Blogtober Day 23 - A Day at a Pumpkin Patch
At the age of 32 I can honestly say I’ve never been to a pumpkin patch. Last year I went to Brechin Castle Garden Centre for their Halloween trail, and they had a “pumpkin patch” but really it was just a bit they had fenced off and put some pumpkins in. So, this year James and I, (really, I told James we were doing it) decided to go to an actual pumpkin patch. We wanted one that was relatively local and dog-friendly so a quick internet search later and we found Charleton Fruit Farm in Montrose.
Located on the Aberdeen side of Montrose, Charleton Fruit Farm has so much to offer. It’s dog friendly for well-behaved pooches on leads, though unfortunately they are not allowed in the play park or inside the restaurant, but they can it outside. There is a shop with fresh produce, jams and preserves and beautiful decor item and clothing. A child’s play park with a snack shack to finish it off. Obviously, there is also fruit! Fresh for you to pick! I’ll be honest, I genuinely thought we would get there, pick a pumpkin and be gone within the hour but I was so wrong!
Our first stop was pumpkins. Now, to be fair, the pumpkins were just laid out in a field, but it was still nice to go and pick our own and weigh them. We got two, a big one and a little one and they cost £10 together. The cost is based on weight so obviously the bigger you want, the more pennies it will cost you. Once we had chosen our desired gourds, we headed to pay for them. While we were waiting to pay, we noticed a sign with prices for fruit picking and James said, “I’ve never been fruit picking” WHAT?! Never been fruit picking? So, we picked up a punnet and were pointed in the direction of the raspberries.
The mud on James’s coat is from the pumpkins, obviously. We had a lovely half an hour or so picking both red and yellow raspberries and a full punnet only costs us £3.49. The fruit sections are also nice and quiet, though you can still hear the kids in the play area.
Charleton has loads of produce to pick including, lots of different kinds of berries, potatoes, carrots, apples and pears. Everything is based on weight but a kilogram of the fruit was roughly £6.50 and it was £1.49 a kilo for potatoes. Which is pretty reasonable considering how much a local supermarket charges.
How gorgeous do these raspberries look? Overall, Charleton Fruit Farm is a great way to spend a few hours. The only place we didn’t have a look in was the restaurant so I can’t comment on that. Although, I also didn’t play at the play park so I can’t really comment on how much fun that is, but it did look fun.
Next year, I’m totally dragging James and Millie to a Sunflower maze!