discovered that during the week of half-term, Hendrewennol are hosting a Hallowe'en extravaganza with a spooky maze inhabitated by ghostly figures (actors being employed), pumpkin carving, broomstick making, nature trails and a wood-fired pizza oven. I snapped up our places straight away and we're really looking forward to exploring a Hendrewennol Hallowe'en.
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Linking up to Country Kids, Outdoor Play Party, and Let Kids Be Kids
Picking your own pumpkins looks like a lot of fun and The Boy looks very proud of the one he picked!
Picking your own pumpkin is fab 🙂 Love the photos of The Boy tackling his, he looks so pleased with himself at the end! #CountryKids
Your post so reminds me that I'm going to have to find a good pumpkin picking field here back in the UK after the bonanza they faced last year in the US! Wonderful captures of your boy on his expedition.
Love that you got so many pumpkins haha! Sounds like a really fun day, your little guy is such a cutie! The Halloween night sounds like it will be brilliant!
What an awesome facility this place is. We love it there too and I imagine that it's lovely during the autumn. The company doing the wood fired pizzas is a mummy friend of mine, so you're in for a treat.
Love the twisting and pulling photos, I never knew there was an art to getting them out of the ground. I have to confess to buying ours from Asda, I wish we had a place like this around us. I'm looking forward to hearing of your return visit already.
You should grow them ready for guests to pick next year! I'm sure you've got an area that you could grow them in, and can you imagine how cool that would be for guests, picking their own grown pumpkin to decorate or carve during Hallowe'en week?
Oh I really wanted to do PYO pumpkins this year but haven't found anywhere local yet. Will have to do a bit of research today and find somewhere quickly! Love your photos and it looks like a really magical place for some Halloween fun.
Wow! I've never heard of PYO pumpkins! I wish our local PYO farm did this as it looks like lots of fun and something a bit different. Great excuse to get your wellies on in Autumn. #Countrykids
The Boy looks delighted with his pumpkin! What a fun day out.
This looks brilliant fun. We've done lots of PYO but never a pumpkin!
I promise to myself that we will start a Halloween tradition this year & this is where I will start. With a pumpkin carving. I have yet to find somewhere cheap to get it but we will. Thanks for sharing this. Funny and heartwarming =) #countrykids
The boy is delightful!! His face holding his pumpkin – he's so pleased! We drove past a huge field of pumpkins last week, this week it was virtually empty 🙁 don't think they do pick your own but wish they did as it looks great fun! x
I searched for a local pumpkin patch last year. Now we have moved we might have one nearby! I'd love to take Bob it looks like great fun! xx
I love all the differently coloured pumpkins, so much nicer than just loads of orange ones. Thanks for your support of the OPP.
Oooh what fun! I love the green colour of those pumpkins! Absolutely gorgeous x